Hokusai finished his best-known painting when he was 72 years old – “The Great Wave Off Kanagawa”. But this is not the first time he painted the wave. Over the years he painted at least three other versions of the same scene.
Artists do many sketches and versions of a subject, at different times, from different points of view, until they understand how to express it. Using different scene setup and focus each time, the painter understood how to capture the wave.
The same happens when you enter a new team: you first need to meet everyone in the team and to understand how they work on their projects. Here are the three main goals for creating an onboarding plan for new members of your team:
1. Present the tools and processes used in the company
2. Introduce each team member and their respective roles
3. Present specific topics in one-on-one sessions with current members
1. Present the tools and processes used in the company
Make a list of processes and tools used to run the company. Development, support or hiring processes have many steps and split responsibilities.
Some tools are administrative: email, salaries, invoicing. Others help teams manage their work (products, tasks, activity reports).
Adapt the list to different roles: sales use CRM tools, support needs helpdesk tools, developers need … development tools. You don’t need separate lists for each job. Instead, make sure to present all the tools to new employees, with details according to their role.
2. Introduce each team member and their respective roles
Like at a party, you need to chaperone the new guest. Discuss the onboarding plan with the team and make sure the new colleague meets everyone in the process. Present each member of the team to the new colleague, talking about their role and expertise.
The purpose is to open communication bridges, to begin building trust between colleagues. The bridge is not enough though, current and new members of the team need to spend some time together, one-on-one, and discuss a specific subject.
3. Present specific topics in one-on-one sessions with current members
Setting up 1-2-hour meetings between a new developer and a designer can produce astonishing results. Imagine a new developer meeting a seasoned sales rep! Looking back at your previous experience, how many times did you wish to know more about your colleagues in other roles?
The purpose is that for an hour or two the new colleague discusses a project or tool with another colleague. Face to face discussion is very different than team lunch or a company party. Though bigger events allow discussions to flow quicker, only some subjects come up and there is no depth. Spend time to learn more about a tool and a colleague.
But new members meeting everyone is a waste of time for the team!
It may look like wasted time, but it is a critical moment for the team. The way you receive people shows you value them. Or not. It’s your choice. Spending time to show them around and getting them to know everyone is not a waste of time. It shows you trust the new colleague and you want to invest time to better know each other.
How to outline an onboarding plan in 30 minutes
Start outlining your onboarding plan by listing the main topics. Each topic, managed by one or two of the existing team members, cover an area such as:
- Company (vision, strategy, products) – CEO, manager
- Administration – management assistant, HR
- Products – product director, project managers
- Operations and support – operations and support managers
- Sales and marketing – sales director, creative director
From this outline go down one level and list tools, projects and products for each area. Assign one person from the team to discuss one specific topic or tool with a new colleague. Split topics further until everyone in the team has one to present. Two people can also present the same topic if needed. Different points of view on the same subject are better than one.
Each one-on-one presentation should take at least 1 hour to allow time for introductions and discussing a specific topic. After such a presentation, the new member should be able to explain the subject, the person presenting it, and who’s in charge of the topic.
Finish the plan by reviewing the list of everyone on the team. Check that each person has at least a subject to introduce to a new member. Companies bigger than 2-3 teams will need to adjust the plan around a specific team. In this case, include all the team members as well as other people supporting the team in different roles.
Oh, and don’t plan more than one meeting per day, as it’s too tiring for the new member and it will affect the learning. It’s better to take 2-3 weeks for the whole plan or even a month.
Onboarding plan’s purpose is to set up new team members for success
Introduce your new colleague to the company’s vision, products and current members using this 3-step method:
1. Know the projects and tools your company uses
2. Know your new colleagues and their roles
3. Meet each colleague and get introduced to each project
Use an onboarding plan to help your new colleague get aboard, speed up and catch the wave along with your team.