Creating and Managing Teams/Tables in JustOrg Design

Before You Start

Teams and Tables are the two ways to organize people in JustOrg Design:

• Team = A group of people doing one specific job together (like your development team raising funds, or your program staff delivering direct services)
• Table = People from different teams who meet to coordinate or make decisions together (like program directors from different initiatives meeting quarterly to align on shared outcomes)

What's on This Page?

1. Creating a Team or Table
2. Adding Details to Your Team or Table
3. Understanding Team/Table Fields
4. Common Questions

1. Creating a Team or Table

Step 1: Go to Teams/Tables

1. Look at the left side of your screen
2. Find the section called "Org Design"
3. Click on "Teams/Tables"

Step 2: Click the Create Button

Click the purple "+" button at the top left of the page

Step 3: Fill in the Basics

Fill in the required information.

Step 4: Choose How to Save

You'll see three save options. Here's when to use each one:

Save and Close

• Use this when you're in a hurry
• Creates the team quickly so you can add details later
• Good for: Setting up multiple teams at once during organizational restructuring

Save and Add Detail

• Use this when you have time right now
• Takes you directly to the details page
• Good for: When you know all the information and want to finish completely

Save and Create New Table

• Use this during initial setup
• Lets you create many teams one after another
• Good for: Setting up your organization for the first time or after a major strategic planning process

2. Adding Details to Your Team or Table

How to Edit a Team or Table You Already Created

1. Go to Teams/Tables in the left menu (under "Org Design")
2. Find your team or table in the list
3. Click on its name
4. You'll see the details page where you can add or change information

3. Understanding Team/Table Fields

Summary Section

Table Name

What it is: The name people will see throughout JustOrg Design

Keep it short but clear:

• Good: "Youth Programs Team"
• Good: "Development & Fundraising"
• Too vague: "Services"
• Too long: "The Team That Delivers After-School Programming and Summer Camp Services to Youth Ages 10-18"

Purpose

What it is: A clear statement of why this team exists.

Activates Strategy(s)

What it is: Which organizational goals this team is specifically working on

Structure Type

Choose one:

• Team: A group of people doing one specific job together (like your development team raising funds, or your program staff delivering direct services)
• Table: People from different teams who meet to coordinate or make decisions together (like program directors from different initiatives meeting quarterly to align on shared outcomes)

Participant Types

Select who will be part of this group:

• Staff - Employees of your organization (program managers, direct service staff, administrative personnel)
• Board - Board members (particularly relevant for governance committees or board development tables)
• External Partners - People who work WITH your organization but not FOR it (community health workers from partner agencies, fiscal sponsors, pro bono consultants, coalition partners)

Does this table have an expected end date? Or is it ongoing?

• Choose "Has an end date" for temporary groups (like a task force planning your capital campaign, or a committee organizing your annual benefit gala)
• Choose "Ongoing" for permanent teams (like your core program delivery teams or finance department)

Expected End Date

Only appears if you selected "Has an end date" above.

Example: If you're creating a strategic planning task force, set the end date for one month after your board approves the final plan.

Represented Tables/Teams

What it is: Which other teams have someone representing them in THIS team/table

Example: If this is a "Program Leadership Table," you might list: Youth Services Team, Family Support Team, Community Outreach Team, and Volunteer Services Team as the groups with representatives attending.

Scope: What This Team Is Responsible For

What this section does: Helps everyone understand what this team should deliver and what decisions they can make.

Think of it like job responsibilities. It answers:

• "What should this team accomplish?"
• "What choices can they make without asking permission?"
• "What should they recommend to others instead of deciding themselves?"

People

Team/Table Sponsor(s)

What it is: The team's manager or mentor - usually a senior staff person

What they do:

• Check in regularly to make sure the team is on track
• Provide coaching and guidance
• Help when the team gets stuck

Note: You can have more than one sponsor.

Team/Table Convener(s)

What it is: The person (or persons) who run the team's meetings and keep everyone informed

What they do:

• Create meeting agendas
• Lead or co-facilitate meetings
• Share updates about the team's progress

Staff and Board

Anyone who works for the organization or acts like an employee (such as embedded consultants or contractors)

Examples:

• Full-time program staff
• Part-time administrative assistants
• Board members serving on committees
• Long-term consultants working on capacity building

External Partner(s)

People outside your organization who aren't acting as employees.

Team/Table Administration

In this section you can:

Close, Delete, Or Reactivate A Group

• Close - Keeps the group in your system but marks it as inactive (useful when a grant-funded program ends but you want to preserve the documentation)
• Delete - Permanently removes the group
• Reactivate - Brings back a closed group (helpful if you restart a program or initiative)

Set A Group To Be Work Group Only or Activates Strategy

Check the box for "This is a Group Work Only Team or Table" when:

• The team does operational work not linked to your strategic priorities
• You want them to participate in meetings and events, but don't need their work to show up in strategy dashboards and reports

4. Common Questions

I can't create or modify a Team/Table. What's wrong?

You probably don't have administrator access. Contact your organization's admin to request access or to have them create/modify the team for you.

I'm not sure if I need a Team or a Table. How do I decide?

Ask yourself:

• Are these people all doing the same work together? → It's a Team
• Are these people from different areas meeting to coordinate? → It's a Table

I made a mistake when creating a team. Can I fix it?

Yes! You can always edit or even delete teams and tables later. Nothing is permanent.

What if I don't know all the details yet?

That's fine! Use "Save and Close" to create the team quickly. You can come back anytime to add more information.

How much detail should I add?

The more detail, the better - but start with the basics:

1. Structure Type
2. Table Duration
3. Table Name
4. Table Purpose
5. Participant Types

You can always add more later as the team develops.

Can teams and tables change over time?

Absolutely! As your organization changes, your strategies evolve, and your teams should evolve too. You can update purpose, membership, and responsibilities whenever needed.

Example: After a strategic planning process, you might shift from geographic program teams to issue-based teams, or create new tables to coordinate work across departments.

Need more help? Contact your JustOrg Design administrator or chat with our support team at JustOrg Design.

Updated on: 11/12/2025