Team handbook

6 min

Use this page as a template for your team’s internal handbook. Capture how your team works, communicates, and makes decisions so new and existing members have a clear, consistent reference.

Review and update this handbook regularly; internal processes evolve, and your documentation should evolve with them.

What’s included in this handbook

This page provides a foundation for documenting your team’s culture and operational norms. Customize each section as needed:

Mission and values Define what your team stands for and how you work.

Roles and responsibilities Clarify ownership and expectations across key roles.

Communication guidelines Outline how your team collaborates effectively.

Ways of working Document rituals, workflows, and collaboration rhythms.

Policies Summaries of essential internal policies.

Mission and values

Clarify your team’s purpose and the principles that guide how you work. This helps create alignment and sets expectations for behavior and decision‑making.

Roles and responsibilities

List the major roles on your team and what each is accountable for. Keep descriptions short and outcome‑focused.

Role	Responsibilities
Product manager	Defines requirements, prioritizes roadmap.
Engineer	Builds and maintains product functionality.
Designer	Creates user experiences and visual designs.
Support	Assists customers and reports issues.

Communication guidelines

Provide guidance on how your team communicates effectively:

Preferred communication channels

Expected response times

Meeting expectations and etiquette

When to escalate issues

Ways of working

Describe the workflows, rituals, and collaboration patterns your team follows. Examples:

Stand‑ups or weekly syncs

Code reviews or pair programming

Planning or retrospective processes

Decision‑making frameworks

Policies

Document any important internal policies, such as:

PTO and holidays

Security guidelines

Access and permissions

Development or coding standards