For global IT service providers, the ability to quickly deploy high- performing, specialized development teams is paramount to project success and competitive advantage. Yet, sourcing and integrating such teams, especially under tight deadlines and with specific skill requirements, presents a significant challenge.

This case study details how Affinity, more specifically Energy AfC (Affinity Company) through our Team-as-a-Service (TaaS) model, became a strategic partner to a leading IT services client. We will examine how Affinity successfully navigated complex demands, from assembling an urgent OutSystems team within a month to building a diverse Adobe Experience Manager (AEM) unit, demonstrating the power of dedicated recruitment and nearshore talent acquisition in empowering critical global projects.

By delivering dedicated, high-performing teams with speed and precision, Affinity empowered our global IT in critical projects. Our Team-as-a-Service model alleviated the burden of complex recruitment and team building, allowing the client to focus on project execution and business objectives.

The Challenge: Assembling Dedicated Remote Development Teams

Our client, a global leader in IT services, faced a common yet critical challenge: the need for dedicated, high-performing teams with very specific skill sets, often under tight deadlines. While they occasionally sought individual placements, their more pressing demands involved establishing entire project teams. This approach required not only identifying top talent but also ensuring team cohesion and rapid deployment.

A particular instance highlighted this challenge when the client approached us with an urgent request: to assemble a four-person OutSystems team within an ambitious 30-day timeframe. This team needed to include two tech leads and two senior developers. This is a highly sought-after combination of skills and experience.

The urgency was further amplified by the requirement for candidates to have immediate or near-immediate availability, ruling out those with long notice periods.

A subsequent project underscored our client’s need for diverse expertise, this time for an Adobe Experience Manager (AEM) team. This request involved finding AEM developers for a larger team of seven, where the client also sought React and Java developers.

The Solution: Dedicated Recruitment for Software Development

Recognizing the critical nature of these requests and our client’s need for a partner capable of more than just individual placements, Energy AfC leveraged Affinity’s extensive talent pool and agile recruitment processes to offer a Team-as-a-Service (TaaS) solution. This went beyond traditional staff augmentation, focusing on delivering pre-vetted, cohesive teams ready to integrate seamlessly into the client’s projects.

For the OutSystems Team:

1. Rapid Task Force Activation: Upon receiving the 30-day deadline, Energy AfC immediately launched a dedicated task force. This involved a massive outreach effort, tapping into Affinity’s extensive database of pre-identified professionals and conducting targeted recruitment drives.

• Focus on Immediate Availability: Given the tight timeline, our search prioritized candidates who were either freelancers or actively open to work, ensuring their availability met the project’s demanding schedule.

• Team Cohesion from the Start: A key differentiator was our proactive approach to team building. Before presenting candidates to the client, we facilitated virtual meetings among the potential team members. This allowed them to get acquainted, understand each other’s strengths, and strategize how they would collectively address technical challenges during client interviews. This bonding was crucial, especially since candidates were geographically dispersed.
• Integrated Validation Process: The assembled team was then presented to the client for validation. Following their approval, the team proceeded to the client’s end-client for final technical validation as a cohesive unit, not just individual candidates.

• Seamless Substitution (if needed): In one instance, a team member withdrew. Our ability to quickly identify and integrate a suitable

replacement ensured the project remained on track without compromising the team’s capabilities or the client’s expectations.

For the Adobe Experience Manager (AEM) Team:

Similar to the OutSystems engagement, Affinity successfully sourced the AEM developers and a React developer for the client’s seven-person AEM project. The client internally allocated two Java developers, but Affinity remained the primary provider for the specialized roles. This demonstrated our capacity to not only deliver entire teams but also to strategically fill crucial gaps within larger project structures.

Key Outcomes and Differentiators:

• Meeting Aggressive Deadlines: Energy AfC consistently delivered specialized teams within highly challenging timeframes, showcasing exceptional agility and a robust recruitment pipeline.

• Diverse Technological Expertise: Our ability to provide talent across a wide spectrum of technologies, from OutSystems (where Portugal is a leading market) to niche areas like Adobe Experience Manager (AEM) demonstrates our broad capabilities. We are not limited to specific tech stacks, allowing us to cater to varied client needs.

• Building Cohesive Teams: By fostering pre-interview team interaction, we ensured that the candidates presented to the client were not just skilled individuals but also a united front, ready to collaborate effectively from day one. This significantly reduced integration time for the client.

• Nearshore Advantage with Cultural Alignment: For our global client, Portugal offered a strategic nearshore location. Beyond cost- effectiveness, the preference for Portuguese-speaking professionals with strong English language skills and cultural alignment proved to be a significant advantage, fostering better team dynamics and communication.

• Long-Term Partnership: This case study is a testament to a long- standing and evolving partnership with the client, spanning over five years. Our consistent ability to deliver on complex requests has solidified our position as a trusted and reliable partner.

• Scalability and Adaptability: Whether it’s assembling an entire team from scratch or complementing existing client resources, Affinity demonstrated its scalability and adaptability to various project structures and needs.

The Benefits of Nearshore Dedicated Development Teams

Our client’s decision to leverage a nearshore model, specifically from Portugal, was a strategic move that unlocked significant advantages for their projects. For global IT leaders like them, opting for dedicated development teams from a nearshore location offered a compelling blend of benefits:

• Unparalleled Access to Specialized Talent: Portugal, for instance, stands as the global hub for OutSystems development, boasting the largest pool of certified professionals. Nearshore in Portugal allows clients to quickly tap into highly niche and in-demand skill sets that might be scarce or significantly more expensive in other markets.

• Seamless Cultural and Linguistic Alignment: A critical factor for our client was the ability to foster strong team dynamics. Portugal is one of the highest-ranked countries on EF’s English Proficiency Index. This ensured that Affinity’s consultants were able to smooth internal communication within the dedicated teams, even when working with international stakeholders in English. This eliminated potential communication silos and misunderstandings that can arise with geographically or culturally disparate teams.

• Optimized Time Zone Synchronization: With Portugal’s advantageous time zone alignment with Central European markets (e.g., Netherlands, Germany), our dedicated teams could collaborate in real-time with the client’s core operations. This minimized delays, facilitated immediate feedback loops, and streamlined project management, accelerating delivery timelines.
• Cost-Effectiveness Without Compromising Quality: Nearshore models offer a more cost-efficient alternative to traditional in-house or onshore teams, providing access to highly skilled professionals at competitive rates, without sacrificing the quality or experience crucial for complex projects.

• Agility and Rapid Scalability: The ability to quickly assemble and scale dedicated teams through a nearshore partner provides inherent agility. When urgent needs arose, like assembling a four- person OutSystems team in 30 days, the nearshore model allowed for rapid talent acquisition and deployment, ensuring projects stayed on track.

Conclusion

The success stories detailed in this case study underscore the transformative impact of Affinity’s dedicated development team assembly for global IT leaders. Energy AfC’s ability to swiftly identify, vet, and integrate cohesive teams with diverse and specialized skill sets, exemplified by our rapid deployment of OutSystems and AEM teams, has proven instrumental in our client’s project successes.

The inherent benefits of the nearshore model, offering a blend of specialized talent, cultural synergy, and cost-effectiveness, solidify its position as a strategic advantage in today’s global market. As organizations continue to navigate evolving technological landscapes and urgent demands, this partnership serves as a compelling testament to how a focused Team-as-a-Service approach can not only meet immediate project needs but also foster long-term growth and operational excellence.