Bringing in an external engineer to speed up a project only makes sense if they become productive quickly. Too often, the first week is lost waiting for access, hunting for documentation or guessing the team’s conventions. Here’s a checklist to avoid that.
Before they arrive
- Create accounts and access: code repository, ticketing tool, messaging, test environments.
- Prepare a documented machine or development environment.
- Name a buddy in the team who is available during the first week.
- Pick a first ticket that is simple, useful and well described.
- Share the architecture documentation and coding conventions in advance.
Day 1: understand the context
- An introduction to the product, its users and the quarter’s goals.
- A tour of the team and its rituals (daily stand-ups, reviews, demos).
- Setting up the development environment, with the buddy.
- Running the application locally and the test suite for the first time.
Day 2: explore the code
- A guided tour of the architecture and the sensitive areas.
- Reading a few recent pull requests to understand the standards.
- Starting the first ticket, pairing if possible.
Day 3: first contribution
- Opening a first pull request, however small.
- A detailed code review focused on the team’s conventions.
- A quick check-in with the buddy: questions, blockers, missing documentation.
Day 4: ship
- Merging and deploying the first contribution.
- Taking on a bigger ticket independently.
- Updating the documentation on the points that caused trouble.
Day 5: take stock
- A review of the week with the buddy and the technical lead.
- Adjusting goals for the following weeks.
- The engineer’s feedback on onboarding: whatever slowed them down should be fixed for the next person.
Mistakes to avoid
- Access arriving on day 4: prepare it before they arrive.
- A vague first ticket: the first task must be simple and well defined.
- No buddy: with nobody to ask, the engineer loses hours.
- Treating them as an outsider: include them in the rituals and they’ll work better and faster.
Good onboarding saves everyone time. That’s why at WASLA onboarding is part of how we run engagements: our engineers join your processes and tools within days.