Team Adoption Tips
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      Getting Your Whole Team to Use TopLeft

      Whether you're just rolling out TopLeft or course-correcting, here's how to lead your team into consistent, confident usage.

      🧭 Why We're Moving This Direction

      TopLeft isn’t just another layer on top of your PSA. It’s how we help our teams see what’s happening, stay focused, and finish what they start.

      We’ve seen what happens when work is scattered across inboxes, spreadsheets, verbal updates, and half-used tools. Things fall through the cracks. Teams get out of sync. Clients lose trust.

      This guide isn’t just for new clients or onboarding. It’s also for teams that have started, stalled, or struggled with adoption. We’re sharing what we’ve seen work inside our companies and with many others.

      ✅ Start With Yourself

      Want people to use TopLeft? Start by using it yourself.

      • Keep your own work visible on the board

      • Use the board in every huddle and 1-on-1

      • Show, don’t just tell

      People mimic what their leaders do. If you treat the board as optional, so will everyone else.

      💬 Focus on What’s in It for Them

      Most people don’t adopt tools because they were told to. They do it because it helps them.

      Here’s what we hear from different roles:

      • Techs: "I get fewer interruptions. I don’t have to repeat myself."

      • Account Managers: "I’m not scrambling before client meetings. I can see exactly what’s happening."

      • Developers and Engineers: "I catch blockers earlier, and I don’t get dragged into noise I don’t care about."

      • Sales and Procurement: "I know what I’m waiting on. I don’t have to guess."

      • Project Managers: "I can steer without micromanaging. I know where attention is needed."

      • CEOs and Execs: "I see what’s moving, what’s stuck, and what’s falling behind. I don’t need a special report."

      • Clients (using the portal): "I trust the process. I don’t have to email to ask for updates. It’s all there."

      If you’re not sure what’s in it for someone, ask. One of the best questions you can use is:
      “What’s annoying about the way you're tracking work now?”
      Then show how TopLeft helps solve it.

      🧰 Clean Up the Board

      If the board is overwhelming, people won’t use it. That’s true whether they’re new to the team or have been using the PSA for years.

      • Remove clutter

      • Hide tickets that don’t matter to that person

      • Use filters

      • Keep swimlanes simple or remove altogether

      Think of it like cleaning off a workbench. If it's covered in junk, you won’t use it. Make it usable first. Then adoption follows.

      📺 Make the Board the Place You Work

      Don’t just say “work from the board.” Show it all the time; afterall, the Japanese word "Kanban" translates to English as "signboard". 

      • Share your screen in team meetings

      • Share screenshots into Teams chats

      • Show what’s stuck and why

      When the board becomes your team’s shared source of truth, it stops feeling like “one more thing.” It becomes the thing.

      👥 Let Your Champions Speak

      There are always a few people who get it early. Maybe they’re new hires. Maybe they’re process nerds. Maybe they’re just tired of chaos.

      Put those people in front of the team. Let them share what’s working. Have them walk through their board. You don’t need to say it all yourself.

      People believe each other more than they believe policies.

      📖 Real Talk from the Field

      If you have some success, share the before, during & after stories!

      You can also share stories from other TopLeft clients - see https://www.topleft.team/fans for a variety of text and video testimonials.

      You don’t need to overhype it. Just be real. When people see it working, they’ll be more open to trying it.

      🔄 The PSA Still Matters

      Don't abandon the PSA. TopLeft is the view layer, to visualize priorities, see what's going on, and to know what is the most important thing to work next. 

      If it’s easier to log time in the PSA, go for it. But the TopLeft card needs to reflect what’s happening. Otherwise, we’re flying blind.

      📊 Use the Board to Improve, Not Just Track

      TopLeft helps people see what’s going on, but it also helps you coach.

      • Are cards stuck in one column too long?

      • Are some people buried while others have nothing?

      • Are time entries or notes missing?

      Bring this into your standups and retrospectives. Don’t make it personal. Just improve the flow.

      🧱 What to Do When Someone Resists

      You’ll get pushback. That’s normal.

      The key is not to ignore it. Pull them into a 1-on-1 and ask where they’re stuck. Ask what would make it easier. Revisit the why.

      Then be clear. This is how we work now.

      If you avoid the conversation, it festers. If you have it early, you protect the team.

      📌 Make It Official, Without Making It Harsh

      Once the system is working and the board is clean, say it plainly.

      “TopLeft is our shared workflow system. We expect everyone to keep their work visible here.”

      That’s not about control. It’s about coordination.

      🎯 Final Word: This Isn’t About Software

      It’s about how your team works together.

      TopLeft isn’t magic. It’s not going to fix broken habits overnight. But when people see their work, share a common view, and stop operating in the dark it changes things.

      This is how teams move together. This is how we get better.

      And you, as the manager, set that tone.