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An Onboarding Guide

Weather you are starting a new job or switching to a new role. Onboarding to a new team and project comes with a lot of mixed experiances. In the following blog I am going to share a process that I take to get up to speed in understanding the project and how the team is working on it. I like to devide my process into three steps:

  1. Setup and Recreation
  2. Taking on Challenges and Embracing Mistakes
  3. Mastering Your Tools: Streamlining Development Processes

Setup and Recreation

To set up a project on your system, it is recommended that you go through the documentation provided by the company. However, it is important to note that the onboarding guides are usually outdated in a few steps. Hence, it is crucial to take note of the manual steps and update the documentation. This would be a good first task as it would help people joining after you. Communication is another crucial aspect when onboarding to a new team. It is important to establish good communication channels with your team members and project stakeholders. Scheduling regular meetings with the team to keep everyone updated on your progress and discuss any issues you are facing is highly recommended. If you have any questions, do not shy away from asking. It is also essential to remain respectful of the time of team members. If you are working remotely, try to schedule a call for help or describe the question in the message. Ideally, you should pick up small tasks that are concise and have a well-described outcome. This phase could last one week or two, depending on the speed with which you get access to tools and services.

Taking on Challenges and Embracing Mistakes

Now that you are set up, you can pick tasks that are a bit more challenging and require more effort. Remember that when you are starting a new job, mistakes are bound to happen. It is important not to beat yourself up over these mistakes. Instead, embrace them and learn from them. Discuss the mistakes with team members and reflect on what went wrong. Try to figure out the root cause and brainstorm solutions to prevent it from happening again. If possible, try to pair with someone. This will give you insight into how the team is developing, and you will also learn tips and tricks that the team is using to fast-track development.

Mastering Your Tools

Once you are onboarded and have gained some experience, try to use your previous experience to increase the speed of development. Automate scripts that you use a lot, like using git from the terminal. It is important to continue learning and growing even after you’ve been onboarded to a new team. Attend virtual conferences and webinars to stay up-to-date on industry trends and best practices. Take online courses or certifications to improve your skills. Ask your team members for feedback and areas of improvement. Share your learnings and new ideas with your team to foster a culture of continuous learning.

Finally, don’t forget to build a strong relationship with your team members. Schedule virtual coffee chats with your team members to get to know them better. Participate in team-building activities, such as virtual happy hours or team lunches. Offer to help out with tasks that are outside of your immediate scope of work. Celebrate team successes and milestones together.

Published Sep 9, 2022 by Ahmad.