# Write a getting-started guide for new engineers on my team

Creates a practical onboarding doc for your codebase: local setup, architecture tour, workflows, and a safe first task.

- Topic: Software Development
- Framework: RTF
- Level: Standard
- Tags: Write, Analyze, Fill-in Template
- Source: https://www.thinkwithprompt.com/prompts/write-a-getting-started-guide-for-new-engineers-on-my-team

## Prompt

```text
Help me write a getting-started guide for engineers joining my team.

**Team and what we own:** [SERVICES, APPS, OR PRODUCTS]
**Repos and stack:** [LIST]
**Local setup steps (rough notes):** [PASTE WHAT YOU KNOW, INCLUDING KNOWN GOTCHAS]
**How work flows:** [TICKETS, BRANCHING, CODE REVIEW, CI, DEPLOYS, ON-CALL]
**Key people and channels:** [ROLES, NOT PERSONAL DETAILS]
**Common confusion new joiners hit:** [e.g. "two services with similar names", "staging data is stale"]

Write the guide with:
1. **Day 1 checklist:** access requests, tools to install, repos to clone, how to confirm it all works.
2. **Local setup:** numbered steps with commands, expected output, and a troubleshooting section for the gotchas I listed.
3. **Architecture tour:** a short overview of the main components and how a typical request flows through them. Describe a diagram in text I can turn into a real one.
4. **How we work:** branching, PR expectations, testing, deploying, and what "done" means here.
5. **Glossary:** internal terms and acronyms.
6. **First week plan and a good first task:** small, real, touching the main workflow end to end.
7. **Where to ask for help.**

Rules: commands must come from my notes; if a step is missing, insert "[ADD STEP]" rather than guessing. Never include secrets or credentials; point to where they're stored instead. Keep it in Markdown so it can live in the repo.
```

## What to fill in

- SERVICES, APPS, OR PRODUCTS
- LIST
- PASTE WHAT YOU KNOW, INCLUDING KNOWN GOTCHAS
- TICKETS, BRANCHING, CODE REVIEW, CI, DEPLOYS, ON-CALL
- ROLES, NOT PERSONAL DETAILS
- ADD STEP

Free to copy and use. From ThinkWithPrompt (https://www.thinkwithprompt.com/), a library of 2,663 curated AI prompts.