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Building a Structured Onboarding Framework

It’s a common scenario: a new engineer joins your team, and you pair them with a “buddy” to help them get up to speed. While helpful, relying solely on this informal approach quickly becomes unsustainable as your engineering organization grows. This article outlines a structured onboarding framework that moves beyond the buddy system, leading to increased productivity, higher employee engagement, and a stronger team.

The Problem with Relying on “Buddies”​

The buddy system is a great starting point, but it has limitations. As companies scale, it places a significant burden on existing engineers, pulling them away from their core responsibilities. This can lead to:

  • Inconsistent Experiences: New hires receive varying levels of support depending on their buddy’s availability and expertise.
  • Knowledge Silos: Important information may not be shared effectively or documented, leading to repeated questions and duplicated effort.
  • Burnout for Buddies: Existing engineers can become overwhelmed, impacting their own productivity and morale.
  • Difficulty transferring institutional knowledge: Tacit knowledge stays with the buddy instead of being widely shared.

Our Phased Onboarding Framework​

We’ve adopted a phased approach to ensure a consistent, effective, and scalable onboarding experience.

Phase 1: Pre-Boarding (1-2 Weeks Before Start Date)​

  • IT Setup: Ensure all necessary accounts, hardware, and software are provisioned. Responsible: IT Department
  • Welcome Package: Send a welcome email with essential information, including team introductions, first-day logistics, and links to important resources. Responsible: HR/Manager
  • Initial Documentation Access: Provide access to key documentation (e.g., team norms, coding standards, architecture diagrams). Responsible: Manager/Tech Lead
  • Manager 1:1 (Brief Check-in): A short call to welcome the new hire and answer any immediate questions. Responsible: Manager

Phase 2: Foundations (First Week)​

  • Team Introductions: Facilitate introductions to all team members and key stakeholders. Responsible: Manager/Buddy
  • Company & Team Overview: Present an overview of the company’s mission, values, and engineering culture, as well as the team’s goals and priorities. Responsible: Manager/Tech Lead
  • Tooling & Environment Setup: Guide the new hire through setting up their development environment and ensuring they have the necessary access and permissions. Responsible: Buddy/IT
  • Core Technology Stack Introduction: Provide a high-level overview of the core technologies used by the team. Responsible: Tech Lead/Senior Engineer
  • Codebase Walkthrough: Lead a walkthrough of the codebase, highlighting key areas and architectural patterns. Responsible: Tech Lead/Senior Engineer

Phase 3: Immersion (Weeks 2-4)​

  • First Task Assignment: Assign a small, well-defined task to allow the new hire to contribute quickly and gain hands-on experience. Responsible: Manager/Tech Lead
  • Regular Code Reviews: Provide thorough and constructive code reviews to help the new hire learn best practices and improve their coding skills. Responsible: Senior Engineer/Peer
  • Deep Dive into Specific Technologies: Facilitate deeper dives into specific technologies relevant to the new hire’s role. Responsible: Tech Lead/Senior Engineer
  • Documentation Contributions: Encourage the new hire to contribute to existing documentation or create new documentation as they learn. Responsible: New Hire/Peer
  • Weekly 1:1s with Manager: Regular check-ins to discuss progress, challenges, and career goals. Responsible: Manager

Phase 4: Contribution & Growth (Ongoing)​

  • Increasingly Complex Tasks: Assign more complex tasks and projects as the new hire gains confidence and expertise. Responsible: Manager/Tech Lead
  • Mentorship Opportunities: Connect the new hire with a mentor to provide guidance and support. Responsible: Manager/Senior Engineer
  • Continuous Learning: Encourage participation in training courses, conferences, and other learning opportunities. Responsible: New Hire/Manager
  • Performance Reviews: Conduct regular performance reviews to provide feedback and set goals for future growth. Responsible: Manager

Key Considerations for Scalability​

  • Documentation is King…and should be treated as a living document, updated regularly. Well-maintained documentation is crucial for onboarding new engineers and ensuring consistent knowledge transfer.
  • Standardized Processes: Implement standardized processes for common tasks (e.g., code reviews, testing, deployment) to ensure consistency and reduce errors.
  • Account for Onboarding Time: This is often overlooked! Explicitly allocate time in sprint planning and project timelines for onboarding activities. Don’t assume new engineers will be fully productive immediately. Underestimating this can lead to delays and frustration. We've found that a new engineer typically reaches full productivity after 3 months.
  • Automate Where Possible: Automate repetitive tasks (e.g., account creation, environment setup) to free up time for more important activities.

Measuring Success​

Track key metrics to assess the effectiveness of your onboarding program:

  • Time to First Contribution: How long does it take for a new engineer to make their first code contribution?
  • Employee Satisfaction: Conduct surveys to gauge new hire satisfaction with the onboarding process.
  • Retention Rate: Track the retention rate of new hires.
  • Productivity: Measure the productivity of new hires over time.

By implementing a structured onboarding framework, you can create a welcoming and effective experience for new engineers, fostering their growth and contributing to the success of your team.