Welcome Aboard: How to Onboard Your New iOS Developer for Immediate Impact
Carl Bailey
Like this project
Posted Jul 6, 2025
A great hire deserves a great start. Learn how to design a developer onboarding process that integrates your new iOS dev quickly and sets them up for success from day one.
Welcome Aboard: How to Onboard Your New iOS Developer for Immediate Impact
Phase 1: Pre-Onboarding - Setting the Stage for Success
Prepare Documentation and Access
Send a Welcome Kit and Agenda
Inform the Team
Phase 2: The First Week - Immersion and Integration
Assign an Onboarding Buddy or Mentor
Conduct a Thorough Orientation
Assign a Small, Manageable First Task
Phase 3: The First 30-60-90 Days - Ramping Up and Making an Impact
First 30 Days: Learning and Observing
First 60 Days: Contributing and Collaborating
First 90 Days: Ownership and Initiative
Continuous Support and Feedback
Schedule Regular Check-ins
Foster a Culture of Open Communication
Solicit Feedback on the Onboarding Process
Conclusion
References
Welcome Aboard: How to Onboard Your New iOS Developer for Immediate Impact
You've successfully navigated the hiring process, and your new iOS developer is ready to start. However, the work isn't over yet. A structured and thoughtful onboarding process is critical to transforming a great hire into a productive and integrated team member.
Effective onboarding goes beyond sending a welcome email; it's about systematically preparing your new developer to contribute meaningfully as quickly as possible. This process is especially important for remote developers who need deliberate integration into the team culture. After finalizing the legal paperwork, a seamless onboarding experience is the final step in ensuring your investment in hiring your next iOS developer pays off from day one.
Phase 1: Pre-Onboarding - Setting the Stage for Success
A smooth onboarding experience begins before the developer's first day. The pre-onboarding phase ensures that everything is ready for their arrival, making them feel welcomed and valued from the very start.
Think of pre-onboarding like preparing for a house guest. You wouldn't wait until they arrive to clean the guest room or stock the fridge. The same principle applies here. When your new iOS developer logs in on their first day, they should feel expected and prepared for.
Prepare Documentation and Access
Nothing kills momentum faster than a new developer sitting idle because they can't access the tools they need. Before their start date, ensure all necessary paperwork is handled in advance. This includes employment contracts, tax forms, and any confidentiality agreements specific to your iOS projects.
Set up their accounts and grant access to essential systems. Your checklist should include:
Code repository access (GitHub, GitLab, or Bitbucket)
Project management tools (Jira, Trello, or Asana)
Communication platforms (Slack, Microsoft Teams, or Discord)
Development environment credentials (Apple Developer account, TestFlight access)
Design tools (Figma, Sketch, or Adobe XD)
Documentation wikis (Confluence, Notion, or internal wikis)
Create a secure document with all login credentials and access instructions. Consider using a password manager for team credentials. Remember to set appropriate permission levels - they don't need admin access to everything on day one.
For iOS-specific tools, ensure they have access to your provisioning profiles, certificates, and any proprietary frameworks or SDKs your team uses. If you're using continuous integration tools like Jenkins or CircleCI, add their credentials there too.
Send a Welcome Kit and Agenda
A welcome package does more than just make someone feel good - it sets the tone for their entire experience with your company. Send this at least three days before their start date.
Your welcome kit should include:
Company swag (t-shirt, mug, stickers - developers love stickers!)
Employee handbook covering policies, benefits, and company culture
Technical documentation about your iOS app architecture
A detailed first-week agenda with specific times and meeting links
Team directory with photos, roles, and fun facts about each member
"Getting Started" guide specific to iOS development in your organization
The agenda is particularly crucial. Break down their first week hour by hour. Include buffer time between meetings - information overload is real. Here's what a typical first day might look like:
9:00 AM - Welcome call with manager
10:00 AM - IT setup and troubleshooting
11:00 AM - Team introduction meeting
12:00 PM - Lunch break (encourage them to step away)
1:00 PM - Codebase overview with tech lead
2:30 PM - HR benefits orientation
3:30 PM - Self-guided setup time
4:30 PM - End-of-day check-in with onboarding buddy
Inform the Team
Your existing team plays a huge role in making new developers feel welcome. Send an announcement email at least a week before the new developer starts. Include:
Their name and preferred pronouns
Their role and which projects they'll work on
A brief professional background
Something personal (with their permission) - maybe they're into rock climbing or collect vintage Apple products
Their start date and time zone (crucial for remote teams)
Encourage team members to send welcome messages. Consider creating a Slack channel specifically for welcoming the new developer. Pin important resources and let team members share tips about the codebase or company culture.
For iOS teams, it's helpful to assign specific team members to cover different areas during onboarding. Maybe your Swift expert handles language-specific questions while your UI specialist covers design implementation. This distributed approach prevents any one person from being overwhelmed with mentoring duties.
Phase 2: The First Week - Immersion and Integration
The first week is crucial for making a positive impression and helping the developer get acquainted with the team, tools, and processes. The goal is immersion, not overwhelming them with complex tasks.
Remember, even experienced iOS developers need time to understand your specific implementation patterns, coding standards, and team dynamics. Focus on building connections and familiarity rather than immediate productivity.
Assign an Onboarding Buddy or Mentor
Pair the new developer with an experienced team member who can act as their 'onboarding buddy'. This person becomes their go-to resource for both technical and cultural questions.
Choose someone who:
Has been with the company for at least a year
Demonstrates patience and strong communication skills
Works on similar iOS projects or features
Volunteers for the role (forced mentorship rarely works well)
The buddy's responsibilities include:
Daily check-ins for the first two weeks
Introducing them to team rituals and inside jokes
Explaining unwritten rules and communication norms
Pair programming on initial tasks
Being available for "stupid questions" (spoiler: they're never stupid)
Set clear expectations with the buddy. They should block out at least an hour daily for the first week, then 30 minutes daily for the second week. Recognize this commitment - consider reducing their regular workload temporarily.
Conduct a Thorough Orientation
Orientation goes beyond showing where the virtual coffee machine is (though Slack channel tours matter too!). Schedule focused sessions throughout the first week:
Day 1-2: Company and Culture
Company mission, vision, and values (keep it engaging, not preachy)
Product overview and target users
Business model and how engineering supports it
Communication protocols and meeting etiquette
Remote work expectations and boundaries
Day 2-3: Technical Overview
Architecture deep dive of your iOS app(s)
Coding standards and style guides
Git workflow and branching strategy
Code review process and expectations
Testing requirements (unit tests, UI tests, manual QA)
Deployment pipeline and release cycles
Day 3-4: Tools and Processes
Sprint planning and estimation practices
Bug tracking and priority levels
Documentation standards
Performance monitoring tools
Analytics and crash reporting systems
Day 4-5: Hands-on Learning
Pair programming session on actual code
Walk through recent pull requests
Review current sprint tasks
Discuss technical debt and improvement areas
Space these sessions out. Nobody retains information from eight straight hours of presentations. Include breaks and encourage questions throughout.
Assign a Small, Manageable First Task
Start with a small, low-risk coding task that lets them experience your full development workflow. Good first tasks for iOS developers include:
Fixing a minor UI bug (misaligned text, wrong color)
Adding a simple analytics event
Updating deprecated API usage
Implementing a small UI improvement
Writing missing unit tests for existing code
The ideal first task should:
Take 4-8 hours to complete
Touch multiple parts of the codebase
Require using your standard tools and processes
Have clear acceptance criteria
Not be on the critical path for any release
Walk them through the entire process:
How to pick up the ticket
Creating a feature branch
Making the changes
Running tests locally
Creating a pull request
Responding to code review feedback
Merging and deploying
Celebrate when they complete it! A simple "Great job on your first PR!" message in Slack goes a long way. This early win builds confidence and momentum.
Phase 3: The First 30-60-90 Days - Ramping Up and Making an Impact
A structured 30-60-90 day plan provides a clear roadmap for the new developer, outlining expectations and goals as they transition from learning the ropes to taking on more significant responsibilities.
This framework helps both the developer and manager track progress objectively. It removes ambiguity about performance expectations and provides regular milestones to celebrate.
First 30 Days: Learning and Observing
The first month focuses on absorption and understanding. Your new iOS developer should become familiar with:
Technical Goals:
Complete initial training modules or courses
Successfully submit 3-5 pull requests
Participate in all code reviews for their team
Set up their complete development environment
Run the app on both simulator and physical devices
Understand the app's core user flows
Process Goals:
Attend all team meetings and ceremonies
Ask questions in appropriate channels
Document one process that wasn't clear
Shadow customer support for 2-4 hours
Complete any required security or compliance training
Relationship Goals:
Have 1-on-1 coffee chats with each team member
Identify go-to people for different types of questions
Join relevant Slack channels and engage in discussions
Participate in any team social events
By day 30, they should feel comfortable with daily routines and basic tasks. They might still need guidance, but they know where to find help.
First 60 Days: Contributing and Collaborating
The second month shifts from learning to doing. The developer should now contribute more actively:
Technical Goals:
Take ownership of a medium-sized feature
Resolve bugs independently (with code review)
Contribute to technical discussions in planning
Improve existing code (refactoring, optimization)
Write comprehensive tests for new features
Help review other developers' code
Process Goals:
Estimate tasks with reasonable accuracy
Identify and communicate blockers proactively
Contribute ideas in retrospectives
Document a technical process or decision
Present a lunch-and-learn or demo
Relationship Goals:
Pair program with different team members
Mentor newer team members on basic tasks
Build relationships with stakeholders
Actively participate in team discussions
Share knowledge from previous experiences
At this stage, they're not just following processes - they're improving them. Encourage them to question existing practices and suggest improvements.
First 90 Days: Ownership and Initiative
By three months, your iOS developer should be a fully integrated team member. They should demonstrate:
Technical Goals:
Lead development of a significant feature
Architect solutions for complex problems
Identify and address technical debt
Optimize app performance or size
Contribute to long-term technical planning
Become the go-to person for specific app areas
Process Goals:
Run a team meeting or ceremony
Propose process improvements
Take on-call or support responsibilities
Contribute to hiring (reviewing portfolios, conducting interviews)
Create or update team documentation
Relationship Goals:
Build trust with product and design teams
Represent the team in cross-functional meetings
Help onboard the next new hire
Establish themselves as a reliable team member
Contribute to team culture and morale
Success at 90 days means they're not just doing assigned work - they're identifying what needs to be done and taking initiative.
Continuous Support and Feedback
Onboarding doesn't end after 90 days. Creating a supportive environment with continuous feedback is key to long-term success and retention.
The best companies treat onboarding as an ongoing process, not a checkbox to complete. Your investment in continuous support pays dividends in employee satisfaction, productivity, and retention.
Schedule Regular Check-ins
Set up regular one-on-one meetings between the new developer and their manager. These aren't status updates - they're coaching conversations.
Weekly 1-on-1s (First 90 days):
30-45 minutes minimum
Same day and time each week
Developer sets the agenda
Focus on obstacles, growth, and well-being
End with clear action items
Bi-weekly 1-on-1s (After 90 days):
Transition to every two weeks
Deeper career development discussions
Performance feedback and goal setting
Relationship building
Make these meetings sacred. Don't cancel or reschedule unless absolutely necessary. Nothing says "you don't matter" faster than constantly moving 1-on-1s.
Good questions for check-ins:
What's going well? What's challenging?
Do you have the resources you need?
How's your workload?
What would you like to learn next?
How can I better support you?
What feedback do you have for me?
Document key points and follow up on commitments. If they mention wanting to learn SwiftUI, find opportunities for them to use it.
Foster a Culture of Open Communication
Psychological safety accelerates learning. Create an environment where questions are welcomed and mistakes are learning opportunities.
Normalize "not knowing":
Share your own knowledge gaps openly
Praise questions in public channels
Create a #no-stupid-questions Slack channel
Share stories of your own onboarding struggles
Encourage experimentation:
Allocate time for learning and exploration
Celebrate failed experiments that taught lessons
Share "failure stories" in team meetings
Create sandbox environments for testing
Make feedback bidirectional:
Ask for feedback on your management style
Act on suggestions when possible
Explain when you can't implement feedback
Thank people publicly for constructive criticism
For iOS teams specifically, consider creating a "Swift Tips" channel where everyone shares discoveries. Maybe someone found a cleaner way to handle optionals or a useful extension. These small shares build culture and knowledge simultaneously.
Solicit Feedback on the Onboarding Process
Your onboarding process should evolve based on real experiences. After 30, 60, and 90 days, ask for specific feedback:
30-day feedback:
Was the first week overwhelming or underwhelming?
Did you have access to everything you needed?
Was your buddy helpful and available?
What was missing from orientation?
60-day feedback:
Are the expectations clear?
Do you feel supported by the team?
What additional resources would help?
How can we improve the technical onboarding?
90-day feedback:
What would you change about the onboarding process?
What worked particularly well?
What advice would you give to the next new hire?
Do you feel equipped to succeed here?
Create a simple survey or conduct these as conversations. The key is acting on the feedback. When the next person joins and sees improvements based on previous suggestions, it reinforces that their input matters.
Keep an onboarding retrospective document. Track what works and what doesn't across multiple hires. Patterns will emerge that help you continuously refine the process.
Conclusion
Effective onboarding is an investment that pays returns for years. When done right, it transforms nervous new hires into confident, productive team members who contribute meaningfully to your iOS projects.
Remember these key principles:
Start before day one with thorough preparation
Assign a dedicated buddy or mentor
Balance learning with doing
Set clear expectations with 30-60-90 day goals
Maintain ongoing support beyond the initial period
Continuously improve based on feedback
Every developer you onboard successfully becomes an advocate for your company. They'll refer other talented developers, contribute to a positive culture, and stay longer because they feel valued from the start.
The time you invest in onboarding today saves countless hours of confusion, mistakes, and turnover tomorrow. More importantly, it shows that you value your people as much as your products.
Your new iOS developer chose your company for a reason. A thoughtful onboarding process ensures they'll be glad they did - and excited to help build the future of your iOS applications.