FTC:Team Management Software

Utilizing team management software is important for FIRST teams because it allows everyone to communicate efficiently and keep all of the work organized. Good communication and organization is the key to working efficiently in and out of meetings. Below are some of the most popular team management software available.

Real-Time Communication Software

Video calls are great alternatives to meeting face to face. They’re useful for allowing FIRST teams to meet and share ideas from anywhere. Real-time communication software isn’t just limited to member-to-member meetings, it also allows teams from different countries to meet and lets teams demo to companies virtually. There are many other software that have video calling features like Slack, but here are some applications that are best for meeting together online. Zoom, Google Meets, and Discord all allow for small or large meetings with multiple members. They have some different functions, but all work well as meeting software.

Apps
Screen Sharing	Easy	Easy	Easy
Facecam	Simple	Simple	Simple
Host	Sometimes required	Required	Not required for direct voice calls but a server owner is required for voice rooms
Account	Not required for everyone	Gmail	Discord account
Voice Quality	Good	Good	Good
Cost	Need a paid account ($15 per month or $150 annually) for calls longer than 40 mins	Free	Free

Messaging Software

Communicating outside of meetings is very important so FIRST teams can continue to work outside of meeting times and keep in contact.

These applications are best for keeping in contact with others through text. Slack, Google Chat, and Discord are all heavily based on text conversations so they allow for the most organized messages.

Apps
Organization Options	Channels for grouping, conversations, and pay for the option of user groups which help to communicate more effectively	Chat groups	Channels for grouping conversations and user roles
Customization	Custom emojis, themes, statuses, profiles, names of different channel	No customization	Custom emojis, statuses, profiles, names of different channels
Account	Slack account	Gmail	Discord account
File Upload Limit	1 GB limit	200 MB limit	8 MB limit (pay for 100 MB)
Software Storage Limit	5GB of file storage for the entire workplace (pay for 10 GB storage per member)	30 GB of file storage per user	Unlimited file storage
Cost	Free with limitations. Only able to view previous 10,000 messages. $80/person/year or $8/person/month to remove those limitations	Starter plan is $6 per month per user 100 participant video meetings	Free with limitations Small file upload limit, 30fps 720p screen share video quality $50/year or $5/month to remove those limitations
Misc.	Integrations with other applications	Works with G Suite	Integration of bots for various purposes

Work Management Software

Work management software applications are great ways to keep track of tasks that need to get done. Being able to organize, and keep track of tasks in one place is an effective way for robotics teams to get work done on time.

These applications are good for keeping track of tasks while keeping them organized.

Apps
Organizing Option	Can add tasks to different topic boards	Can write down tasks on different post-it notes but difficult to organize	Can divide tasks into projects, sections, and different team channels	Can add and assign tasks to members, including boards and timed sprints for planning
Customization	Custom backgrounds, profiles, layout of boards	Different colored task cards	Different profiles	Customizable profiles and changeable task icons
Assigning work	Assign multiple people and set due dates	Assign multiple people and set due dates	Assign only one person and set due dates	Assign multiple people and set due dates, story points, sprints, and due dates
Notification	People assigned to the task and everyone in the workspace can receive notifications Option to set specific times to send reminder notifications	People assigned to a task can receive notifications	People assigned to the task and everyone in the workspace can receive notifications Option to set specific times to send reminder notifications	People assigned or watching a card will get notifications, as well as anyone who requests them
Account	Gmail or Atlassian	Gmail	Asana Account	Gmail
Integrations	Allows integrations with other applications	Integrations with Google Suite	Allows integrations with other applications	Allows interactions with other applications

Additional Resources

Meeting Remotely Presentation video (29:44) by FTC 14779 Spontaneous Construction