Onboarding Playbook

Onboarding Playbook

What it is: Structured onboarding.

Overview

Works out the smallest useful Onboarding Playbook setup for the business in front of it, then builds it only when asked. The default output is a short recommendation, not a spreadsheet. Artifacts - CSV, SQL DDL, JSON Schema, Notion mapping - are produced on request, from one field list so they cannot drift apart.

Layer: Layer 3: Onboard. Fits: Growth stage. Table code: n/a.

When to Use This Skill

• onboarding checklist
• onboarding playbook
• new hire 30 60 90 plan
• onboarding steps tracker

Also use it when the user says "structured onboarding", or describes the same process happening in a spreadsheet, a document or someone inboxes.

Do not use it for: payroll calculation, tax filing, or legal advice. This skill produces empty templates only - it never holds or processes real employee or customer data.

How It Works

Follow the shared execution contract. The module-specific rules below define only domain fields, decisions, calculations, and safety constraints.

Step 1 - Identify intent

Read the request and pick the intent before asking anything.

• "set up" or "build" or "create" -> the user wants artifacts; go to Step 2.
• "our process is ..." or "it is in a sheet" -> the user wants to move an existing process; capture it, then Step 2.
• "is this right" or "review" or "audit" -> the user wants a check, not a build; answer from what they share.
• "how do I ..." -> advice question; answer directly and offer the build only if it helps.

Ask only if this is the highest-value missing fact; otherwise proceed without an opener:

Q: When does a new joiner start?

Step 2 - Ask only what is missing

Skip anything the user already answered, in any earlier message. Ask the rest one at a time, and stop as soon as the remaining answers would not change the output.

• Journey - How long is onboarding? / Same for everyone? / By role or by person?
• Steps - Day one tasks? / Week one? / 30, 60, 90 day?
• Ownership - Who owns each step? / Manager or HR? / Who signs off?
• Current process - Is it written down? / Checklist used? / What gets skipped?
• Outcome - What do you need? / A checklist, a schedule or reporting?

Never invent an answer. If the user does not know, record it as unknown and carry on.

Step 3 - Hold the internal context

Hold the answers in this shape. It stays internal - it is not shown to the user unless they ask, and it never carries a value the user did not give.

module: onboarding-playbook
intent: null            # setup | advice | review | fix | build | convert | export
scale: null             # Starter | Growth | Scale, only if the answer changes it
areas:
  "Journey": null
  "Steps": null
  "Ownership": null
  "Current process": null
  "Outcome": null
requested_outputs: []   # csv | sql | json | notion | xlsx - requested formats only
confirmed_facts: []     # only what the user actually said
open_questions: []      # the unanswered ones, in the order worth asking

Step 4 - Recommend the smallest workflow

If an artifact was requested, build it after resolving essential missing facts. Otherwise give a short recommendation and offer the relevant artifact.

Recommended approach: Build a checklist with an owner and a due offset from the joining date, so the same plan applies to every new joiner.

Why this one: Onboarding plans fail when they are per-person documents. One plan with day offsets is reusable and keeps a 30 percent no-show from being missed.

Workflow: Offer accepted → Pre-boarding → Day one → Week one → 30, 60, 90 day

Step 5 - Build only on request

Once the user asks for it, derive the fields from the confirmed context and emit the requested artifacts. For machine-readable text, keep prose outside the data; for files, provide a usable link. Report material validation failures or limitations separately.

A selected Notion output is rendered by notion-manual-import, so route the Notion step there. When the user selects Notion, hand that step to ](https://github.com/sickn33/agentic-awesome-skills/blob/main/skills/notion-manual-import/SKILL.md): it holds the CSV, the property mapping, the import steps and the verification checklist, and it renders the Field Reference below instead of defining a table of its own. Do not restate the mapping here and do not improvise the import steps. Manual CSV and mapping outputs need no connection. For requested workspace changes, follow the shared contract: verify actual tool access and the target before writing. A user saying "connected" is not tool evidence. Never ask for a Notion password or token.

For an Excel-compatible CSV, use UTF-8 with a byte order mark so Excel opens the text correctly. A CSV is not an .xlsx workbook; create .xlsx only when the user requests a workbook. A CSV carries no types, so after it, name the columns that need a number, date or currency format applied.

Onboarding Step,Phase,Order,Department,Owner,Linked SOP,Required,Notes,Step ID
Day 1 - Welcome and accounts,Week 1,1,Delivery,Sneha Iyer,SOP-ONB-001,TRUE,"Ran it for the February joiner; the equipment step needs a named owner, not a checklist.",

CREATE TABLE onboarding_playbook (
  onboarding_step VARCHAR(255),
  phase VARCHAR(255),
  sort_order NUMERIC NOT NULL,
  department VARCHAR(255),
  owner VARCHAR(255),
  linked_sop VARCHAR(255),  -- relation -> target record
  required BOOLEAN NOT NULL,
  notes TEXT,
  step_id SERIAL PRIMARY KEY,
  created_at TIMESTAMP DEFAULT NOW(),
  updated_at TIMESTAMP DEFAULT NOW()
);

{
  "$schema": "https://json-schema.org/draft/2020-12/schema",
  "title": "Onboarding Playbook",
  "type": "object",
  "additionalProperties": false,
  "properties": {
      "Onboarding Step": { "type": "string" },
      "Phase": { "type": "string" },
      "Order": { "type": "number" },
      "Department": { "type": "string" },
      "Owner": { "type": "string" },
      "Linked SOP": { "type": "string" },
      "Required": { "type": "boolean" },
      "Notes": { "type": "string" },
      "Step ID": { "type": "integer" }
  },
  "required": [
      "Order"
  ]
}

| CSV column | Notion property | Set after import |
|---|---|---|
| Onboarding Step | Title | Use as the database title |
| Phase | Text | Leave as Text |
| Order | Number | Convert to Number |
| Department | Text | Leave as Text |
| Owner | Text | Leave as Text |
| Linked SOP | Relation (link to the target database) | Convert to Relation, link to the target database |
| Required | Checkbox | Convert to Checkbox |
| Notes | Text | Leave as Text |
| Step ID | Text (preserve source ID) | Keep imported IDs as Text; optionally add a separate Unique ID property |

The rows above are documentation examples only. Emit empty templates unless the user explicitly requests examples. Money stays currency, dates stay date, and anything pointing at another table stays relation.

Field Reference