Onboarding plan
Technical Writer Onboarding Plan (30-60-90 Days)
A practical, printable plan to take a new technical writer from first day to full productivity.
Technical Writer onboarding at a glance
Week one covers orientation, safety and shadowing. Days 1–30 build vocabulary and supervised practice on core procedures; days 31–60 move to independent work with competency sign-offs; days 61–90 focus on full productivity, cross-training and a credential plan.
Before day one
- Confirm start date, schedule, pay and supervisor in writing
- Verify required credentials: Certified Professional Technical Communicator (CPTC), Technical writing certificate (as applicable)
- Prepare equipment and access: madCap Flare or similar authoring tools; markdown and Git; confluence; snagit and screen capture tools
- Assign a buddy or preceptor
- Enroll the new hire in Technical Writer training so foundations are covered before or during week one
Week one: orient and protect
- Workplace tour, emergency procedures and incident reporting
- Protect confidential product information
- Ensure safety warnings are accurate
- Use ergonomic setups
- Follow accessibility guidelines
- Shadow an experienced technical writer through a full shift
- Training modules 1–3: role foundations, a day on the job and essential vocabulary (15 terms)
Days 1–30: learn
Goal: perform core tasks safely under supervision.
- Supervised practice: write a step-by-step procedure
- Supervised practice: interview a subject matter expert
- Supervised practice: edit for clarity
- Training modules 4–7: duties, step-by-step tasks, tools and safety
- 30-day check-in: confidence, questions and early wins
Days 31–60: contribute
Goal: handle a regular workload independently.
- Interview subject matter experts: independently
- Test products and procedures: independently
- Write manuals, guides and help content: independently
- Create API and developer documentation: independently
- Competency sign-offs completed (see checklist below)
- Training final knowledge check and certificate of completion
- 60-day check-in
Days 61–90: own
Goal: full productivity and a growth plan.
- Meet productivity and quality targets for the role
- Begin cross-training on a secondary task
- Agree on a credential goal (for example, Certified Professional Technical Communicator (CPTC))
- Discuss the career path: Documentation Associate → Technical Writer → Senior Technical Writer
- 90-day review
Competency checklist
| Skill or task | Trained | Observed | Signed off |
|---|---|---|---|
| Write a Step-by-Step Procedure | |||
| Interview a Subject Matter Expert | |||
| Edit for Clarity | |||
| Technical writing | |||
| Information architecture | |||
| Editing | |||
| Documentation tools |
How to measure onboarding success
- Time to first independent project
- Revision rounds per project
- On-time delivery rate
- 90-day retention
How Technical Writer training maps to this plan
- Introduction to the Technical Writer Role
- A Day on the Job
- Essential Technical Writer Vocabulary
- Core Duties and Responsibilities
- Common Tasks, Step by Step
- Tools, Equipment and Technology
- Safety, Compliance and Professional Standards
- Skills Employers Look For
- Launching Your Technical Writer Career
- Final Knowledge Check