How do I halve onboarding time without cutting corners?

(Map the job, shrink the steps, teach where the work lives.)

Onboarding gets bloated because we mistake information for integration. We bury new people under slides and wonder why they forget the door code. My best onboardings cut time because they cut waste: fewer tours, more reps; fewer nouns, more verbs.

Here’s how I’ve taken a 6-week ramp to 3–4 weeks without losing quality.

1) Define “ready” in one page

Most programs start without a finish line. I start with a definition of ready:

• Tasks (can do end-to-end): __

• Judgments (can decide without asking): __

• Break-glass (knows who/what in an abnormal): __

• Quality bar (how we grade): __

If you can’t write this, you’re not onboarding—you’re camping.

2) Build a 30-60-90 that’s 80% reps

• Day 1: safety, meet the team, do one real task end-to-end.

• Week 1: own one station/queue/process; shadow two finishes; close one loop.

• Day 30: two stations; handle a mild abnormal; present a small improvement.

• Day 60: teach a newcomer one station; own a checklist.

• Day 90: own a mini-process; improve it; document it.

Training is a sport: drill, scrimmage, game. Not a museum: read, admire, forget.

3) Use buddies, not celebrities

Your fastest performer is often your worst trainer. Pick patient pros who narrate their thinking: “Here’s what I’m looking for… here’s why I chose A not B.” Script their job: 20 minutes at open and close for week one; two 10-minute check-ins in week two.

4) Swap tours for maps

No more “here’s every system we own.” New folks need a map: where the job lives, where to get unstuck, where the ten “golden docs” are. I give a single link tree inside the tool they’ll use daily. If the frontline can’t find it on a phone in ten seconds, it doesn’t exist.

5) Turn SOPs into cheat cards

Long SOPs are fine for compliance and sleep. I print (or pin) one-page “Do this next” cards with pictures or GIFs. I’ve watched confidence rise just because the cards were within reach.

6) Teach judgment with tiny case drills

We run five-minute drills at shift start:

• “Customer asks for a refund without receipt—what’s your first move?”

• “Printer jams on label 3—what do you check first?”

• “Pager hits red—what do you stop doing?”

Judgment is built in reps, not paragraphs.

7) Automate reminders, keep coaching human

I’ll automate checklists and nudge reminders (T-15 min to close). But coaching? That stays human—20-minute 1:1s twice in week one, once in week two, then weekly until day 30.

8) Measure ramp by outcomes, not hours watched

• Support: tickets/day with CSAT ≥ X.

• Retail: items/hour with shrink ≤ Y.

• Ops: picks/hour with error rate ≤ Z.

• Product: story points shipped + reopen rate.

Track in a simple sheet. Share wins publicly. Fix gaps privately.

9) Remove one friction a week

Every Friday I ask, “What felt dumb?” Then I kill one dumb thing: move the labeler, fix the latch, pre-fill a template. Those “one rock a week” changes halve onboarding time faster than any LMS.

10) Graduate with service

Day 30 review: they teach a five-minute segment at the huddle—what they learned, one improvement they made. Teaching cements skill and signals arrival.

Bottom line: faster onboarding isn’t a rush job; it’s a better design. Define ready, practice where the work lives, and remove a rock every week until new people glide instead of grind.