Create a fair, policy-aligned onboarding plan for a new [ROLE AND LEVEL] joining [COMPANY OR TEAM] on [START DATE AND WORK ARRANGEMENT]. Their core responsibilities and first-90-day outcomes are [ROLE EXPECTATIONS]. Use these company policies, benefits, security requirements, and mandatory training rules: [POLICIES AND REQUIREMENTS]. Available people, systems, and onboarding materials are [AVAILABLE RESOURCES]. Produce a manager-ready plan with: 1. A preboarding checklist for HR, IT, manager, and buddy, including equipment, appropriate access, payroll or benefits handoff, and only required paperwork. Do not request access beyond job need. 2. A first-day schedule that balances welcome, essential setup, role context, and focused work time; identify the owner of each item.
3. Week-by-week milestones for days 1-30, 31-60, and 61-90. For each, include learning objective, practical activity, deliverable or observable behavior, manager check-in question, and support owner. 4. A role-specific access and security checklist, with least-privilege access, training completion, and an escalation path for missing or incorrect access. 5. A feedback and accommodation section that gives the employee a private way to raise needs without asking for medical or other unnecessary personal details. 6. A manager communication template for the first week and a short success-review agenda for day 30. Keep requirements consistent for comparable employees while allowing role-relevant adjustments. Do not invent policy, benefits, compensation, credentials, system permissions, or legal requirements. Before answering, check for unsupported promises, discriminatory assumptions, excessive access, and milestones that cannot be evaluated. Ask up to 3 clarifying questions only if a required input is missing.
Fill in
| Placeholder | What to enter | Example |
|---|---|---|
| [ROLE AND LEVEL] | Enter the job title, level, department, and whether the role manages people. | Customer Success Manager II, SaaS customer team, individual contributor |
| [COMPANY OR TEAM] | Enter the organization or team context the new hire needs to understand. | Harborstack, a 90-person workflow software company; the CSM team supports mid-market accounts after implementation. |
| [START DATE AND WORK ARRANGEMENT] | Enter the start date, location, remote or hybrid arrangement, and time-zone needs. | Start date 3 November 2026; remote from Denver, with team meetings on Eastern Time. |
| [ROLE EXPECTATIONS] | Describe core responsibilities, early projects, key stakeholders, and realistic first-90-day outcomes. | Own a small account portfolio by day 60, lead two renewal health reviews by day 90, learn Salesforce, Gainsight, and the support escalation process. |
| [POLICIES AND REQUIREMENTS] | Paste relevant HR, security, accessibility, compliance, and mandatory-training policies. | Complete security and privacy training in the first week; customer data access requires manager approval; equipment stipend policy applies; accommodations are handled confidentially through People Operations. |
| [AVAILABLE RESOURCES] | List the manager, buddy, systems, documentation, equipment, and training materials available. | Manager, assigned buddy, IT service desk, CSM playbook, product academy, Salesforce sandbox, Gainsight training tenant, and laptop shipped one week before start. |
How to use
- Paste the actual policy excerpts and role outcomes instead of asking AI to infer them.
- Confirm owners and access approvers before sharing the plan with the new hire.
- Use the 30-, 60-, and 90-day milestones in manager check-ins, adjusting only for documented role needs.
- Follow up with: “Create a first-week calendar from this plan for a remote employee in Mountain Time.”
Variations
Manager onboarding
Use this for a new people manager who needs leadership and compliance support.
Build a 90-day onboarding plan for a new [MANAGER ROLE] leading [TEAM DESCRIPTION]. Use [LEADERSHIP EXPECTATIONS], [PEOPLE POLICIES], and [AVAILABLE SUPPORT]. Include preboarding, first-week meetings, listening plan, operating rhythms, performance-management training, decision rights, and 30-60-90 milestones. Do not imply changes to compensation, reporting lines, or employment terms not approved in [POLICY]. Flag matters requiring HR or senior-leader guidance and check that manager access follows least privilege.
Remote contractor
Use this for a contractor who needs a limited, clearly scoped start plan.
Create a contractor onboarding checklist for [CONTRACTOR ROLE] working on [SCOPE OF WORK] from [LOCATION OR TIME ZONE]. Follow [CONTRACT TERMS AND SECURITY RULES] and use [SYSTEMS AND CONTACTS]. Produce access requirements, deliverables, meeting cadence, communication boundaries, security steps, and offboarding triggers. Clearly distinguish contractor status from employee benefits or management processes. Do not create employment commitments or grant access beyond the stated scope. Flag missing contract approvals.
New customer onboarding
Use this when onboarding a customer to a product rather than a new employee.
Design a customer onboarding journey for [PRODUCT] serving [CUSTOMER TYPE]. The desired first-value outcome is [FIRST VALUE], and known implementation constraints are [CONSTRAINTS]. Produce milestones from kickoff to adoption, customer and vendor responsibilities, required data or access, training formats, risk signals, and success measures for the first [TIMEFRAME]. Do not promise features, integrations, outcomes, or support levels not documented in [CONTRACT OR PLAN]. Check that each step has an owner and a clear completion condition.
Tips
- Give every onboarding item a named owner; a checklist without ownership leaves new hires chasing access and answers.
- Define early success as observable work, such as leading a customer review or completing a practice workflow, not merely attending training.
- Apply least privilege from the start and review access after the employee begins using systems.
- Keep accommodations conversations private and route them through the established HR or People Operations process.
FAQ
How long should employee onboarding last?
Administrative setup may take days, but role onboarding usually needs at least 30 to 90 days. The appropriate length depends on role complexity, access needs, and the time to first meaningful work.
Can AI create legally compliant onboarding?
It can organize your approved requirements, but it should not invent legal or HR policy. Have HR, legal, or security owners confirm obligations that apply to your organization and location.
What should a 30-day check-in cover?
Review role clarity, access, relationships, early work, training gaps, workload, and support needs. Use concrete examples and agree on the next milestone.