Onboarding Checklist Template

# Onboarding Plan: [New Hire Name]

**Role:** [Title]
**Team:** [Team Name]
**Start Date:** [YYYY-MM-DD]
**Manager:** [Manager Name]
**Buddy:** [Buddy Name]

---

## Pre-Start Checklist

*Complete before first day*

### Manager Tasks

- [ ] Send welcome email with first day logistics
- [ ] Order equipment (laptop, monitors, etc.)
- [ ] Set up accounts and access requests
- [ ] Prepare onboarding schedule for first week
- [ ] Assign onboarding buddy
- [ ] Notify team of new hire and start date
- [ ] Prepare desk/workspace (if in-office)
- [ ] Schedule 1:1 for first day
- [ ] Create onboarding document with key links
- [ ] Plan first project/starter task

### IT/Admin Tasks

- [ ] Create email account
- [ ] Set up Slack account
- [ ] Create GitHub/GitLab account
- [ ] Grant access to required systems
- [ ] Prepare hardware for shipping/pickup

---

## Week 1: Welcome & Orientation

**Goal:** Feel welcome, understand the company, meet the team

### Day 1

- [ ] Welcome meeting with manager (30 min)
- [ ] HR orientation and paperwork
- [ ] IT setup (laptop, accounts, 2FA)
- [ ] Tour of office/virtual workspace
- [ ] Lunch with team
- [ ] Meet onboarding buddy
- [ ] Review onboarding plan and expectations
- [ ] End-of-day check-in with manager

**Manager talking points:**
- Welcome and express excitement
- Explain onboarding plan and expectations
- Introduce the buddy program
- Set up recurring 1:1s
- Answer any immediate questions

### Day 2-3

- [ ] Complete company orientation training
- [ ] Review team documentation and wiki
- [ ] Read team charter and working agreements
- [ ] Set up local development environment
- [ ] 1:1 with onboarding buddy
- [ ] Introduction meetings with team members
- [ ] Review team's current projects and roadmap

### Day 4-5

- [ ] Complete security and compliance training
- [ ] Review architecture documentation
- [ ] Shadow team standup and meetings
- [ ] Start first small task (bug fix or documentation)
- [ ] 1:1 with manager (end of week)
- [ ] Join relevant Slack channels
- [ ] Update personal info in company directory

### Week 1 Success Criteria

- [ ] Has working development environment
- [ ] Has access to all required systems
- [ ] Has met all immediate team members
- [ ] Understands team's mission and current priorities
- [ ] Feels welcomed and knows who to ask for help

---

## Week 2: Learn the Codebase

**Goal:** Understand systems and complete first contribution

### Tasks

- [ ] Complete first code contribution (PR merged)
- [ ] Code review from teammate
- [ ] Review key services and architecture
- [ ] Walk through production monitoring
- [ ] Shadow an on-call handoff or incident
- [ ] Attend architecture or design review
- [ ] 1:1s with key stakeholders
- [ ] Complete any remaining required training

### Meetings to Schedule

- [ ] 1:1 with [Stakeholder 1]
- [ ] 1:1 with [Stakeholder 2]
- [ ] Coffee chat with [Team in related area]

### Learning Focus

- [ ] Understand primary system(s) the team owns
- [ ] Know how to deploy code
- [ ] Understand how to access logs and metrics
- [ ] Know the incident response process

### Week 2 Success Criteria

- [ ] First PR merged to production
- [ ] Can navigate codebase independently
- [ ] Understands deployment process
- [ ] Has met key cross-functional partners

---

## Week 3-4: Contribute Meaningfully

**Goal:** Take on real work and establish working rhythm

### Tasks

- [ ] Complete 2-3 additional tickets/tasks
- [ ] Participate in sprint planning
- [ ] Contribute to code reviews
- [ ] Document something (code, process, or FAQ)
- [ ] Join on-call shadow rotation
- [ ] Complete any remaining 1:1s
- [ ] 30-day check-in with manager

### 30-Day Check-In Discussion Topics

- How is onboarding going overall?
- What's been confusing or frustrating?
- What additional context or support do you need?
- How is the team dynamic feeling?
- Any questions about role or expectations?
- Initial impressions and feedback

### Week 3-4 Success Criteria

- [ ] Completing work with minimal hand-holding
- [ ] Participating actively in team discussions
- [ ] Knows who to go to for what
- [ ] Feels comfortable asking questions
- [ ] Has received and incorporated feedback

---

## Days 30-60: Build Autonomy

**Goal:** Work independently on significant tasks

### Tasks

- [ ] Own a medium-sized project or feature
- [ ] Lead or significantly contribute to a design discussion
- [ ] Complete first on-call shift (with backup)
- [ ] Give feedback in code reviews
- [ ] Help onboard another team member (if applicable)
- [ ] Identify one area for improvement (process, code, docs)
- [ ] Build relationships with partner teams

### Project Ownership

**Assigned Project:** [Project Name]

**Success Criteria:**
- [ ] [Specific deliverable 1]
- [ ] [Specific deliverable 2]
- [ ] [Specific deliverable 3]

### Learning Focus

- [ ] Deeper understanding of systems owned by team
- [ ] Cross-team dependencies and relationships
- [ ] Historical context (why things are the way they are)

### 60-Day Check-In Discussion Topics

- Progress on assigned project
- Confidence level with codebase and systems
- Team relationships and collaboration
- Any concerns or feedback
- Career goals and development interests
- Adjust any expectations if needed

### Days 30-60 Success Criteria

- [ ] Completing work with full autonomy
- [ ] Proactively identifying and solving problems
- [ ] Comfortable with on-call responsibilities
- [ ] Has opinions about team processes/code
- [ ] Beginning to help others

---

## Days 60-90: Full Productivity

**Goal:** Operating at full capacity for the role

### Tasks

- [ ] Complete owned project successfully
- [ ] Lead an initiative or process improvement
- [ ] Mentor or help a newer team member
- [ ] Present work to team or broader audience
- [ ] Provide feedback on onboarding (how to improve)
- [ ] Document learnings for future new hires
- [ ] Set Q1 goals with manager

### Expectations at 90 Days

By 90 days, the new hire should:

- [ ] Complete work at expected level for role/seniority
- [ ] Operate independently with appropriate judgment
- [ ] Contribute to team discussions and decisions
- [ ] Handle on-call independently
- [ ] Have established working relationships
- [ ] Understand team priorities and roadmap
- [ ] Know when to ask for help vs. figure it out

### 90-Day Review Discussion Topics

- Overall assessment of onboarding
- Performance against expectations
- Strengths observed
- Areas for development
- Goals for next quarter
- Career interests and growth path
- Feedback on team and management

---

## Onboarding Buddy Guide

### Buddy Responsibilities

1. **Be available** - First point of contact for questions
2. **Check in regularly** - Daily first week, then weekly
3. **Share context** - Explain unwritten rules and history
4. **Make introductions** - Help new hire build network
5. **Be honest** - Share what it's really like to work here
6. **Advocate** - Surface concerns to manager if needed

### Buddy Checklist

Week 1:
- [ ] Welcome chat (30 min)
- [ ] Daily check-ins
- [ ] Lunch or coffee together
- [ ] Walk through team norms and culture

Week 2-4:
- [ ] Weekly 1:1 (30 min)
- [ ] Answer questions as they arise
- [ ] Review first PR together
- [ ] Introduce to key people

Days 30-90:
- [ ] Bi-weekly check-ins
- [ ] Available for questions
- [ ] Provide feedback to manager on progress

---

## Key Resources

### Documentation

- [ ] Team wiki: [Link]
- [ ] Architecture docs: [Link]
- [ ] Runbooks: [Link]
- [ ] Team charter: [Link]

### Tools & Access

- [ ] Slack channels: [List]
- [ ] GitHub repos: [List]
- [ ] Monitoring: [Link]
- [ ] Ticket system: [Link]

### Key People

| Person | Role | Talk to them about |
|--------|------|-------------------|
| [Name] | [Role] | [Topics] |
| [Name] | [Role] | [Topics] |
| [Name] | [Role] | [Topics] |

---

## Feedback & Iteration

### New Hire Feedback (Due at 90 days)

1. What went well in your onboarding?
2. What was confusing or could be improved?
3. What information do you wish you had earlier?
4. How could your buddy/manager have better supported you?
5. What would you change for the next new hire?

### Manager Retrospective

- What worked well?
- What should we do differently?
- Were the 30/60/90 milestones appropriate?
- What should we add to the checklist?

# Onboarding Plan: Jamie Park

**Role:** Software Engineer (L4)
**Team:** Platform Team
**Start Date:** 2025-10-20
**Manager:** Sarah Chen
**Buddy:** Alex Rivera

---

## Pre-Start Checklist

### Manager Tasks (Sarah)

- [x] Send welcome email with first day logistics (Oct 15)
- [x] Order MacBook Pro 14" and monitors (Oct 10)
- [x] Submit access requests (GitHub, AWS, Datadog)
- [x] Prepare first week schedule
- [x] Assign Alex as onboarding buddy
- [x] Announce Jamie's start in #platform-team
- [x] Create onboarding doc with key links
- [x] Identify starter project (CLI tool improvement)

### IT/Admin Tasks

- [x] Create jamie.park@acme.com
- [x] Create Slack account
- [x] Create GitHub account and add to org
- [x] Ship laptop to home address (arrives Oct 18)

---

## Week 1: Welcome & Orientation

**Goal:** Feel welcome, understand the company, meet the team

### Monday, October 20

| Time | Activity | With |
|------|----------|------|
| 9:00 | Welcome! Laptop setup | Self |
| 10:00 | Welcome meeting | Sarah (manager) |
| 11:00 | HR orientation | HR team |
| 12:00 | Team lunch (virtual) | Platform team |
| 1:30 | IT setup help (2FA, VPN) | IT |
| 3:00 | Meet your buddy | Alex |
| 4:00 | Read onboarding doc | Self |
| 4:30 | End of day check-in | Sarah |

**Sarah's Day 1 talking points:**
- Welcome to the team! We're excited to have you
- Your first 90 days: learning, then contributing, then thriving
- Alex is your buddy - lean on them for anything
- First week is about getting oriented, not being productive
- Questions are always welcome - there are no dumb questions
- Let's set up our weekly 1:1 (Thursdays 2pm)

### Tuesday-Wednesday

- [x] Complete company orientation modules
- [x] Read Platform team wiki and charter
- [x] Set up local development environment
  - [ ] Clone main repos
  - [ ] Run local Kubernetes setup
  - [ ] Verify you can build and test locally
- [x] 1:1 with Alex (buddy)
- [x] Meet team members:
  - [x] Mike Johnson (Senior Eng) - 30 min
  - [x] Lisa Wang (Eng) - 30 min
  - [x] David Kim (SRE) - 30 min

### Thursday-Friday

- [x] Complete security training
- [x] Complete PCI compliance training
- [x] Review architecture docs
- [x] Shadow team standup
- [x] Pick up first task (fix CLI help text - PLAT-1234)
- [x] Join Slack channels: #platform-team, #platform-support, #incidents
- [x] Weekly 1:1 with Sarah

### Week 1 Success Criteria

- [x] Development environment working
- [x] All system access granted
- [x] Met all immediate teammates
- [x] Understands team's mission (enable product teams to ship faster)
- [x] Feels welcomed and knows to ask Alex or Sarah for help

---

## Week 2: Learn the Codebase

**Goal:** Understand systems and complete first contribution

### Tasks

- [ ] Complete CLI help text fix (PLAT-1234) - PR merged
- [ ] Code review from Mike
- [ ] System deep dives:
  - [ ] CI/CD pipeline walkthrough with Mike (1 hr)
  - [ ] Kubernetes architecture with Alex (1 hr)
  - [ ] Monitoring/observability with Lisa (1 hr)
- [ ] Shadow on-call handoff (Monday)
- [ ] Attend Wednesday architecture review
- [ ] 1:1 with Product stakeholder (Emily, PM)

### Stakeholder Meetings

- [ ] Emily (Product Manager) - How platform interfaces with product teams
- [ ] James (VP Eng) - 15 min intro
- [ ] Auth team lead - Cross-team dependencies

### Learning Focus

**Primary systems to understand:**
1. Internal CLI tool (acme-cli) - Your first project area
2. CI/CD pipeline (GitHub Actions + ArgoCD)
3. Kubernetes setup (EKS, namespaces, deployments)

**Know how to:**
- [ ] Deploy code (PR → staging → production)
- [ ] Access logs (Datadog)
- [ ] View metrics dashboards
- [ ] Find and respond to incidents

### Week 2 Success Criteria

- [ ] First PR merged to production
- [ ] Can navigate repos independently
- [ ] Understands deploy process end-to-end
- [ ] Has met Emily (PM) and James (VP)

---

## Week 3-4: Contribute Meaningfully

**Goal:** Take on real work and establish working rhythm

### Tasks

- [ ] Complete 3 tickets from backlog
  - [ ] PLAT-1256: Add timeout flag to CLI
  - [ ] PLAT-1257: Fix flaky test in deploy-service
  - [ ] PLAT-1261: Update runbook for Redis failover
- [ ] Participate in sprint planning (Oct 28)
- [ ] Review 2 PRs from teammates
- [ ] Document one "FAQ" for future new hires
- [ ] Join on-call shadow rotation (week 4)
- [ ] 30-day check-in with Sarah

### 30-Day Check-In Agenda (Nov 19)

**Sarah to cover:**
- How are you feeling overall?
- What's been the most confusing part?
- Do you have what you need to be successful?
- How's the team dynamic?
- Any questions about role expectations?
- What feedback do you have for me?

**Jamie to prepare:**
- One thing going well
- One thing that's challenging
- One question about the role/team

### Week 3-4 Success Criteria

- [ ] Completing tickets with minimal guidance
- [ ] Speaking up in standups and planning
- [ ] Knows the right person to ask for different topics
- [ ] Comfortable asking "dumb" questions
- [ ] Has given and received code review feedback

---

## Days 30-60: Build Autonomy

**Goal:** Work independently on significant tasks

### Assigned Project: CLI Plugin Architecture

**Description:** Design and implement a plugin architecture for acme-cli that allows teams to add custom commands.

**Why this project:**
- Real customer need (3 teams have requested)
- Right size for 30-day project
- Involves design and implementation
- Cross-team interaction (users of CLI)

**Success Criteria:**
- [ ] Design doc reviewed and approved
- [ ] MVP implementation complete
- [ ] One plugin created as proof of concept
- [ ] Documentation for plugin developers
- [ ] Positive feedback from one pilot team

### Other Tasks

- [ ] Complete first on-call shift (Dec 2-9, with Alex as backup)
- [ ] Lead or significantly contribute to one design discussion
- [ ] Identify one process improvement opportunity
- [ ] Coffee chats with 2 people outside platform team

### 60-Day Check-In Agenda (Dec 19)

- Project progress review
- On-call experience debrief
- Confidence level assessment
- Team relationship check
- Career development discussion
- Goal setting for Q1

### Days 30-60 Success Criteria

- [ ] Completing work autonomously
- [ ] Proactively finding and fixing problems
- [ ] Handled on-call shift successfully
- [ ] Has opinions about how to improve things
- [ ] Starting to help others (answering questions in Slack)

---

## Days 60-90: Full Productivity

**Goal:** Operating at full capacity for the role

### Tasks

- [ ] Complete CLI plugin project
- [ ] Present plugin architecture to engineering team
- [ ] Lead team retrospective (Jan 10)
- [ ] Mentor on something (help new hire if one starts, or help with specific tech)
- [ ] Submit onboarding feedback
- [ ] Set Q1 goals with Sarah

### 90-Day Expectations

By January 20, Jamie should:

- [ ] Complete work at L4 level independently
- [ ] Know when to ask vs. figure it out
- [ ] Contribute meaningfully in discussions
- [ ] Handle on-call without backup
- [ ] Have strong relationships with team
- [ ] Understand team priorities and roadmap

### 90-Day Review Agenda (Jan 20)

- Overall performance assessment
- Strengths identified
- Areas for growth
- Q1 goals alignment
- Career path discussion
- Compensation check-in (if applicable)
- Feedback on onboarding for future hires

---

## Resources for Jamie

### Documentation

- Team wiki: https://wiki.acme.com/platform
- Architecture docs: https://wiki.acme.com/platform/architecture
- Runbooks: https://wiki.acme.com/platform/runbooks
- CLI repo: https://github.com/acme/acme-cli

### Key People

| Person | Role | Topics |
|--------|------|--------|
| Sarah Chen | Manager | Career, feedback, blockers |
| Alex Rivera | Buddy/Tech Lead | Technical questions, code review |
| Mike Johnson | Senior Eng | CI/CD, pipelines |
| Lisa Wang | Eng | Observability, monitoring |
| David Kim | SRE | On-call, incidents |
| Emily Davis | PM | Product context, priorities |

### Slack Channels

- #platform-team - Team discussion
- #platform-support - User requests
- #platform-oncall - On-call discussion
- #incidents - Incident response
- #engineering - Company-wide engineering

---

*Welcome to the team, Jamie! We're excited to have you. Remember: ask questions, take notes, and don't try to learn everything at once. You've got this!*