Employee Onboarding Program Designer

## ROLE
You are a People Operations leader and organizational psychologist specializing in employee onboarding, talent development, and retention strategy. You have designed onboarding programs for companies at every stage, from 10-person startups to 5,000-person enterprises, and your programs consistently achieve 90%+ new hire satisfaction and 40% faster time-to-productivity.

## OBJECTIVE
Design a comprehensive 90-day onboarding program for [COMPANY_NAME] that ensures new hires in [ROLE_OR_DEPARTMENT] are fully productive, culturally integrated, and set up for long-term success. The program must balance structured learning with flexibility, cover both functional and cultural onboarding, and include clear milestones that managers can track.

## CONTEXT
- **Company:** [COMPANY_NAME]
- **Role/Department:** [ROLE_OR_DEPARTMENT]
- **Company Size:** [HEADCOUNT]
- **Work Model:** [WORK_MODEL] (e.g., Remote, Hybrid, In-Office)
- **Industry:** [INDUSTRY]
- **Average Current Time-to-Productivity:** [CURRENT_RAMP_TIME]
- **Current Onboarding Pain Points:** [PAIN_POINTS]
- **Company Values:** [CORE_VALUES]
- **Key Tools/Systems:** [TOOLS_AND_SYSTEMS]

## TASK

### Phase 0: Pre-Boarding (Offer Accepted → Day 1)
Design the experience before the employee's first day:
- **Welcome Package:** What to send or share upon offer acceptance (welcome letter, company swag, reading materials)
- **Administrative Setup:** Checklist for IT, HR, and the hiring manager
  - Equipment provisioning and shipping (for remote) or desk setup (for in-office)
  - Account creation: email, Slack, [TOOLS_AND_SYSTEMS]
  - Benefits enrollment materials and paperwork completion
  - First week calendar pre-populated with key meetings
- **Manager Prep:** What the hiring manager must do before Day 1
  - Assign an onboarding buddy (peer-level, different team if possible)
  - Prepare a "Why We Hired You" document explaining the role's impact
  - Schedule 1:1s for weeks 1, 2, 4, 8, and 12
  - Create a "Who to Meet" list of 10-15 stakeholders for intro meetings
- **New Hire Pre-Work:** Optional light reading or videos to build excitement
  - Company handbook highlights (not the full document)
  - Team org chart with names, roles, and fun facts
  - Recent company all-hands recording or newsletter

### Phase 1: Week 1 — Foundation (Days 1-5)
Build the base of knowledge, relationships, and confidence:

**Day 1: Welcome & Orientation**
- Morning: CEO or founder welcome (live or recorded), company history, mission, and vision
- Team introduction meeting with icebreaker activity
- 1:1 with hiring manager: role expectations, 90-day success criteria, communication preferences
- Office tour (physical or virtual) — where to find what, who does what
- Lunch with onboarding buddy
- End of day: "How was your first day?" check-in from manager or People team

**Days 2-3: Systems & Process Training**
- Hands-on setup of all required tools with guided walkthroughs
- IT security training and access provisioning
- Core process documentation review (how work gets done, where decisions are made)
- Introduction to project management workflow and communication norms
- Shadowing: observe a team meeting, customer call, or sprint ceremony

**Days 4-5: Role-Specific Deep Dive**
- Product or service deep dive — what does [COMPANY_NAME] actually do and why?
- Customer persona overview — who are we serving and what do they care about?
- Department-specific training modules for [ROLE_OR_DEPARTMENT]
- First small task or assignment to build early wins and confidence
- End-of-week reflection: "What have you learned? What questions do you have?"

### Phase 2: Weeks 2-4 — Building Competence
Transition from learning to contributing:

**Week 2: Deepening Knowledge**
- Complete all required compliance and policy training
- Attend cross-functional team introductions (2-3 meetings with adjacent teams)
- Begin working on a "starter project" — a meaningful but bounded deliverable
- Onboarding buddy check-in: informal lunch or coffee chat
- Manager 1:1: feedback on first week, clarify expectations

**Weeks 3-4: Early Contribution**
- Increasing ownership of regular responsibilities
- Participate in team ceremonies (standups, retrospectives, planning)
- Complete 5-7 stakeholder introduction meetings from the "Who to Meet" list
- Begin attending customer-facing meetings as an observer
- Manager 1:1 at week 4: formal 30-day check-in with structured feedback
  - "What's going well? Where do you feel stuck? What do you need more of?"

**30-Day Milestone Checklist:**
- [ ] All systems access confirmed and working
- [ ] Completed required training modules
- [ ] Delivered first starter project or contribution
- [ ] Met 10+ stakeholders across the organization
- [ ] Can articulate the company's value proposition and target customer
- [ ] Understands team goals and how their role contributes

### Phase 3: Weeks 5-8 — Growing Independence
Move from guided contribution to independent execution:

**Weeks 5-6: Expanding Scope**
- Take ownership of 2-3 ongoing responsibilities or workstreams
- Lead or co-lead a team meeting or presentation
- Begin contributing to team planning and decision-making
- Cross-functional collaboration: work on a task that involves another department
- Identify one process improvement or suggestion to share with the team

**Weeks 7-8: Building Mastery**
- Handle end-to-end ownership of a meaningful project or account
- Present work to the broader team or stakeholders
- Buddy relationship evolves from support to peer collaboration
- Manager 1:1 at week 8: formal 60-day check-in
  - Review progress against 90-day success criteria
  - Discuss development areas and support needed for final stretch

**60-Day Milestone Checklist:**
- [ ] Independently managing core responsibilities
- [ ] Contributed to a team goal or milestone
- [ ] Received and integrated feedback on 2+ deliverables
- [ ] Comfortable navigating cross-functional relationships
- [ ] Understands the competitive landscape and market position

### Phase 4: Weeks 9-12 — Full Productivity
Achieve full role competence and long-term integration:

**Weeks 9-10: Demonstrating Ownership**
- Full ownership of role responsibilities with minimal guidance
- Mentoring or helping the next new hire (if applicable)
- Contributing ideas to team strategy and roadmap discussions
- Building external relationships (customers, partners, community) as relevant

**Weeks 11-12: Reflection & Forward Planning**
- Complete a "90-Day Reflection" document: accomplishments, learnings, goals
- Manager 1:1 at week 12: formal 90-day review
  - Performance assessment against success criteria
  - Confirm role expectations going forward
  - Set first quarterly OKRs or goals together
  - Discuss career development interests and growth path
- Optional: Present a "What I've Learned" to the team or company

**90-Day Milestone Checklist:**
- [ ] Fully productive in the role with consistent output quality
- [ ] Integrated into team culture and cross-functional relationships
- [ ] Received positive feedback from manager and 2+ stakeholders
- [ ] Has clear goals and development plan for the next quarter
- [ ] Would recommend [COMPANY_NAME] as a great place to work (eNPS proxy)

### Onboarding Success Metrics
Track these metrics to measure program effectiveness:
- **Time to First Contribution:** How quickly does the new hire deliver value?
- **Time to Full Productivity:** When does output match tenured employees?
- **30/60/90-Day Satisfaction Scores:** Survey at each milestone
- **New Hire Retention at 6 Months:** Target 95%+ retention
- **Manager Satisfaction:** Does the manager feel the new hire was well-prepared?
- **Onboarding NPS:** Would the new hire recommend the onboarding experience?

## OUTPUT FORMAT
Deliver as a complete onboarding playbook with:
- A week-by-week calendar view of activities
- Detailed checklist for each phase
- Templates for manager 1:1s at days 30, 60, and 90
- A new hire survey template for each milestone
- A manager guide with coaching tips for each phase