This article was originally published byMichiel Mulderson.cult by Honeypot, a Berlin-based community platform for developers.
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Its always fun when a new developer joins your team.
But wait, you are tasked with onboarding this developer.
How do you get started?
Whats the most important information you should share to get the new colleague on board?
Whats the most efficient process to introduce this developer to the code?
Onboarding a developer is not an easy task.
How would you feel if nobody helped you and you dont have a clue what you are doing?
This allows the developer to briefly introduce themselves to the rest of the team or company.
Once that is cleared, it’s possible for you to get started with the team onboarding.
I prefer personal connections, getting to know each person behind their profile pictures on Slack or Discord.
Its a great way to build relationships, which are especially important in remote companies.
Such a meeting can be short; a 10-minute or a 15-minute conversation is long enough.
If the developer works across multiple departments, its beneficial to introduce them to the different department leads.
Dont expect the developer to remember everything youve explained to them.
Its best to refer to internal documentation that explains each process.
Lets get coding!
Its essential to slowly build up knowledge about different areas of the codebase.
Preferably, give the developer tasks that have a real impact and are part of the development sprint.
This approach gives them a stake in the teams daily operations.
Dont forget to regularly check in with the developer and provide them with fast feedback.
This roadmap should span at least 3 to 4 weeks, preferably even more.
It also helps the onboarding mentor to adjust the tasks based on the developers progress.
Note that each onboarding roadmap is individual.
For instance, youre mentoring a developer that wants to join the P2P team.
Tip: Schedule pair programming sessions
Pair programming sessions are worth gold!
Its a great way to boost the developers knowledge by pairing them with an experienced developer from their team.
Besides coding, pair programming also helps onboarding developers faster to processes, tools, and development workflows.
What works best?
The earlier someone can contribute to the codebase, the better.
The best way to learn more about the code is by actively contributing to it.
Here, its important to gradually increase the difficulty of the tasks.
Its best to provide easy tasks initially so you dont discourage or overwhelm the developer in the beginning.
In general, you want to avoid stressing your new colleague.
New developers may take more time on simple tasks youve assigned them.
Be supportive and provide them with feedback to accelerate their growth process.
It wont help if you break them down or pressure them.
You want to create a friendly and supportive environment in which they can grow.
Dont make the mistake of not creating an onboarding roadmap.
Active learning is still one of the best methods to quickly build up knowledge.
You will see the effects of a lacking onboarding for months in terms of productivity and support needed.
Story by.cult
.cult by Honeypot is a Berlin-based community platform for developers.
