Capacity & Squads
Reference for clusters, squads, and capacity allocation.
Capacity in StartConsole is managed through a two-level structure: Clusters group Squads, and Squads are allocated to Deliverables within Initiatives. This structure gives you a clear view of where your delivery capacity is committed and where over-allocation is occurring.
Clusters
A Cluster is an organisational grouping of squads — typically representing a department, product area, division, or business unit. Clusters exist to provide a reporting layer above squads, making it easier to view capacity commitments at department level without losing squad-level detail.
Cluster fields
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Name | The name of the cluster. Maximum 100 characters. Examples: Engineering, Product, Operations, Finance, Technology. |
| Description | Optional. A brief description of what this cluster covers. Maximum 500 characters. |
Clusters do not have their own capacity — they aggregate the capacity of the squads within them.
Squads
A Squad is the fundamental delivery unit — the team of people who build and deliver work. Squads are assigned to Deliverables, and it is through this assignment that capacity is tracked and allocation percentages are calculated.
Squad fields
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Name | The name of the squad. Maximum 100 characters. Should match the name used in your existing team structure for consistency. |
| Cluster | The cluster this squad belongs to. Required. Every squad must belong to a cluster. |
| Functions | Optional. A description of what this squad does — its capabilities and areas of delivery. Free text, maximum 500 characters. |
| Headcount | The number of people in this squad. Used for context and reporting. Does not directly drive allocation calculations — Capacity (man-days) is the operational field. |
| Monthly Cost | The fully-loaded monthly cost of the squad, in your organisation's currency. Used to calculate the financial cost of capacity commitments across initiatives. |
| Capacity (man-days) | The total delivery capacity of the squad in man-days per month. This is the denominator used in allocation percentage calculations. |
Capacity Allocation
A Capacity Allocation links a Squad to a Deliverable within an Initiative, with an allocation percentage expressing how much of the squad's capacity is committed to that deliverable.
Allocation fields
| Field | Description |
|---|