Onboarding Runbook

Book detailing all the steps and goals of Project Teams onboarding

• Developer Onboarding
• Product Manager Onboarding
• Project Timeline
• Scope of Roles

Developer Onboarding

1. Introduction

• Welcome Message

  • Warm greeting from the team and leadership.

  • Brief overview of the company’s mission and values.

• Purpose of the Runbook

  • Explain the goals of the onboarding process.

  • Outline what the developer can expect to learn.

2. Company Overview

• Company History & Mission

  • A short history of the company.

  • Mission, vision, and core values.

• Organizational Structure

  • Overview of departments and key teams.

  • Organizational chart and leadership bios.

3. Team and Role Integration

• Team Introduction

  • Overview of the development team.

  • Introductions to key contacts and mentors.

• Role Responsibilities

  • Detailed description of the role.

  • Expectations and key performance indicators.

• Communication Channels

  • List of internal communication tools (e.g., Slack, email, project management tools).

  • Best practices for team communication.

4. Technical Environment Setup

• Hardware and Software Requirements

  • Necessary equipment (laptop, monitors, etc.).

  • Software installations (IDEs, version control systems, etc.).

• Access Credentials

  • Steps to obtain access to systems (VPN, internal networks, etc.).

  • How to request necessary permissions.

• Development Tools and Environment

  • Overview of the tech stack and development environment.

  • Installation guides and configuration settings.

  • Accessing repositories and codebases (Git, Bitbucket, GitHub, etc.).

5. Project and Codebase Overview

• Current Projects Overview

  • Summary of ongoing projects and priorities.

  • How the developer’s work fits into the larger picture.

• Codebase Walkthrough

  • Architecture overview and key components.

  • Coding standards and guidelines.

  • Repository structure and navigation tips.

6. Development Processes

• Agile/Scrum Methodology

  • Explanation of the development process (sprints, stand-ups, retrospectives).

  • Tools used for task tracking (e.g., Jira, Trello).

• Code Reviews and Quality Assurance

  • Best practices for submitting and reviewing code.

  • Testing protocols (unit tests, integration tests, etc.).

• Deployment and CI/CD Pipelines

  • Overview of the deployment process.

  • Tools used for continuous integration and deployment.

7. Learning Resources and Documentation

• Internal Documentation

  • Location and structure of internal wikis or knowledge bases.

  • How to contribute to or update documentation.

• Training Materials

  • Recommended courses, tutorials, or workshops.

  • Links to video tutorials or recorded onboarding sessions.

• External Resources

  • Industry blogs, forums, and communities relevant to the tech stack.

8. Security and Compliance

• Security Best Practices

  • Overview of security policies and protocols.

  • Guidelines for secure coding practices.

• Compliance and Data Privacy

  • Information on regulatory requirements.

  • Steps to ensure compliance within the development environment.

9. Support and Feedback

• Mentorship and Buddy System

  • Details on assigned mentors or buddies.

  • How to schedule one-on-one sessions.

• Escalation Paths

  • Contact information for IT support, HR, and other key departments.

  • Steps to report issues or ask for help.

• Feedback Mechanisms

  • How and when to provide feedback on the onboarding process.

  • Channels for ongoing improvement suggestions.

10. Checklist and Timeline

• Onboarding Checklist

  • Step-by-step list of tasks to be completed during the first week, month, and quarter.

• Timeline and Milestones

  • Expected milestones and progress reviews.

  • Regular check-in schedules with supervisors.

Product Manager Onboarding

1. Introduction

Welcome to the team! We are excited to have you as a product manager for our next project cycle.

• Purpose of the Runbook

  • Explain the goals of the onboarding process.

  • Outline the scope of the product manager role.

2. Blueprint Overview

• Blueprint is a student organization created to serve Non-Profit Organizations (NPOs) by providing them with free web or mobile app solutions.

3. Team and Role Responsibilities 

• Organize project team and NPO meetings

  • Project team meetings may consist of:
    • Standup – Quick updates on progress
    • Task Review – Evaluate ongoing/completed tasks and address any concerns
    • NPO feedback review (if applicable)
      
    • Task Assignment – Define and assign tasks for the upcoming week

    • Open Discussion – Address any additional topics or unplanned updates
      

  • Weekly meetings will alternate between standup and sprint planning/review. More info linked down below
  • NPO meetings occur monthly and consist of:
    • Progress Report – DIsplay project progress to stakeholders  
    • Open Discussion – Ask any relevant questions regarding the project or project status
• Define Tasks/Features to be implemented
  • Create user stories and task descriptions for developers to implement
  • Work with the Tech Lead decide technical implementation of tasks/features
• Set goals and Timeline
  • • Set goals for each meeting and sprint 
    • Determine the timeline of the project
      • What features can be done by the MVP, by the final product handoff? 
        
      • What features need to be cut? 
        • If so, how should I tell the NPO?
          
• Team Dynamics/Hierarchy
  • The project team hierarchy is as such: PM --> Tech Lead --> Designer & Developers  
  • PMs have the final say in all decisions
    • Decide what can and cannot be done
  • Determine priority of tasks/features
    
• Track Project Progress
  • Utilize time management applications to track status of project 
    • Github taskboard, Jira, Notion, etc...

4. Learning Resources and Documentation

• For Scrum/Agile Methodology
  • https://wiki.sitblueprint.com/books/onboarding/page/product-management-agile-at-blueprint

5. Communication Channels  

• For Project Team 

  • GitHub Task Board

  • Meeting Minutes 
  • Discord Channels 
• For NPO 
  • Google meet, zoom, etc...
  • Email
  • For fast/urgent communication 
    • Slack, Discord, etc...

Project Timeline

Summer

End of July

• Project Proposal Discussion

August

Pre-Semester Preparations

• Meeting with NPO

• Confirm project for the year

Communication & Collaboration Setup

• Clarify communication channels:

  • Options: Slack, Discord, Email (choose one that is easily accessible and ideally faster than email)

Project Kickoff & Design

• First Project Team Meeting

• Start Design Mockups

• Develop Software Design Documents:

  • Architecture documents

  • Database schema

  • Tech stack decisions

  • API interface specifications

• NPO Involvement:

  • NPO reviews and provides feedback on designs prior to semester start

  • This process should involve the entire team

Team Responsibilities

• Tech Lead / VP Tech Responsibilities:

  • Setup GitHub repository

  • Setup pipelines

  • Establish staging environment

• Project Manager (PM):

  • Begin writing master issues for general features, following scrum methodology and user stories

• Technical Aspect:

  • TECH LEAD to write technical features of issues

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Fall Semester

September

• Monthly Meetings:

  • Meeting with NPOs for ongoing feedback

October

Midpoint Review with VP Projects and Tech Leads:

• • Feedback Focus:

    • Input from NPO and team members

    • Improvements in operations

    • Project updates

    • General team feedback

    • Team member statuses

    • Efficient practices

    • Necessary operational changes

    • Design team review ensuring alignment with project proposal

November - December

Semester Review with VP Projects and Tech Leads:

• • Review Points:

    • MVP progress

    • Next steps (if necessary)

    • Project updates

    • General team feedback

    • Team member statuses

    • Efficient practices

    • Operational changes

    • Design team review for cross-checking with project proposal

End of Semester

• NPO Meeting:

  • MVP Showcase

  • Winter Break begins

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Winter Break and Spring Semester

Transition: Winter Break to Beginning of Spring Semester

• Project Team Adjustments:

  • Possible swaps between Developers and PMs

• Spring Onboarding Meeting:

  • Involvement of Tech Leads, PMs, and VP Projects, conducted BEFORE the semester starts

  • Implement operational changes

  • Restart NPO communication

  • Confirm project readiness

Early March (Before Spring Break)

• Midpoint Review with VP Projects and Tech Leads:

  • Review Areas:

    • Feedback from NPO and team members

    • Improvements in operations

    • Project updates

    • General team feedback

    • Team member statuses

    • Efficient practices

    • Operational changes

    • Design team review confirming alignment with project proposal

During/After Spring Break

• Operational Changes:

  • Plan and implement further operational improvements

End of April

• Final Product Demo:

  • Presentation for VP Tech, VP Projects, and other stakeholders

  • Testing and final adjustments

  • Final cross-check with project proposal

May

• Final Product Handoff

Scope of Roles

This document describes the overall responsibilities of each role on a project team. For more detail on each role, please see their respective runbooks. Anyone participating in a project team has discretion to comment on any features including frontend and backend architecture and implementation, UI/UX designs, and any other internal discussions.  

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Product Manager Tasks

• Communication
  
  • Communication Channels 
    • Manage Discord project team channel 
    • Facilitate communication between NPOs and Project Team 
      • Via Email, Slack, Discord, at PMs discretion
    • Manage task organization software(Github Taskboard, Jira, etc...) 
  • Meetings
    • Organize and lead Project Team Meetings
      • Create agenda
        • Standup
        • Goals of meeting
        • Task delegation
        • Iterate feedback from NPO
          
    • Organize NPO Meetings
      
      • Feature/progress report 
      • Ask questions regarding:
        • Features
        • Timeline
        • Scope of Project
• Features
  • Determine priority of features 
  • Write Masters feature issues/tasks
    • To be populate by Tech Leads 
  • Delegate tasks
• Quality Assurance
  • Test Features for functionality
    • Write according bug/fix tasks that address necessary changes 
  • Approve UI/UX and designs
    • Test functionality of buttons, hyperlinks, embedded videos, etc.. 

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Tech Lead Responsibilities

• Communication
  • Attend Monthly NPO meetings 
    • Walk though feature/progress reports
    • Ask releveant technical questions
  • Project Team Meetings
    • Address any technical issues raised by devs
    • Decide technical implementation of features/tass 
    • Delegate tasks 
• Features
  • Review, comment, and approve PRs
  • Delegate tasks
  • Complete assigned tasks

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Developer Responsibilities

• Communication
  • Attend all project team meetings
    • Provide progress report on tasks
    • Ask necessary questions
    • Receive task assignments 
• Features
  • Complete assigned tasks
  • Review, comment, and approve PRs 
    

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Designer Responsibilities

• Communcation
  • Attend all Project Team meetings
    
  • Attend necessary NPO meetings(summer, early fall) 
• Features
  • Complete UI/UX designs of project
  • Complete task assignment