A team onboarding guide can help you welcome new developers, speed up their learning curve, and boost their productivity.

What is a Team Onboarding Guide?

A team onboarding guide is a document that provides essential information and guidance for new developers who join your team. It is different from the general onboarding that covers the company’s culture, policies, and procedures. A team onboarding guide focuses on the specific aspects of your development team, such as:

• The tools and technologies you use, such as ADO projects, code libraries, UI control suites, etc.
• The coding standards and best practices you follow, such as naming conventions, code formatting, code reviews, etc.
• The processes and workflows you adopt, such as agile methodology, sprint planning, testing, deployment, etc.
• The roles and responsibilities of each team member, such as product owner, scrum master, developer, tester, etc.
• The communication and collaboration channels you use, such as email, chat, video conferencing, etc.
• The regular meetings and events you attend, such as daily stand-ups, retrospectives, demos, etc.

A team onboarding guide can be a simple document, a wiki page, a video, or a combination of different formats. The important thing is to make it clear, concise, and accessible for new
developers.

What is a Team Onboarding Guide?

A team onboarding guide can benefit both your new developers and your existing team
members. Here are some of the reasons why you need a team onboarding guide:

• It can reduce the time and effort required to onboard new developers. Instead of relying on other team members to explain everything from scratch, new developers can refer to the team onboarding guide and get up to speed faster.
• It can improve the quality and consistency of your code. By following the same coding standards and best practices, new developers can avoid common errors and bugs, and produce code that is easy to read and maintain.
• It can enhance the communication and collaboration within your team. By knowing the roles and responsibilities of each team member, new developers can communicate and collaborate more effectively, and avoid confusion and conflicts.
• It can increase the satisfaction and retention of your developers. By providing a clear and structured onboarding experience, new developers can feel more welcome, supported, and valued by your team, and stay longer with your company.

Why is a Team Onboarding Guide even more important in today’s world?

A team onboarding guide is not only useful for your regular employees, but also for your on-
demand or temporary developers. In today’s world, teams are changing frequently due to
various factors, such as:

• The use of crowd sourcing platforms, such as Topcoder, Upwork, or Freelancer, to access a pool of talented and skilled developers who can work on specific tasks or projects.
• The need for flexibility and scalability, as teams may need to expand or shrink depending on the demand and availability of resources.
• The occurrence of organizational changes, such as mergers, acquisitions, restructurings, or layoffs, that may affect the composition and structure of teams.

In these situations, a team onboarding guide can help you integrate new developers into your team quickly and smoothly, regardless of their location, background, or experience. A team onboarding guide can also help you maintain the continuity and quality of your work, as new developers can easily follow the established standards and practices of your team.

How to create a Team Onboarding Guide?

Creating a team onboarding guide may seem like a daunting task, but it doesn’t have to be.
Here are some steps you can follow to create a team onboarding guide that works for your
team:

• Start with the basics. Identify the most important and relevant information that new developers need to know about your team, such as the tools, technologies, coding standards, processes, roles, and communication channels.
• Organize the information. Arrange the information in a logical and sequential order, and divide it into sections and subsections. Use headings, bullet points, tables, diagrams, screenshots, or other visual aids to make it easy to scan and understand.
• Write in a clear and friendly tone. Use simple and concise language, and avoid jargon and acronyms. Explain the purpose and benefits of each piece of information, and provide examples and links to further resources if needed.
• Review and update the guide. Before publishing the guide, review it for accuracy, completeness, and clarity. Ask for feedback from your existing team members and new developers who use the guide. Update the guide regularly to reflect any changes or updates in your team.

Conclusion

A team onboarding guide is a valuable resource for your development team. It can help you
onboard new developers faster and easier, improve the quality and consistency of your code, enhance the communication and collaboration within your team, and increase the satisfaction and retention of your developers. By following the steps above, you can create a team onboarding guide that suits your team’s needs and goals.