Onboarding Helper

Onboarding Documentation Structure

Complete Onboarding Guide Template

# Welcome to [Project Name]! 👋

Welcome! We're excited to have you on the team. This guide will help you get up to speed quickly and smoothly.

## Table of Contents
1. [Overview](#overview)
2. [Day 1: Getting Started](#day-1-getting-started)
3. [Week 1: Core Concepts](#week-1-core-concepts)
4. [Month 1: Making Impact](#month-1-making-impact)
5. [Team & Processes](#team--processes)
6. [Resources](#resources)
7. [FAQ](#faq)

---

## Overview

### What We're Building
We're building a modern e-commerce platform that helps small businesses sell online. Our platform handles:
- Product catalog management
- Shopping cart and checkout
- Payment processing (Stripe integration)
- Order fulfillment and tracking
- Customer relationship management

**Our Mission**: Make e-commerce accessible to businesses of all sizes.

**Our Users**: Small to medium business owners with 10-1000 products.

### Technology Stack

**Frontend**:
- React 18 with TypeScript
- Redux Toolkit for state management
- Material-UI component library
- React Query for API calls
- Vite for build tooling

**Backend**:
- Node.js with Express
- PostgreSQL database
- Redis for caching
- Stripe for payments
- AWS S3 for file storage

**Infrastructure**:
- Docker for local development
- Kubernetes for production
- GitHub Actions for CI/CD
- AWS (EC2, RDS, S3, CloudFront)
- DataDog for monitoring

### Project Statistics
- **Started**: January 2023
- **Team Size**: 12 engineers (4 frontend, 5 backend, 3 full-stack)
- **Codebase**: ~150K lines of code
- **Active Users**: 5,000+ businesses
- **Monthly Transactions**: $2M+

---

## Day 1: Getting Started

### Your First Day Checklist

- [ ] Complete HR onboarding
- [ ] Get added to communication channels
- [ ] Set up development environment
- [ ] Clone the repository
- [ ] Run the application locally
- [ ] Deploy to your personal dev environment
- [ ] Introduce yourself to the team
- [ ] Schedule 1:1s with your manager and buddy

### Access & Accounts

**Required Accounts**:
1. **GitHub** - Source code ([github.com/company/project](https://github.com))
   - Request access from @engineering-manager
2. **Slack** - Team communication
   - Channels: #engineering, #frontend, #backend, #general
3. **Jira** - Project management ([company.atlassian.net](https://company.atlassian.net))
4. **Figma** - Design files
5. **AWS Console** - Production access (read-only initially)
6. **DataDog** - Monitoring and logs

**Development Tools**:
- Docker Desktop
- Node.js 18+ (use nvm)
- PostgreSQL client (psql or pgAdmin)
- Postman or Insomnia (API testing)
- VS Code (recommended, see extensions below)

### Environment Setup

#### 1. Install Prerequisites

**macOS**:
```bash
# Install Homebrew
/bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)"

# Install Node.js via nvm
curl -o- https://raw.githubusercontent.com/nvm-sh/nvm/v0.39.0/install.sh | bash
nvm install 18
nvm use 18

# Install Docker Desktop
brew install --cask docker

# Install PostgreSQL client
brew install postgresql@14

Windows:

# Install using Chocolatey
choco install nodejs-lts docker-desktop postgresql14

2. Clone Repository

# Clone the repo
git clone [email protected]:company/ecommerce-platform.git
cd ecommerce-platform

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Copy environment variables
cp .env.example .env.local

3. Configure Environment Variables

Edit .env.local:

# Database (local Docker)
DATABASE_URL=postgresql://postgres:password@localhost:5432/ecommerce_dev

# Redis
REDIS_URL=redis://localhost:6379

# Stripe (use test keys)
STRIPE_SECRET_KEY=sk_test_... # Get from @backend-lead
STRIPE_PUBLISHABLE_KEY=pk_test_...

# AWS S3 (dev bucket)
AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID=... # Get from @devops
AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY=...
AWS_S3_BUCKET=ecommerce-dev-uploads

# Session
SESSION_SECRET=your-random-secret-here

Where to get credentials:

• Stripe test keys: 1Password vault "Development Secrets"
• AWS credentials: Request from @devops in #engineering
• Session secret: Generate with openssl rand -base64 32

4. Start Development Environment

# Start Docker services (PostgreSQL, Redis)
docker-compose up -d

# Run database migrations
npm run db:migrate

# Seed database with sample data
npm run db:seed

# Start development server
npm run dev

Expected output:

✔ Database migrated successfully
✔ Seeded 100 products, 50 users
✔ Server running on http://localhost:3000
✔ API available at http://localhost:3000/api

5. Verify Installation

Open your browser to http://localhost:3000

You should see the application home page with sample products.

Test credentials:

• Email: [email protected]
• Password: password123

Troubleshooting:

• Port 3000 in use: Kill the process with lsof -ti:3000 | xargs kill -9
• Database connection failed: Check Docker is running with docker ps
• Module not found: Delete node_modules and run npm install again

See Troubleshooting Guide for more help.

VS Code Setup

Recommended Extensions:

{
  "recommendations": [
    "dbaeumer.vscode-eslint",
    "esbenp.prettier-vscode",
    "bradlc.vscode-tailwindcss",
    "ms-azuretools.vscode-docker",
    "eamodio.gitlens",
    "orta.vscode-jest",
    "prisma.prisma"
  ]
}

Settings (.vscode/settings.json):

{
  "editor.formatOnSave": true,
  "editor.defaultFormatter": "esbenp.prettier-vscode",
  "editor.codeActionsOnSave": {
    "source.fixAll.eslint": true
  },
  "typescript.tsdk": "node_modules/typescript/lib"
}

Your First Commit

Let's make a simple change to verify your setup:

1. Create a branch:

   git checkout -b test/your-name-setup
   

2. Add your name to the team page: Edit src/pages/About.tsx:

   const teamMembers = [
     // ... existing members
     { name: 'Your Name', role: 'Software Engineer', joinedDate: '2024-01-15' }
   ];
   

3. Test your change:

   npm run test
   npm run lint
   

4. Commit and push:

   git add .
   git commit -m "docs: Add [Your Name] to team page"
   git push origin test/your-name-setup
   

5. Create a PR:

   • Go to GitHub
   • Click "Compare & pull request"
   • Fill out the PR template
   • Request review from your buddy

Congrats on your first contribution! 🎉

End of Day 1

You should now have:

• ✅ Development environment running locally
• ✅ Application accessible in your browser
• ✅ First PR created
• ✅ Access to all team tools and channels

Questions? Ask in #engineering or DM your buddy!

Week 1: Core Concepts

Project Architecture

High-Level Architecture

┌─────────────┐
│   Browser   │
│  (React)    │
└──────┬──────┘
       │ HTTPS
       ▼
┌─────────────┐     ┌──────────────┐
│ API Gateway │────▶│  Auth Service│
│  (Express)  │     │   (JWT)      │
└──────┬──────┘     └──────────────┘
       │
       ├────▶ Product Service
       │
       ├────▶ Order Service
       │
       ├────▶ Payment Service ────▶ Stripe API
       │
       └────▶ User Service
              │
              ▼
         ┌──────────┐
         │PostgreSQL│
         └──────────┘

Directory Structure

ecommerce-platform/
├── client/                 # Frontend React app
│   ├── src/
│   │   ├── components/    # Reusable UI components
│   │   ├── pages/         # Page components
│   │   ├── hooks/         # Custom React hooks
│   │   ├── store/         # Redux store and slices
│   │   ├── api/           # API client functions
│   │   ├── utils/         # Utility functions
│   │   └── types/         # TypeScript type definitions
│   └── tests/             # Frontend tests
│
├── server/                # Backend Node.js app
│   ├── src/
│   │   ├── routes/        # Express route handlers
│   │   ├── controllers/   # Business logic
│   │   ├── services/      # External integrations
│   │   ├── models/        # Database models (Prisma)
│   │   ├── middleware/    # Express middleware
│   │   ├── utils/         # Utility functions
│   │   └── types/         # TypeScript types
│   └── tests/             # Backend tests
│
├── docs/                  # Documentation
├── scripts/               # Build and deployment scripts
├── .github/               # GitHub Actions workflows
└── docker-compose.yml     # Local development services

Key Concepts

1. Authentication Flow

// User logs in
POST /api/auth/login
{ email, password }
  ↓
// Server validates credentials
// Generates JWT token
  ↓
// Client stores token
localStorage.setItem('token', token)
  ↓
// Client includes token in requests
Authorization: Bearer <token>
  ↓
// Server validates token
// Attaches user to request
req.user = decodedToken

Code location: server/src/middleware/auth.ts

2. State Management (Redux)

We use Redux Toolkit for client-side state:

// Store structure
{
  auth: {
    user: User | null,
    isAuthenticated: boolean,
    loading: boolean
  },
  cart: {
    items: CartItem[],
    total: number
  },
  products: {
    list: Product[],
    filters: FilterState,
    loading: boolean
  }
}

Reading from store:

import { useAppSelector } from '@/hooks/redux';

const user = useAppSelector(state => state.auth.user);
const cartItems = useAppSelector(state => state.cart.items);

Dispatching actions:

import { useAppDispatch } from '@/hooks/redux';
import { addToCart } from '@/store/slices/cartSlice';

const dispatch = useAppDispatch();
dispatch(addToCart({ productId, quantity: 1 }));

Code location: client/src/store/

3. API Communication

We use React Query for server state:

import { useQuery, useMutation } from '@tanstack/react-query';
import { api } from '@/api/client';

// Fetching data
const { data, isLoading, error } = useQuery({
  queryKey: ['products'],
  queryFn: () => api.products.getAll()
});

// Mutating data
const mutation = useMutation({
  mutationFn: (product) => api.products.create(product),
  onSuccess: () => {
    queryClient.invalidateQueries(['products']);
  }
});

Code location: client/src/api/

4. Database Access (Prisma)

We use Prisma ORM for database operations:

import { prisma } from '@/lib/prisma';

// Find one
const user = await prisma.user.findUnique({
  where: { id: userId }
});

// Find many with filters
const products = await prisma.product.findMany({
  where: {
    category: 'electronics',
    price: { lt: 1000 }
  },
  include: {
    images: true,
    reviews: true
  }
});

// Create
const order = await prisma.order.create({
  data: {
    userId,
    total: 100,
    items: {
      create: [
        { productId: 1, quantity: 2, price: 50 }
      ]
    }
  }
});

Code location: server/src/models/ Schema: prisma/schema.prisma

Your First Real Task

Goal: Add a "Recently Viewed" feature to product pages.

Requirements:

• Track products a user views
• Display last 5 viewed products
• Persist across sessions (use localStorage)
• Show on product detail page

Steps:

1. Create a feature branch:

   git checkout -b feature/recently-viewed-products
   

2. Frontend: Add hook (client/src/hooks/useRecentlyViewed.ts):

   export function useRecentlyViewed() {
     const addToRecentlyViewed = (product: Product) => {
       // Get existing
       const recent = JSON.parse(localStorage.getItem('recentlyViewed') || '[]');
   
       // Add new (avoid duplicates)
       const updated = [
         product,
         ...recent.filter((p: Product) => p.id !== product.id)
       ].slice(0, 5);
   
       // Save
       localStorage.setItem('recentlyViewed', JSON.stringify(updated));
     };
   
     const getRecentlyViewed = (): Product[] => {
       return JSON.parse(localStorage.getItem('recentlyViewed') || '[]');
     };
   
     return { addToRecentlyViewed, getRecentlyViewed };
   }
   

3. Frontend: Use in product page (client/src/pages/ProductDetail.tsx):

   const { addToRecentlyViewed, getRecentlyViewed } = useRecentlyViewed();
   
   useEffect(() => {
     if (product) {
       addToRecentlyViewed(product);
     }
   }, [product]);
   
   const recentProducts = getRecentlyViewed();
   

4. Frontend: Display component (client/src/components/RecentlyViewed.tsx):

   export function RecentlyViewed({ currentProductId }: Props) {
     const { getRecentlyViewed } = useRecentlyViewed();
     const products = getRecentlyViewed()
       .filter(p => p.id !== currentProductId);
   
     if (products.length === 0) return null;
   
     return (
       <section>
         <h2>Recently Viewed</h2>
         <ProductGrid products={products} />
       </section>
     );
   }
   

5. Add tests:

   describe('useRecentlyViewed', () => {
     it('should add product to recently viewed', () => {
       const { addToRecentlyViewed, getRecentlyViewed } = useRecentlyViewed();
   
       addToRecentlyViewed(mockProduct);
   
       expect(getRecentlyViewed()).toContainEqual(mockProduct);
     });
   
     it('should limit to 5 products', () => {
       // Add 6 products, check only 5 remain
     });
   
     it('should move duplicate to front', () => {
       // Add same product twice, check it appears once at front
     });
   });
   

Resources:

• React Hooks Guide
• LocalStorage API
• Our Testing Guide

Week 1 Learning Resources

Must Read:

• Project README
• Architecture Decision Records
• API Documentation
• Contributing Guidelines

Optional Deep Dives:

• Redux Toolkit Docs
• React Query Docs
• Prisma Docs
• Our Style Guide

End of Week 1

You should now:

• ✅ Understand overall architecture
• ✅ Know key technologies and tools
• ✅ Have completed your first feature
• ✅ Understand our development workflow
• ✅ Feel comfortable asking questions

Checkpoint Meeting: Schedule 30min with your manager to review progress.

Month 1: Making Impact

Month 1 Goals

1. Ship Features: Complete 3-5 features independently
2. Code Reviews: Provide meaningful feedback on 10+ PRs
3. Fix Bugs: Tackle 2-3 bug fixes
4. Improve Something: Find and fix a small pain point
5. Learn Domain: Understand e-commerce business basics

Suggested Feature Ideas

Beginner Friendly:

• Add product sorting (price, rating, newest)
• Implement wishlist functionality
• Create order history page
• Add email notifications

Intermediate:

• Implement product reviews and ratings
• Add search autocomplete
• Create admin dashboard for orders
• Optimize image loading performance

Advanced:

• Implement shopping cart abandonment recovery
• Add real-time inventory tracking
• Create recommendation engine
• Set up A/B testing framework

Finding Tasks: Check Jira board for issues labeled good-first-issue.

Code Review Best Practices

As an Author:

• Keep PRs small (< 400 lines changed)
• Write clear descriptions
• Add screenshots for UI changes
• Respond to feedback promptly
• Test thoroughly before requesting review

As a Reviewer:

• Review within 24 hours
• Be kind and constructive
• Ask questions rather than demand changes
• Highlight good practices
• Approve when ready (don't nitpick)

Review Checklist:

• Code follows style guide
• Tests included and passing
• No console.logs in production code
• Error handling implemented
• Performance considerations addressed
• Security best practices followed

Resources: Code Review Guide

Testing Guidelines

What to Test:

• Business logic (always)
• User interactions (important flows)
• Edge cases and error states
• API integrations (with mocks)

Testing Pyramid:

       /\
      /  \    E2E Tests (few)
     /────\
    /      \  Integration Tests (some)
   /────────\
  /          \ Unit Tests (many)
 /────────────\

Running Tests:

# All tests
npm test

# Watch mode
npm test -- --watch

# Coverage
npm test -- --coverage

# Specific file
npm test UserService.test.ts

Writing Tests:

describe('CartService', () => {
  describe('addToCart', () => {
    it('should add item to empty cart', () => {
      // Arrange
      const cart = new Cart();
      const item = { productId: 1, quantity: 2 };

      // Act
      cart.addItem(item);

      // Assert
      expect(cart.items).toHaveLength(1);
      expect(cart.items[0]).toEqual(item);
    });

    it('should increase quantity if item exists', () => {
      // Test implementation
    });

    it('should throw error if quantity is negative', () => {
      // Test implementation
    });
  });
});

Resources: Testing Guide

Deployment Process

Environments:

• Development: Your local machine
• Staging: https://staging.ecommerce.example.com
• Production: https://ecommerce.example.com

Deployment Flow:

main branch
    │
    ▼
CI runs (tests, lint, build)
    │
    ▼
Auto-deploy to Staging
    │
    ▼
Manual QA testing
    │
    ▼
Create release tag
    │
    ▼
Deploy to Production (gradual rollout)

You can deploy: Staging (automatic on merge to main) You cannot deploy: Production (requires approval)

Monitoring:

• Logs: DataDog dashboard
• Errors: Sentry alerts
• Metrics: Custom dashboards

Team & Processes

Team Structure

Engineering Team:

• Engineering Manager: @alice (1:1s, career growth)
• Tech Lead: @bob (architecture decisions, technical direction)
• Frontend Team (4 engineers): @carol, @dave, @eve, @frank
• Backend Team (5 engineers): @grace, @henry, @ivy, @jack, @kate
• Full-Stack (3 engineers): @liam, @maya, @noah

Adjacent Teams:

• Product: @olivia (product manager)
• Design: @peter, @quinn (UI/UX designers)
• QA: @rachel, @sam (test engineers)
• DevOps: @taylor (infrastructure)

Communication Channels

Slack Channels:

• #engineering - General engineering discussions
• #frontend - Frontend-specific topics
• #backend - Backend-specific topics
• #deploys - Deployment notifications
• #incidents - Production issues
• #random - Non-work chat

When to use what:

• Slack: Quick questions, discussions, FYIs
• Jira: Task tracking, bug reports
• GitHub: Code discussions, PR reviews
• Email: External communication, formal notices
• Zoom: Meetings, pair programming, deep discussions

Meetings

Weekly:

• Team Standup (Mon/Wed/Fri, 10am, 15min)
  • What you did
  • What you're doing
  • Any blockers
• Sprint Planning (Monday, 1pm, 1hr)
  • Plan next sprint
  • Estimate stories
• Retro (Friday, 2pm, 45min)
  • What went well
  • What could improve
  • Action items

Bi-weekly:

• 1:1 with Manager (30min)
  • Career growth
  • Feedback
  • Questions

Monthly:

• All-Hands (First Friday, 3pm, 1hr)
  • Company updates
  • Team showcases

Meeting Norms:

• Cameras on when possible
• Mute when not speaking
• Be on time
• Come prepared
• Take notes

Development Workflow

Git Workflow:

main (protected)
  ├─ feature/add-wishlist
  ├─ fix/cart-bug
  └─ refactor/payment-service

Branch Naming:

• feature/description - New features
• fix/description - Bug fixes
• refactor/description - Code refactoring
• docs/description - Documentation
• test/description - Tests only

Commit Messages:

type(scope): description

feat(cart): add wishlist functionality
fix(auth): resolve token expiration issue
docs(readme): update setup instructions
test(orders): add integration tests
refactor(database): optimize queries

PR Process:

1. Create feature branch
2. Make changes
3. Write tests
4. Create PR (use template)
5. Request review (minimum 1 approval)
6. Address feedback
7. Merge (squash and merge)

On-Call Rotation

You won't be on-call for your first 3 months.

When you join rotation:

• 1 week on-call per month
• Respond to PagerDuty alerts
• Fix production issues
• Escalate if needed

Resources: On-Call Runbook

Resources

Documentation

• README - Project overview
• Architecture - System design
• API Docs - API reference
• Contributing - How to contribute
• Style Guide - Code conventions
• Testing Guide - Testing practices
• Deployment - Deployment process
• Troubleshooting - Common issues

Learning Resources

JavaScript/TypeScript:

• TypeScript Handbook
• JavaScript.info
• You Don't Know JS

React:

• React Docs
• React TypeScript Cheatsheet
• Epic React by Kent C. Dodds

Node.js:

• Node.js Best Practices
• Express.js Guide

Databases:

• Prisma Guides
• PostgreSQL Tutorial

System Design:

• System Design Primer
• Web Architecture 101

Internal Tools

• 1Password: Shared credentials
• Notion: Team wiki and docs
• Figma: Design files
• DataDog: Monitoring and logs
• Sentry: Error tracking
• GitHub: Code repository
• Jira: Project management

Your Buddy

Your onboarding buddy is @buddy-name.

Your buddy will:

• Answer day-to-day questions
• Review your first few PRs
• Introduce you to the team
• Help you navigate processes
• Meet with you weekly (first month)

Don't hesitate to ask them anything!

FAQ

Development

Q: How do I reset my local database?

npm run db:reset  # Drops all data and re-runs migrations
npm run db:seed   # Adds sample data

Q: Tests are failing locally but passing in CI. Why?

• Check Node version matches (use nvm use)
• Clear node_modules and reinstall
• Check for environment-specific tests

Q: How do I debug the backend? Add debugger; statement and run:

node --inspect-brk server/src/index.ts

Then open Chrome DevTools.

Q: Where do I find API credentials for development? Check 1Password vault "Development Secrets" or ask in #engineering.

Code & Practices

Q: When should I create a new component vs. modify existing?

• Create new: Reusable, self-contained functionality
• Modify existing: Extending current component's capabilities
• When in doubt, ask in PR review

Q: How much test coverage is expected?

• Aim for 80% overall
• 100% for business-critical logic (payments, auth)
• Focus on valuable tests, not just coverage numbers

Q: Can I refactor code I'm working on? Yes, but:

• Keep refactoring in separate commits
• Don't mix feature work with large refactors
• For big refactors, create separate PR

Q: What if I disagree with PR feedback?

• Discuss politely in PR comments
• Explain your reasoning
• Escalate to tech lead if needed
• Remember: we're all learning

Process

Q: How do I report a production bug?

1. Post in #incidents with details
2. Create Jira ticket (type: Bug, priority: based on severity)
3. If urgent, ping on-call engineer

Q: Can I work on something not in Jira?

• Small improvements: Yes, create ticket after
• Large projects: Check with manager first
• Tech debt: Discuss in sprint planning

Q: How do I request time off?

• Add to team calendar
• Message manager on Slack
• Update Jira board if you have active work

Q: I'm stuck on a problem for hours. What should I do?

1. Try debugging and Googling (30 min)
2. Ask in #engineering (don't struggle alone)
3. Schedule pairing session with teammate
4. Escalate to tech lead if still stuck

Rule of thumb: Ask for help after 30 minutes of being stuck.

Career & Growth

Q: How is performance evaluated?

• Quarterly reviews with manager
• Based on: code quality, velocity, collaboration, growth
• Transparent rubric provided

Q: How do I learn more about [specific topic]?

• Ask in #engineering for recommendations
• Check internal wiki for resources
• Request Udemy/book budget from manager

Q: Can I switch teams/projects?

• Discuss with manager after 6 months
• Internal mobility encouraged

Welcome Aboard!

Remember:

• Ask Questions: No question is too small
• Take Breaks: Onboarding is exhausting
• Be Patient: It takes 3+ months to feel productive
• Have Fun: We're building something cool together!

Need help? Your buddy (@buddy-name) and manager (@manager-name) are here for you.

Welcome to the team! 🚀

## Usage Examples

@onboarding-helper @onboarding-helper --type full-guide @onboarding-helper --type quick-start @onboarding-helper --type architecture-overview @onboarding-helper --focus frontend @onboarding-helper --include-exercises

## Best Practices

### Make It Personal
- Address new team member by name
- Assign a buddy/mentor
- Include team photos and bios
- Share team culture and values

### Progressive Disclosure
- Day 1: Just get running
- Week 1: Understand basics
- Month 1: Ship features
- Month 3: Full productivity

### Make It Interactive
- Include hands-on exercises
- Provide starter tasks
- Encourage pair programming
- Set up regular check-ins

### Keep It Updated
- Review quarterly
- Get feedback from new hires
- Update for tech stack changes
- Improve based on common questions

### Make It Discoverable
- Central location (wiki, README)
- Easy to navigate
- Searchable
- Version controlled

## Notes

- Onboarding is an ongoing process, not a one-time event
- Great onboarding significantly reduces time-to-productivity
- Documentation should be discoverable and up-to-date
- Assign mentors/buddies for personal guidance
- Include both technical and cultural onboarding
- Celebrate early wins to build confidence
- Check in regularly during first 3 months
- Encourage questions and create safe learning environment
- Provide clear learning path with milestones
- Make resources easily accessible
- Update documentation based on new hire feedback