Squared is designed to support organizations with multiple teams working across different projects and initiatives. This guide will help you understand how to navigate, organize, and manage work across multiple teams effectively.

Understanding Teams in Squared

In Squared, teams function as discrete work units within your workspace, each with:

• A unique name and identifier (used for task prefixes like ENG-123)
• Dedicated members with specific roles
• Their own task backlogs and sprint schedules
• Customizable workflows and settings

This structure allows different departments or project teams to maintain their autonomy while still collaborating within the same workspace.

Navigating Between Teams

Team Switcher

The Team Switcher in the left sidebar provides quick access to all teams you belong to:

1. Click on your current team name in the sidebar
2. Select any team from the dropdown menu
3. The view will immediately switch to that team's context

You can also:

• Use keyboard shortcut Ctrl/Cmd + T to open the team switcher
• Pin frequently accessed teams for faster switching
• See team activity indicators showing recent updates

Global Search

Search across all teams you have access to:

1. Use the search bar at the top of any page
2. Enter keywords, task IDs, or team names
3. Results will show content from all teams you belong to
4. Filter results by team if needed

Task Management Across Teams

Cross-Team Views

While teams have their own dedicated views, you can also:

1. Access "My Tasks" to see all tasks assigned to you across teams
2. Use the "All Tasks" view and filter by multiple teams
3. Create saved views that include tasks from multiple teams
4. Use the global inbox to track notifications from all teams

Moving Tasks Between Teams

When work needs to shift between departments:

1. Open the task you want to move
2. Click on the team field in the task details
3. Select the new team from the dropdown
4. Confirm the move when prompted

Note: When a task moves to a new team, its ID will change to reflect the new team's prefix, but all history and comments are preserved.

Collaboration Between Teams

Task References

Link related work across team boundaries:

1. In any task description or comment, type "@" followed by a task ID
2. Select the task from the suggestions that appear
3. The task will be linked as a reference
4. Team members on both tasks will be able to see the connection

@Mentions Across Teams

Notify members of other teams about relevant information:

1. In a comment or description, type "@" followed by a person's name
2. Select them from the dropdown that appears
3. They'll receive a notification even if they're on a different team

Dependencies Between Teams

Create formal dependencies for cross-team collaboration:

1. Open a task detail view
2. Go to the "Dependencies" section
3. Click "Add Dependency"
4. Search for tasks from any team you have access to
5. Select the relationship type (blocks/blocked by)

This creates a formal relationship where tasks from different teams can block each other's progress.

Reporting Across Teams

Multi-Team Dashboards

Create holistic views of work happening across teams:

1. Navigate to the Dashboard section
2. Click "Create Dashboard"
3. Select "Multi-Team Dashboard" as the type
4. Choose which teams to include
5. Configure widgets to show the metrics you need

Key metrics available include:

• Task completion rates by team
• Cross-team dependencies
• Resource allocation across teams
• Delivery timeline comparisons

Executive Summaries

Generate reports for stakeholders on cross-team initiatives:

1. Go to the Reports section
2. Select "Executive Summary" report type
3. Choose the teams to include
4. Set the time period and metrics
5. Generate and share the report

Best Practices for Multi-Team Management

Clear Team Boundaries

• Define team responsibilities clearly to avoid overlap
• Document which team owns which areas of work
• Create explicit handoff processes between teams

Consistent Conventions

• Establish organization-wide conventions for task creation
• Use consistent labeling across teams
• Agree on common status definitions and workflows

Regular Synchronization

• Hold regular cross-team sync meetings
• Use the "Team Leads" view to facilitate coordination
• Create dedicated channels for cross-team communication

Workload Balancing

• Monitor team capacity across the organization
• Identify opportunities to share resources between teams
• Balance priorities across teams for organizational goals

Tips for Team Members Working Across Teams

Context Switching

• Use the "Team Focus" mode to minimize distractions
• Schedule dedicated time blocks for each team's work
• Create saved filters for your specific cross-team responsibilities

Notification Management

• Configure separate notification settings for different teams
• Use the "Mute Team" feature for teams you're only occasionally involved with
• Create custom notification rules for high-priority cross-team work

Task Organization

• Use consistent personal labels across teams
• Create private views that aggregate your tasks across teams
• Maintain separate note collections for different team contexts