Team Management Guide

Learn how to create, manage, and organize teams within your organization for effective sprint planning.

Creating Your First Team

Step-by-Step Guide

Navigate to Teams

From your dashboard, click on "Teams" in the main navigation menu.

Screenshot: Teams Navigation Menu

Click "Create New Team"

On the teams page, click the "Create New Team" button in the top right corner.

Screenshot: Create New Team Button

Fill in Team Details

Enter your team information:

Team Name: A descriptive name for your team (e.g., "Mobile Development Team")
Description: Brief description of the team's purpose and responsibilities
Team Type: Select whether this is a Scrum, Kanban, or Custom team

Screenshot: Team Creation Form

Save Your Team

Click "Create Team" to save. You'll be automatically assigned as the team owner.

💡 Pro Tips

Use clear, descriptive team names that reflect the team's focus area
Keep team sizes manageable (5-9 members is ideal for effective planning)
Consider creating separate teams for different products or feature areas

Understanding Team Roles

PlanningForge supports multiple team roles, each with specific permissions and responsibilities:

Owner

The team creator with full administrative privileges.

Can manage all team settings and configurations
Can add, remove, and change roles of team members
Can delete the team
Can create and manage planning sessions
Automatically becomes session moderator if no dedicated moderator is assigned

Scrum Master

Facilitates agile ceremonies and planning sessions.

Can create and manage planning sessions
Can act as session moderator
Can manage story backlog
Cannot change team settings or manage members

Product Owner

Manages product backlog and prioritization.

Can create and edit user stories
Can set story priorities and acceptance criteria
Can participate in planning sessions
Cannot manage team members or settings

Session Moderator NEW

Automatically assigned as moderator for all team planning sessions.

Automatically becomes the moderator when a session is created
Can reveal votes and manage voting rounds
Can skip stories and control session flow
Only one session moderator allowed per team

Note: When you assign someone as Session Moderator, they will automatically become the moderator for all new planning sessions. The previous Session Moderator (if any) will be changed to a regular member.

BSA (Read-Only) NEW

Business Systems Analyst with read-only access to planning sessions.

Can view planning sessions in real-time
Can see votes after they are revealed
Can access team information and history
Cannot vote on story estimates
Cannot moderate sessions or manage team

Use Case: Perfect for stakeholders, analysts, or observers who need visibility into the planning process without participating in the voting.

Member

Regular team member who participates in planning.

Can participate in planning sessions
Can vote on story estimates
Can view team information and history
Cannot manage team settings or other members

Adding Team Members

How to Add Members

Method 1: Direct Add (for existing organization members)

Navigate to your team's page and click on the "Members" tab

Click "Add Member" button

Select the user from the dropdown (shows all organization members not in the team)

Choose their role (Member, Scrum Master, Product Owner, or Session Moderator)

Click "Add to Team"

Screenshot: Add Team Member Dialog

Method 2: Invite New Users (not yet in organization)

Go to Organization Settings → Members

Click "Invite Users"

Enter email addresses (comma-separated for multiple)

Send invitation - users will receive an email to join

Once they join the organization, add them to your team

Managing Member Roles

Changing Team Member Roles

As a team owner or admin, you can change member roles at any time:

Go to your team page and click the "Members" tab
Find the member whose role you want to change
Click on their current role badge or the edit icon
Select the new role from the dropdown
Confirm the change

Screenshot: Team Members List with Role Management

⚠️ Important Notes

Only team owners can change member roles
You cannot change your own role if you're the only owner
When assigning Session Moderator role, the previous moderator becomes a regular member
Role changes take effect immediately

Session Moderator Role (Special Feature)

Session Moderator NEW FEATURE

What is a Session Moderator?

The Session Moderator is a special team role designed for the person who consistently facilitates planning sessions. When assigned, this person automatically becomes the moderator for all new planning sessions created for the team.

Key Features:

Automatic Assignment: No need to manually assign a moderator for each session
Single Role Constraint: Only one person can be Session Moderator per team
Role Switching: When a new Session Moderator is assigned, the previous one becomes a regular member
Full Moderator Powers: Can reveal votes, skip stories, and control session flow

How to Assign a Session Moderator:

Navigate to your team's Members page

When adding a new member or editing an existing member's role

Select "Session Moderator" from the role dropdown

Confirm the assignment (you'll see a warning if replacing an existing moderator)

💡 Best Practices

Assign this role to your regular Scrum Master or meeting facilitator
The Session Moderator should be someone familiar with the estimation process
Consider rotating this role periodically to share facilitation experience

Team Settings

Configuring Your Team

General Settings

Team Name: Update the team name to reflect changes in focus or structure
Description: Keep this updated with current team responsibilities
Team Avatar: Upload a team logo or image for easy identification

Jira Integration

Connect Jira: Link your Jira project for story import/export
Project Selection: Choose which Jira project to sync with
Field Mapping: Map story points field in Jira

Screenshot: Team Settings Page

Default Voting Settings

Voting Scale: Set default scale (Fibonacci, T-shirt sizes, etc.)
Timer Duration: Default discussion timer for stories
Auto-reveal: Whether to auto-reveal votes when everyone has voted

Common Issues & Solutions

Can't add team members

Possible causes and solutions:

Check if you have reached your organization's team member limit
Ensure the user is already part of your organization
Verify you have the correct permissions (must be team owner)

Session Moderator not being assigned automatically

Check the following:

Ensure a Session Moderator has been assigned to the team
The Session Moderator must be active in the team
Try refreshing the page after creating a new session

Can't change member roles

Common reasons:

Only team owners can change roles
You cannot demote yourself if you're the only owner
Session Moderator role requires replacing the existing moderator

Next Steps

Now that you understand team management, explore these related features: