Read

Listen

image of What is Staff Augmentation and is It Worth it? - Aram Melkoumov & Sergey Ross
Thursday, June 9, 2022
23:18
minutes

What is Staff Augmentation and is It Worth it? - Aram Melkoumov & Sergey Ross

Listen on

Podcast information

Share:

Episode Details

Sergey and Aram demystify staff augmentation. They answer questions you’re wondering like: should you do it? Is it worth it? How much does it cost? What should you watch out for? They discuss the common mistakes you should avoid and ways to quickly find out if the product studio you are hiring is a good fit. They also explain how you can use pilots and proof of concepts to test out relationships between you and your extended team.

Show notes

Follow Aram Melkoumov on Linkedin for highlight clips and DMs.

About Aram
Aram Melkoumov is the CEO of Crowdlinker. Crowdlinker is an end-to-end digital product studio based in Toronto and Barcelona. Crowdlinker turns 10 in the fall of 2022. He works with startups like Freshbooks and enterprises like Unilever.

SHOW NOTES:
0:08 | What is staff augmentation and why do we need it?
01:28 | How to execute staff augmentation correctly.
03:13 | Staff augmentation: how to test for team fit to avoid difficulties
05:36 | Why do companies choose to do staff augmentation?
09:04 | Staff augmentation for companies scaling past Series A
09:50 | How are staff augmentation contracts structured?
12:46 | How much does staff augmentation cost? (squad model vs. time materials model)
14:19 | Hiring a product studio vs. hiring a dev agency: what should you do and when?
17:30 | How to select the right product studio for staff augmentation.
20:05 | Can you test product studios before hiring them for a big project?

QUOTES:
“Staff augmentation is a concept where you take, you know, individuals like a product manager, a developer, a designer -  and a company can hire those people and make them part of their team.” [00:27]
“Squad model is really great for longer-term kind of projects, a few months long. Whereas time and materials model is good for open-ended shorter-term projects.” [13:55]
“This is an onboarding period with any type of new project and like a honeymoon phase, right? So, you know you typically get to know pretty quickly whether or not the product studio that you hire is good or not based on how prepped and how ready they are coming into say the kickoff meeting or what are some of the questions they ask even during the sales process.” [19:05]

Follow Aram Melkoumov
https://www.linkedin.com/in/melkoumov/?originalSubdomain=ca

Work with Crowdlinker:
https://www.crowdlinker.com/contact 

What is Product Innovation Series with Aram Melkoumov?

Product Innovation Series is an in-depth interview series featuring product & innovation leaders from small startups all the way to Fortune 500 behemoths. Our guests share their battle-tested perspective on what prevents teams from shipping a great product. The show is hosted by Aram Melkoumov, the CEO of Crowdlinker.

Related podcasts

August 10, 2023
63:44 minutes
Maarten turned 79% of his product pitches into signed agreements. Listen how his strategy is reshaping the innovation landscape.In this episode of Product Innovation Show, Maarten and Aram delve into the intricacies of managing a product team, especially when you don't come from a technical background. Maarten sheds light on his journey, managing multiple SCRUM teams, and the challenges and rewards it brings. Drawing parallels between the world of professional sports and product management, they discuss the importance of asking 'why not' and how to align different priorities for collective success.About the GuestMaarten began his entrepreneurial adventure at 19 in the music scene. After dodging some iffy record deals, he thought, "I can do better!" and launched his first venture. He quickly noticed that the way entrepreneurship was taught was flawed. So, six years ago, Maarten founded BW Ventures. Since then, he's guided over 200 startups, helping them find solid business models. Yet, even with a plan, many still struggle to secure their first investment.SHOW NOTES:[03:19] Nurturing Ideas[10:20] The Role of Predictability in Innovation[16:30] Managing Stakeholder Pushback[22:02] Pivoting or Killing Projects[25:17] Assessing Company Ideas[28:31] Driving Innovation[35:27] Stakeholder Expectations[39:38] Building Solid Business Cases[43:33] Martin's Key Principles: [47:00] Corporate Acquisitions & StrategyQuotes from Maarten:"Showing progress and showing what works and doesn't work is more valuable than just getting that perfect business case out.""People are most of the times too scared to build a super big business case because they think decision makers are going to ask for that. But what's more important is showing progress and understanding what you're doing."Books We Mentioned:1. Pep Guardiola: Another Way of Winning: The Biography2. Mindgames: Phil Jackson's Long Strange Journey3. The Lean Startup: How Today's Entrepreneurs Use Continuous Innovation to Create Radically Successful BusinessesFollow Maarten van Kroonenburghttps://www.linkedin.com/in/maartenvankroonenburg/
June 26, 2023
15:30 minutes
Mounika Sanikommu, Senior Product Manager at Zuora, is sharing her thrilling journey with ChatGPT, experiments she runs, plugins she discovered and how she uses AI for data analysis in her day job.Monica and Aram also spills the beans on the future of jobs in an AI-dominated landscape. About Mounika Mounika is a Senior Product Manager at Zuora building and leading their ecosystem products. She is an unstoppable learner who pivoted her career from engineering to Product while working in tech firms across the globe. She enjoys sharing her product knowledge and offering mentorship to aspiring PMs through various platforms. SHOW NOTES:7:53 | Monica’s experience with the new plugins available in ChatGPT8:20 | The benefits of using ChatGPT for data analysis in product management8:55 | Challenges Monica has faced using ChatGPT9:24 | The role of input prompts in ChatGPT’s functionality11:27 | The most valuable investments Monica has made in understanding AI technology14:16 | Monica’s views on the growing trend of generative AIQUOTES:"I don't think AI is a doomsday for our jobs yet. Right now, it's a tool that can increase our efficiency and productivity when used ethically and correctly."
May 15, 2023
21:05 minutes
In this episode, our host Aram Melkoumov is speaking with with Jorge, a product leader at Resilia, about the growing influence of AI, particularly GPT-4, in the tech industry. They dive into the ways AI can change our everyday experiences and discuss the potential for AI to replace certain roles.Key Takeaways:The Power of GPT-4: Jorge reflects on the advancements in AI with introduction of GPT-4. He shares his experiences about the potential uses of and capabilities of this tech in writing human-like text.Medici Effect: Jorge emphasizes the power of interdisciplinary knowledge and how viewing use cases from different perspectives can lead to innovative ideas.Real-World AI Integration: Aram and Jorge explore the application of AI in real-world scenarios, particularly through the use of browser extensions and APIs. They discuss how these integrations can help create more relevant and updated information, improving efficiency.AI in Content Creation: Jorge shares his experience with using AI in content creation, particularly in real estate. He also mentions Synthesia, an AI avatar company, as a potential tool for those who may not feel comfortable being on camera.SHOW NOTES 1:06 - Guest Introduction2:15 - Initial Reaction to ChatGPT4:09 - Prompt Engineering6:57 - Learning and Challenges8:19 - Leveraging ChatGPT Plugins13:16 - Investment in AI14:16 - Learning and Content Consumption16:28 - Doomsday Scenario or Paradise18:14 - Finding Irreplaceable RolesAbout Jorge SierraJorge, with over nine years of experience, has honed his skills as a Product Manager, Startup Advisor, and Consultant across the technology industry, from startups to large corporations, and as a founder of his own businesses. His entrepreneurial achievements include the successful establishment and management of two startups and a software factory firm, all aimed at introducing disruptive technologies to Latin American and Hispanic markets. Across multiple sectors, including e-commerce, fintech, and artificial intelligence, Jorge has consistently adhered to user-centric design and agile methodologies to develop intuitive, effective products. Connect with Jorge:https://www.linkedin.com/in/jorge-sierra-guerra/Connect with Aram:https://www.crowdlinker.com/
GET IN TOUCH
GET IN TOUCH

Want to learn more?

Let’s start collaborating on your most complex business problems, today.