Ruby On Rails Staff Augmentation: How To Scale Your Team?
Published: 2021-05-25 11:48:35

Are you a startup or thinking of building a new SaaS project but confused in choosing the right technology? Well, **Ruby on Rails** is the best technology and the correct answer to all your questions.

The popularity and success of businesses like **Airbnb, Shopify, and GitHub** have made it very clear that [Ruby on Rails](https://selleo.com/blog/why-is-ruby-still-a-good-choice-in-2021-an-introduction-to-ruby-3-0) is an excellent tool for startups to reach the heights of success. Ruby is perfect for developing SaaS solutions, MVPs, and cross-platform applications.
Whereas, Rails still has the most popular communities on GitHub with over **4k contributors**.

The quality level and fast development pace have increased the **demand of Ruby on Rails developers**. They are highly appreciated and desired by companies worldwide. As a startup, you might want to hire such experienced developers, but how to hire them?

**Hiring An In-House Ruby on Rails Developer is Hard**

According to [Indeed.com](https://www.indeed.com/q-Ruby-Rails-jobs.html), there are **2,642 Ruby on Rails job posts** in the US and only 278 resumes available on the Indeed website. Hiring an in-house or full-time Ruby on Rails developer is hard. However, it brings many benefits, such as a dedicated focus on your project, timely and robust communication, and easy management. No such developer would wish to work for a small web app project, and it will be costly to hire someone like that in a startup.

This article will discuss Ruby on Rails staff augmentation and how to scale a team in a startup using the same tactic.

So, let’s begin:

## What is Ruby on Rails Staff Augmentation and how it’s Different from other Hiring Models?

Before learning more about **RoR staff augmentation**, let's first discuss the options to hire a Ruby on Rails developer via a company using traditional methods such as in-house or freelance.

### Employ In-House Ruby on Rails Developer

In-house hiring means that the developer will sit in your office and work only on your project. The pros and cons of hiring in-house developers are as follow:

**Pros:**

* In-house developers will give full consideration to your project and will be available when you need them. With dedicated resources, you can complete the project development in a short time.
* With an in-house developer, it is **easier to communicate** without any silos. Face-to-face communication makes it easier for the developer to understand your expectations.
* Having a developer in-house makes it easier for you to manage their time and tasks. You can manage a developer's workflow with daily meetings, demos, and retrospectives.
* With an in-house developer, the secrecy of your project is kept within the company, and the ideas remain unshared with other companies.

**Cons:**

* With the **shortage of experienced and qualified Ruby on Rails developers**, it is not easy to hire one for your team.
* Such experienced and many in-demand developers won't accept your offer to work on a short-term project.
* Even if you find a Ruby on Rails developer to hire for your company, it will be **too costly** for you to manage.

![Img](https://a.storyblok.com/f/86602/720x291/8b0e91fcf0/in-house.jpg)

### Hire a Freelance Ruby on Rails Developer

If you can't afford to hire an in-house developer, or if you already have a software development team, need a Ruby on Rails specialist, then you can consider the freelancing option.

Here're the pros and cons of freelancers.

**Pros:**

* A freelance Ruby on Rails specialist will be cheaper considering an in-house developer.
* Experienced Ruby on Rails developers can easily take freelancing jobs as a sidekick for their monthly income.

**Cons:**

* The speed of development will be slow considering the in-house developer.
* There can be a lack of communication once you start the project.
* Freelancer developers work on multiple projects simultaneously so it can cause delays on your project

![Img](https://a.storyblok.com/f/86602/720x232/feea45f8f4/pros-and-cons-of-freelancers_obszar-roboczy-1-kopia.jpg)

Now, we have seen the pros and cons of both in-house and freelance options, and in both cases, your company may have to compromise either on speed or cost. But, what about if you can get the pros of both options using one single method. This is the best hiring method, as we called it Staff Augmentation.

## What is IT Staff Augmentation?

[Staff Augmentation](https://selleo.com/blog/what-is-staff-augmentation) is hiring an **outside specialist** to fill the gaps on projects in compliance with the current business objectives. It means that a Ruby on Rails specialist will be employed temporarily to augment your organization's capacity. May it be a web services project or an app development, project management is easier with the staff augmentation method. You can also hire a specialized Ruby on Rails developer for a trial period.

### When Should you Consider Staff Augmentation?

Staff Augmentation, especially for Ruby on Rails developers, can be considered in the following scenarios:

* The company has a limited budget or wants to save up on the cost of development.
* In case of launching a new project and need extra staff for short term
* When the project needs specialized knowledge
* For detailed testing of the project before launching

One of the best ways to[ scale a project is Staff Augmentation](https://selleo.com/blog/scale-software-development-teams). Suppose your company's in-house developers cannot provide the solution or don't have the required expertise. In that case, staff augmentation is the most affordable option as it is cheap and flexible.

### Pros & Cons of RoR Staff Augmentation

There are pros and cons attached to the RoR staff augmentation method as well. Let’s have a look at the pros and cons.

### Pros of RoR Staff Augmentation

#### Experience & Expertise

Integrate exceptional software engineers into your team quickly to boost the capability and add value to your project.

#### More Hiring Options

Search and recruit the different tools and techniques required for each project easily. There is no need for talent retention to think about. What is more, software development houses also have access to experienced **designers and front-end specialists**. With a trusted partner like that, there is no need to go through the entire recruitment process - you ask, you will get.

#### Instant Know-How

Support the experience of an extended team to reduce any project delays and interruptions.

#### Flexibility

With on-demand talent, you can scale up or down the development team as required, no matter if means more back-end engineers or specific domain experts.

### Cons of RoR Staff Augmentation

#### Possible Ramp-ups

Projects that necessitate a high understanding of the company's culture and context may necessitate ramp-up times.

#### Reliance on Internal Processes

Internal operational flaws can have a detrimental impact on outsourced staffing solutions.

#### Workflow Matching

Working with large teams is unfamiliar territory for many companies. It can take some time to adjust to their speed.

![Img](https://a.storyblok.com/f/86602/720x288/91129ad1f4/pros-of-ror-staff-augmentation.jpg)


## Where to Find a Ruby on Rails Development Company

There are many methods for locating and evaluating a Ruby on Rails Development Company.

![Img](https://a.storyblok.com/f/86602/720x342/0b5264849f/methods-for-locating-and-evaluating-a-ruby-on-rails-development-company.jpg)

### Option #1: Portfolio

One of the best pieces of evidence of a company's competence is its portfolio of projects that they helped **create, design, and launch**. You can find case studies of completed projects and consumer testimonials in a portfolio. You can correlate a customer's testimonial to his or her feedback on Clutch and GoodFirms to see if the feedback is genuine and appropriate.

### Option #2: Rating Websites like Clutch

Platforms like **[Clutch](https://clutch.co/profile/selleo) and [GoodFirms](https://www.goodfirms.co/company/selleo)** collect customers' reviews and suggestions. You can trust the feedback since it is moderated and reviewed by non-involved experts.

### Option #3: Events and Conferences

Many development companies can also be found at IT conferences and other new technology-related activities. Some development organizations not only attend but also organize such activities to express their views. If your project involves blockchain or machine learning, search for vendors that have successfully implemented these technologies at conferences.

### Option #4: Company Blogs

Another way of judging the expertise of a development company is by analyzing their [blog section](https://selleo.com/blog). A good development company maintains a high-quality and informational blog section with stories and case studies related to their expertise and past experiences. You can read about their process to develop software, such as “Steps to build Healthcare Web & App.” From the blog section and the content on the website, you can judge if they have expertise in RoR staff augmentation.

### Option #5: LinkedIn Profiles

Companies in the development industry use **LinkedIn** to extend their internet presence and inform potential clients about their history, community, values, and all of the great products they've released. On LinkedIn, you can find out what path an organization wants to take and what its objectives are in the long run.

### What Questions Should You Ask A RoR Developer In the Interview?

Before you ask, "Will you join our company?" make sure the two of you are a perfect fit. The best way to conduct an interview is to gather all the information on call by an HR assistant. Later, call on the candidate for an Interview in the office premises.

![Img](https://a.storyblok.com/f/86602/720x367/94516d0fc7/questions-to-ask-a-ror-developer.jpg)

The interview should be conducted by the CTO and Senior Ruby on Rails Developer. Get detailed information about the candidate's technological expertise, involvement in emerging technology, and motivation for self-development in the IT sector during the interview.

Here are some of the questions that you should ask a RoR Developer:

* Knowledge about **Object-oriented programming languages**, structures and algorithms
* Experience and level of expertise in Ruby language and its concepts
* Knowledge of **Ruby on Rails framework** that allows creating a simple CRUD application at different levels
* Expertise in **SQL language** and **ActiveRecord ORM**
* Understanding of generated **SQL queries**
* Knowledge and experience in **HTTP protocol**
* Knowledge and experience in **HTML & CSS**
* Knowledge and experience in JavaScript language and frameworks: **JQuery, ReactJS**

The degree of knowledge needed is highly dependent on the position (Junior/Regular/Senior) for which the applicant is applying. Don't just [ask questions](https://selleo.com/blog/10-questions-you-should-ask-a-software-outsourcing-comapny). Create some basic tasks to test the candidate thought processes.

**Soft skills** such as communication (Level of English) and proactive approach is also a very important aspect to measure during the interview. English proficiency in speaking and understanding is important because you may have clients from different regions, English is a global language to overcome the language barriers.

## Final Thoughts

Hiring Ruby on Rails developers is demanding as they know their worth. Therefore RoR **staff augmentation is the best method** to scale your Software Development team in the company.

Hire an outside Ruby on Rails specialist to fill the gap in your current development team.

If you are looking for an experienced Ruby and Ruby on Rails development team, [contact us](https://selleo.com/contact) to schedule a call with our experts. We are serving in the industry since 2005 and have worked with many clients from startups to big enterprises. Our software solutions have brought tremendous success to our clients in their businesses. We can provide you with a fully-fledged team of designers and QA engineers to make your project the best it can be.