Effective team management is crucial for maintaining productive workflows in Squared. This guide covers the essential aspects of managing existing teams, including member management, workload balancing, and performance tracking.

Team Dashboard Overview

The team dashboard is your central hub for team management:

• Activity Feed: Recent task updates and team activity
• Sprint Overview: Current sprint progress (if enabled)
• Task Distribution: Visualization of tasks by status, assignee, and priority
• Team Metrics: Completion rate, velocity, and other performance indicators
• Team Calendar: Upcoming deadlines and milestones

Access the dashboard by selecting your team in the sidebar and navigating to the "Dashboard" tab.

Managing Team Membership

Adding New Members

To add new members to your team:

1. Navigate to Team Settings → Members
2. Click "Add Member"
3. Search for workspace members to add
4. Set their role (Team Lead, Member, Observer)
5. Configure notification preferences
6. Click "Add to Team"

New members will receive a notification and gain immediate access to the team's tasks and resources.

Removing Members

When someone leaves the team:

1. Go to Team Settings → Members
2. Find the member in the list
3. Click the three-dot menu next to their name
4. Select "Remove from Team"
5. Choose how to handle their assigned tasks: Reassign to specific team members Leave unassigned Transfer to team lead

Changing Member Roles

To update a member's role or permissions:

1. Access Team Settings → Members
2. Locate the member in the list
3. Click the role dropdown next to their name
4. Select the new role
5. Confirm the change

Role changes take effect immediately and will be reflected in the member's permissions.

Workload Management

Viewing Team Workload

To get a clear picture of how work is distributed:

1. Navigate to the "Workload" tab in your team view
2. See tasks assigned to each team member
3. Review effort allocation and due dates
4. Identify potential overload or underutilization
5. Use filters to focus on specific time periods or work types

Balancing Workloads

When you need to redistribute work:

1. Identify members who are overloaded or underutilized
2. Select tasks to reassign
3. Use batch editing to reassign multiple tasks at once
4. Consider priorities and deadlines during rebalancing
5. Communicate changes to affected team members

Capacity Planning

For longer-term workload management:

1. Access the "Capacity" view
2. Review team capacity over time
3. Adjust sprint commitments based on available capacity
4. Consider time off and other commitments
5. Use capacity data when planning upcoming work

Performance Tracking

Team Metrics

Monitor team performance through key metrics:

1. Go to the "Metrics" tab in team settings
2. Review velocity trends over time
3. Analyze completion rates and cycle times
4. Track sprint success rates
5. Identify bottlenecks in the workflow

Reports and Insights

Generate detailed reports for deeper analysis:

1. Navigate to the "Reports" section
2. Select from available report templates: Sprint retrospective Team performance Delivery predictability Bottleneck analysis
3. Customize date ranges and filters
4. Export or share reports as needed

Setting and Tracking Goals

Establish measurable team objectives:

1. Create team goals in the "Goals" section
2. Link relevant tasks to each goal
3. Set target metrics and deadlines
4. Track progress visually
5. Review and adjust goals during team meetings

Team Communication

Team Announcements

Share important information with all team members:

1. Go to the team homepage
2. Click "New Announcement"
3. Compose your message with formatting as needed
4. Set visibility and persistence options
5. Post for all team members to see

Team Meetings

Schedule and manage team meetings:

1. Access the "Meetings" tab
2. Create recurring or one-time meetings
3. Set agenda items linked to specific tasks
4. Track action items and decisions
5. Store meeting notes for future reference

Feedback Channels

Establish communication channels for team improvement:

1. Create dedicated feedback tasks or sections
2. Set up anonymous feedback options if desired
3. Schedule regular retrospectives
4. Document and track improvement ideas
5. Follow up on implemented suggestions

Best Practices for Team Management

Regular Check-ins

• Hold consistent team meetings (daily standups, weekly reviews)
• Maintain one-on-one sessions with team members
• Review metrics and goals on a consistent schedule
• Address issues promptly before they escalate

Clear Communication

• Document decisions and rationales
• Maintain a team knowledge base for processes and guidelines
• Ensure task descriptions are detailed and actionable
• Provide context for priority changes or shifts in direction

Continuous Improvement

• Schedule regular retrospectives
• Collect and act on team feedback
• Experiment with workflow adjustments
• Share learnings across teams when beneficial

Recognition and Motivation

• Highlight team and individual achievements
• Track and celebrate milestone completions
• Provide specific, meaningful feedback
• Support professional development goals

Handling Common Team Challenges

Addressing Bottlenecks

1. Identify where work is getting stuck
2. Analyze root causes (skills, capacity, external dependencies)
3. Implement targeted solutions (training, resource allocation, process changes)
4. Monitor results and adjust as needed

Managing Conflicting Priorities

1. Create clear priority criteria
2. Establish escalation paths for priority conflicts
3. Document priority decisions and rationales
4. Communicate changes to stakeholders transparently

Adapting to Changing Requirements

1. Maintain flexible planning horizons
2. Build buffer time into estimates
3. Create clear processes for requirement changes
4. Track the impact of changes on deadlines and deliverables

Integrating New Team Members

1. Create an onboarding task template
2. Assign an onboarding buddy
3. Provide access to team documentation
4. Start with smaller, well-defined tasks
5. Schedule regular check-ins during the first few weeks