{
  "schema": "https://ai-atoms.com/schemas/skill-v1.json",
  "type": "skill",
  "id": "skill/team-composition-analysis",
  "version": "1.0.0",
  "name": "Team Composition Analysis",
  "description": "This skill should be used when the user asks to \\\\\"plan team",
  "system_prompt_fragment": "# Team Composition Analysis\n\nDesign optimal team structures, hiring plans, compensation strategies, and equity allocation for early-stage startups from pre-seed through Series A.\n\n## Use this skill when\n\n- Working on team composition analysis tasks or workflows\n- Needing guidance, best practices, or checklists for team composition analysis\n\n## Do not use this skill when\n\n- The task is unrelated to team composition analysis\n- You need a different domain or tool outside this scope\n\n## Instructions\n\n- Clarify goals, constraints, and required inputs.\n- Apply relevant best practices and validate outcomes.\n- Provide actionable steps and verification.\n- If detailed examples are required, open `resources/implementation-playbook.md`.\n\n## Overview\n\nBuild the right team at the right time with appropriate compensation and equity. Plan role-by-role hiring aligned with revenue milestones, budget constraints, and market benchmarks.\n\n## Team Structure by Stage\n\n### Pre-Seed (0-$500K ARR)\n\n**Team Size: 2-5 people**\n\n**Core Roles:**\n- Founders (2-3): Product, engineering, business\n- First engineer (if needed)\n- Contract roles: Design, marketing\n\n**Focus:** Build and validate product-market fit\n\n### Seed ($500K-$2M ARR)\n\n**Team Size: 5-15 people**\n\n**Key Hires:**\n- Engineering lead + 2-3 engineers\n- First sales/business development\n- Product manager\n- Marketing/growth lead\n\n**Focus:** Scale product and prove repeatable sales\n\n### Series A ($2M-$10M ARR)\n\n**Team Size: 15-50 people**\n\n**Department Build-Out:**\n- Engineering (40%): 6-20 people\n- Sales & Marketing (30%): 5-15 people\n- Customer Success (10%): 2-5 people\n- G&A (10%): 2-5 people\n- Product (10%): 2-5 people\n\n**Focus:** Scale revenue and build repeatable processes\n\n## Role-by-Role Planning\n\n### Engineering Team\n\n**Pre-Seed:**\n- Founders write code\n- 0-1 contract developers\n\n**Seed:**\n- Engineering Lead (first $150K-$180K)\n- 2-3 Full-Stack Engineers ($120K-$150K)\n- 1 Frontend or Backend Specialist ($130K-$160K)\n\n**Series A:**\n- VP Engineering ($180K-$250K + equity)\n- 2-3 Senior Engineers ($150K-$180K)\n- 3-5 Mid-Level Engineers ($120K-$150K)\n- 1-2 Junior Engineers ($90K-$120K)\n- 1 DevOps/Infrastructure ($140K-$170K)\n\n### Sales & Marketing\n\n**Pre-Seed:**\n- Founders do sales\n- Contract marketing help\n\n**Seed:**\n- First Sales Hire / Head of Sales ($120K-$150K + commission)\n- Marketing/Growth Lead ($100K-$140K)\n- SDR or BDR (if B2B) ($50K-$70K + commission)\n\n**Series A:**\n- VP Sales ($150K-$200K + commission + equity)\n- 3-5 Account Executives ($80K-$120K + commission)\n- 2-3 SDRs/BDRs ($50K-$70K + commission)\n- Marketing Manager ($90K-$130K)\n- Content/Demand Gen ($70K-$100K)\n\n### Product Team\n\n**Pre-Seed:**\n- Founder as product lead\n\n**Seed:**\n- First Product Manager ($120K-$150K)\n- Contract designer\n\n**Series A:**\n- Head of Product ($150K-$180K)\n- 1-2 Product Managers ($120K-$150K)\n- Product Designer ($100K-$140K)\n- UX Researcher (optional) ($90K-$130K)\n\n### Customer Success\n\n**Pre-Seed:**\n- Founders handle support\n\n**Seed:**\n- First CS hire (optional) ($60K-$90K)\n\n**Series A:**\n- CS Manager ($100K-$130K)\n- 2-4 CS Representatives ($60K-$90K)\n- Support Engineer (technical) ($80K-$120K)\n\n### G&A (General & Administrative)\n\n**Pre-Seed:**\n- Contractors (accounting, legal)\n\n**Seed:**\n- Operations/Office Manager ($70K-$100K)\n- Contract CFO\n\n**Series A:**\n- CFO or Finance Lead ($150K-$200K)\n- Recruiter ($80K-$120K)\n- Office Manager / EA ($60K-$90K)\n\n## Compensation Strategy\n\n### Base Salary Benchmarks (US, 2024)\n\n**Engineering:**\n- Junior: $90K-$120K\n- Mid-Level: $120K-$150K\n- Senior: $150K-$180K\n- Staff/Principal: $180K-$220K\n- Engineering Manager: $160K-$200K\n- VP Engineering: $180K-$250K\n\n**Sales:**\n- SDR/BDR: $50K-$70K base + $50K-$70K commission\n- Account Executive: $80K-$120K base + $80K-$120K commission\n- Sales Manager: $120K-$160K base + $80K-$120K commission\n- VP Sales: $150K-$200K base + $150K-$200K commission\n\n**Product:**\n- Product Manager: $120K-$150K\n- Senior PM: $150K-$180K\n- Head of Product: $150K-$180K\n- VP Product: $180K-$220K\n\n**Marketing:**\n- Marketing Manager: $90K-$130K\n- Content/Demand Gen: $70K-$100K\n- Head of Marketing: $130K-$170K\n- VP Marketing: $150K-$200K\n\n**Customer Success:**\n- CS Representative: $60K-$90K\n- CS Manager: $100K-$130K\n- VP Customer Success: $140K-$180K\n\n### Total Compensation Formula\n\n```\nTotal Comp = Base Salary × 1.30 (benefits & taxes) + Equity Value\n```\n\n**Fully-Loaded Cost:**\n- Base salary\n- Payroll taxes (7.65% FICA)\n- Benefits (health insurance, 401k): $10K-$15K per employee\n- Other (workspace, equipment, software): $5K-$10K per employee\n\n**Rule of Thumb:** Multiply base salary by 1.3-1.4 for fully-loaded cost\n\n### Geographic Adjustments\n\n**San Francisco / New York:** +20-30% above benchmarks\n**Seattle / Boston / Los Angeles:** +10-20%\n**Austin / Denver / Chicago:** +0-10%\n**Remote / Other US Cities:** -10-20%\n**International:** Varies widely by country\n\n## Equity Allocation\n\n### Equity by Role and Stage\n\n**Founders:**\n- First founder: 40-60%\n- Second founder: 20-40%\n- Third founder: 10-20%\n- Vesting: 4 years with 1-year cliff\n\n**Early Employees (Pre-Seed):**\n- First engineer: 0.5-2.0%\n- First 5 employees: 0.25-1.0% each\n\n**Seed Stage Hires:**\n- VP/Head level: 0.5-1.5%\n- Senior IC: 0.1-0.5%\n- Mid-level: 0.05-0.25%\n- Junior: 0.01-0.1%\n\n**Series A Hires:**\n- C-level (CTO, CFO): 1.0-3.0%\n- VP level: 0.3-1.0%\n- Director level: 0.1-0.5%\n- Senior IC: 0.05-0.2%\n- Mid-level: 0.01-0.1%\n- Junior: 0.005-0.05%\n\n### Equity Pool Sizing\n\n**Option Pool by Round:**\n- Pre-Seed: 10-15% reserved\n- Seed: 10-15% top-up\n- Series A: 10-15% top-up\n- Series B+: 5-10% per round\n\n**Pre-Funding Dilution:**\nInvestors often require option pool creation before investment, diluting founders.\n\n**Example:**\n```\nPre-money: $10M\nInvestors want 15% option pool post-money\n\nCalculation:\nPost-money: $15M ($10M + $5M investment)\nOption pool: $2.25M (15% × $15M)\nFounders diluted by pool creation before new money\n```\n\n## Organizational Design\n\n### Reporting Structure\n\n**Pre-Seed:**\n```\nFounders (flat structure)\n├── Contractors\n└── First hires (report to founders)\n```\n\n**Seed:**\n```\nCEO\n├── Engineering Lead (2-4 engineers)\n├── Sales/Growth Lead (1-2 reps)\n├── Product Manager\n└── Operations\n```\n\n**Series A:**\n```\nCEO\n├── CTO / VP Engineering (6-20 people)\n│   ├── Engineering Manager(s)\n│   └── Individual Contributors\n├── VP Sales (5-15 people)\n│   ├── Sales Manager\n│   ├── Account Executives\n│   └── SDRs\n├── Head of Product (2-5 people)\n│   ├── Product Managers\n│   └── Designers\n├── Head of Customer Success (2-5 people)\n└── CFO / Finance Lead (2-5 people)\n    ├── Recruiter\n    └── Operations\n```\n\n### Span of Control\n\n**Manager Ratios:**\n- First-line managers: 4-8 direct reports\n- Directors: 3-5 direct reports (managers)\n- VPs: 3-5 direct reports (directors)\n- CEO: 5-8 direct reports (executive team)\n\n## Full-Time vs. Contract\n\n### Use Full-Time for:\n- Core product development\n- Sales (revenue-generating roles)\n- Mission-critical operations\n- Institutional knowledge roles\n\n### Use Contractors for:\n- Specialized short-term needs (legal, accounting)\n- Variable workload (design, marketing campaigns)\n- Skills outside core competency\n- Testing role before FTE hire\n- Geographic expansion before permanent presence\n\n### Cost Comparison\n\n**Full-Time:**\n- Lower hourly cost\n- Benefits and overhead\n- Long-term commitment\n- Cultural fit matters\n\n**Contract:**\n- Higher hourly rate ($75-$200/hour vs. $40-$100/hour FTE equivalent)\n- No benefits or overhead\n- Flexible engagement\n- Easier to scale up/down\n\n## Hiring Velocity\n\n### Realistic Timeline\n\n**Role Opening to Hire:**\n- Junior: 6-8 weeks\n- Mid-Level: 8-12 weeks\n- Senior: 12-16 weeks\n- Executive: 16-24 weeks\n\n**Time to Productivity:**\n- Junior: 4-6 months\n- Mid-Level: 2-4 months\n- Senior: 1-3 months\n- Executive: 3-6 months\n\n### Planning Buffer\n\nAlways add 2-3 months buffer to hiring plans.\n\n**Example:**\nIf need engineer by July 1:\n- Start recruiting: April 1 (12 weeks)\n- Productivity: September 1 (2 months ramp)\n\n## Budget Planning\n\n### Compensation as % of Revenue\n\n**Early Stage (Seed):**\n- Total comp: 120-150% of revenue (burning cash to grow)\n- Engineering: 50-60%\n- Sales: 30-40%\n- Other: 20-30%\n\n**Growth Stage (Series A):**\n- Total comp: 70-100% of revenue\n- Engineering: 35-45%\n- Sales: 25-35%\n- Other: 20-30%\n\n### Headcount Budget Formula\n\n```\nTotal Comp Budget = Σ (Role Count × Fully-Loaded Cost × % of Year)\n\nExample:\n3 Engineers × $202K × 100% = $606K\n2 AEs × $230K × 75% (mid-year start) = $345K\n1 PM × $162K × 100% = $162K\nTotal: $1.1M\n```\n\n## Additional Resources\n\n### Reference Files\n- **`references/compensation-benchmarks.md`** - Detailed salary data by role, level, and location\n- **`references/equity-calculator.md`** - Equity sizing formulas and dilution scenarios\n\n### Example Files\n- **`examples/seed-stage-hiring-plan.md`** - Complete hiring plan for seed-stage SaaS company\n- **`examples/org-chart-evolution.md`** - Organizational design from 5 to 50 people\n\n## Quick Start\n\nTo plan team composition:\n\n1. **Identify stage** - Pre-seed, seed, or Series A\n2. **Define roles** - What functions are needed now\n3. **Prioritize hires** - Critical path for business goals\n4. **Set compensation** - Base salary + equity by level\n5. **Plan timeline** - Account for recruiting and ramp time\n6. **Calculate budget** - Fully-loaded cost × headcount\n7. **Design org chart** - Reporting structure and span of control\n8. **Allocate equity** - Fair allocation that preserves pool\n\nFor detailed compensation benchmarks and hiring plan templates, see `references/` and `examples/`.",
  "applicable_domains": [
    "other"
  ],
  "category": "other",
  "invocation": [
    "/team-composition-analysis"
  ],
  "authored_by": "claudeskills.in community",
  "source_url": "https://claudeskills.in/skill/team-composition-analysis",
  "provenance": {
    "source": "claudeskills.in",
    "source_url": "https://claudeskills.in/skill/team-composition-analysis",
    "license": "unknown",
    "imported_at": "2026-09-03",
    "notes": "Aggregated by claudeskills.in from community GitHub lists."
  },
  "tags": [
    "claudeskills",
    "other"
  ],
  "lifecycle": "draft"
}