Developer Onboarding: Faster Ramp Up, Higher Retention

Posted in Talent & Onboarding

by Sarah Mulcahy

If it feels like you’re in an uphill battle trying to recruit top tech talent, you’re definitely not alone. Even in the midst of all the AI buzz, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts employment in the professional, scientific, and technical services sector will increase 10.5% from 2023 to 2033. That’s more than double the national average. Software developers in particular are in high demand. CIO ranks software developers as the third most in-demand tech job in 2025. 

When you recruit new software developers into your company, they expect an automated, structured onboarding process that focuses on early wins and continuous learning. In this blog we’ll cover some of the challenges you might face in onboarding developers, key steps in the onboarding process, and metrics to measure developer onboarding success.

What Is Developer Onboarding?

As with any new hire, the goal of organizing a structured onboarding for software developers is to integrate them into your company and set them up with the right people, tools, and resources they need to succeed in their role.

Here are some best practices to keep in mind for your developer onboarding:

  • Automate repetitive tasks: Because of their technical expertise, developers expect automation – especially with paperwork – so they can focus on more meaningful tasks.
  • Make documentation accessible: Provide wikis, internal guides, and/or FAQs for self-directed learning.
  • Personalize the experience: Learning paths should look different based on industry and technical expertise.
  • Emphasize early wins: Build confidence by giving your developer the opportunity to contribute early with small but impactful tasks.

Challenges in Onboarding Developers

In order to ramp your developers to productivity quickly, there are some unique challenges to keep in mind:

  • Technical complexity: Your new developer will need access to a variety of tools like IDEs, repositories, cloud environments, etc., which can be time consuming to set up.
  • Knowledge silos: It can be challenging to efficiently transfer institutional knowledge from senior developers to new hires without a structured process in place.
  • Integration: Developers need time to adapt to your team workflows, agile processes, and communication tools.
  • Remote onboarding: If you’re hiring across time zones, your new hire may struggle with a lack of real-time support and delays in troubleshooting. (Check out this remote onboarding checklist.).

But don’t fret! A structured onboarding process can address these challenges and ensure your new developer is excited about the opportunity during preboarding, has the right access on day one, and can achieve early wins.

Key Steps in the Software Developer Onboarding Process

Ramp and retain your hard-won developer talent by incorporating these key steps into your onboarding process.

Preboarding

As soon as their offer is signed, start the process of setting up their tools and access:

  • Provide login credentials and access to systems like GitHub, Jira, and CI/CD pipelines.
  • Ship hardware and pre-install software.
  • Share an onboarding agenda and information about company policies, team structure, and the tech stack so they have context going into day one – and stay excited about the opportunity!
  • Introduce them to a buddy or mentor who can answer questions.

Day One Essentials

Everyone gets day one jitters. Give your new developer a warm welcome with either an in-person lunch (if possible) and/or introduction to the team through internal channels. You’ll also want to introduce them to your company and team with:

  • A tech stack overview: Encourage them to review documentation on programming languages, frameworks, databases, and infrastructure at their own pace.
  • Developer environment setup: Guide them in configuring their IDE, terminal, local development environment, and accessing cloud resources.
  • Company and team introduction: Prepopulate their calendar with 1:1 meetings with their manager, teammates, and other stakeholders.
  • Culture and values: Share information about your company mission, engineering best practices, and coding standards.

Role-Specific Training

In the first few days and weeks, help your new developer with tasks and training tailored to their specialization, such as:

  • Frontend Developers: Provide design system guidelines, UI frameworks, and component libraries.
  • Backend Developers: Review API development, database interactions, and backend architecture.
  • Full-Stack Developers: Combine frontend and backend training with DevOps.
  • Mobile Developers: Review mobile frameworks, testing tools, and iOs/Android guidelines.

Codebase Familiarization

Help your new developer understand the codebase with guided walkthroughs, interactive documentations, and hands-on learning (such as fixing minor bugs).

Collaboration Tools Training

Get your new developer up to speed with tools in these key areas:

  • Version Control (Git, GitHub/GitLab, branching strategies)
  • Project Management (Jira, Trello, and/or Asana)
  • Communication (Slack or Teams and email best practices)
  • CI/CD & DevOps (Jenkins, GitHub Actions, Docker)

Pair Programming and Mentorship

Set your new developer up with a buddy so they have a dedicated resource who can provide guidance and answer questions. Schedule regular check-ins with their manager to gather feedback and track progress with their 30-60-90 day plan.

Metrics for Measuring Developer Onboarding Success

The technical nature of software development makes it easier to measure time-to-productivity than other roles in your organization. If you’ve set them up for success, your new developer should start contributing to the codebase, completing features, or resolving bugs in the first few weeks on the job. 

Here are some metrics to measure success:

Time to First Commit

The time it takes them to make their first contribution to the codebase. Measure the number of days from their start date to the first merged pull request.

Ramp-Up Time

The time it takes them to independently complete a meaningful task. Define a milestone, such as completing a standalone feature, and measure the time it takes them to reach it.

Retention Rates

The percentage of new developers who stay at your company after three months, six months, and one year.

Code Review Feedback

The quality of initial commits. Analyze feedback on early pull requests for recurring themes (incorrect architecture, missing documentation, etc.).

New Developer Satisfaction Scores

Feedback from new hires on their onboarding. Conduct surveys at one week, two weeks, 30 days, 60 days, and 90 days.

Start Onboarding Developers Efficiently with Enboarder

Recruiting top developer talent is a critical investment – one you can protect with onboarding software that focuses on ramping your new hire to productivity quickly. When you focus on quality onboarding, your developer is more likely to create better code and less likely to cause technical debt.

Enboarder’s employee journey platform can help you deliver personalized developer onboarding at scale, while automating cumbersome administrative work. You can create cross-functional journeys that facilitate IT equipment and access and drip feed the right content and the right time so your developer makes incremental progress in their onboarding.

Ready to onboard your developers more efficiently? Schedule your demo of Enboarder today!

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