Over the past several years, while working on different software engineering teams in very different industries, I’ve had many team mates coming from outside of the company or from other teams. Some organizations will offer and expect a lot of structure and preparation put into the ramp-up of new hires, others will not “care” about that, and as usual, some will fall somewhere in between these two cases. What I have found in common is that very often the ramp up effort can benefit from hands-on work.
Selecting the right tasks from an existing backlog or to-do list can promote a smooth and meaningful ramp-up, keeping the new hire engaged and productive, and the team may benefit from the added capacity as well as the new hire’s fresh perspective and energy.
Once you have a list of potential tasks or stories to be considered, you can use the attributes below to select which ones to assign to the new hires first. The attributes share the same level of importance and are only listed in this order because of the cheesy acronym I came up with, S’MORE: Source of knowledge, Measurable, Outsider-friendly, Relevant, Estimated.
This framework helps structure what can otherwise be a haphazard process, ensuring that new team members have a positive, productive start that benefits both them and the team. By intentionally selecting tasks that meet these criteria, you create a more deliberate and effective onboarding experience.
A task that requires some understanding of the domain or the product to be successfully executed will likely require more time to ramp up on, but will likely be more meaningful to the new hire. This is especially true if the new hire is coming from a different industry or a different product.
As it is often the case, you should aim for some balance between too much and too little domain knowledge required to complete the task. For the sake of the ramp up, you should avoid assigning tasks that the new hire can knock out of the park based solely on their technical skills acquired somewhere else. Actually, if you find yourself in a situation where everything you can come up with is something that the new hire can do without any problem, congratulations! This is a good measure of ramp-up progress, and seems like your “new hire” is more of a veteran by now.
For example, a good “Source of Knowledge” task might be asking a new developer to fix a bug in a core feature that requires understanding how several components interact, rather than just having them update CSS styling that could be done without any domain knowledge.
Measurable tasks are the best kinds of tasks anyway, and we should always aim to have that as an attribute of all tasks and stories, but some times it can feel like a luxury to have tasks with concrete and objective ways to measure progress and completion. If that is the case, pay special attention to this attribute when selecting tasks for the new hire, and either further refine tasks that are not yet measurable, or select other tasks that are.
A good measurable task might be “Implement pagination for the user search results that handles at least 1000 records efficiently,” rather than “Make the search results better.” The former provides clear criteria for success and completion that both the new hire and the team can agree on.
There could be a few different meanings to this attribute, but the one I’m referring to here is the ability for the new hire to work on the task without having to be in constant communication with other team members. This is especially important for the first few days or weeks, when the new hire is still getting to know the team and the product, and might not yet be yet comfortable enough to ask questions and seek help.
Outsider-friendly tasks typically have clear documentation, well-defined requirements, and don’t rely on tribal knowledge that’s not written down anywhere. They should have enough context provided that someone new can make progress independently, while still offering opportunities to reach out for guidance when necessary.
These tasks should also be somewhat isolated from critical systems or high-traffic areas of the codebase where mistakes could have cascading effects. This creates a safer space for learning and experimentation without the pressure of breaking something important. The goal is to build confidence through successful completion, not to induce anxiety.
For instance, having a new hire add a new filtering option to an admin dashboard is more outsider-friendly than asking them to modify the authentication system, since the former affects fewer users and has more contained impacts if something goes wrong.
Relevance is crucial for meaningful ramp-up. Tasks should connect to the core business or product in a way that helps the new hire understand why their work matters. Ideally, these tasks should touch different parts of the system or product, giving the new hire a broader understanding of how things fit together.
Relevant tasks might include fixing bugs that affect users, implementing small features that will be shipped soon, or working on improvements that the team has identified as important. The key is that the new hire can see how their contribution fits into the bigger picture and provides actual value to the team and product.
Avoid assigning tasks that the team has been avoiding because they’re tedious or unimportant. While it might be tempting to offload these to new team members, this can send a demoralizing message about their value to the team. A mix of quick wins and more substantial contributions will help maintain motivation and engagement throughout the ramp-up period.
A relevant task example would be asking a new hire to implement a frequently requested feature from actual users, such as adding an export to CSV option that customers have been asking for, rather than spending weeks on internal tooling that nobody urgently needs.
Tasks assigned during ramp-up should have reasonable, well-articulated time estimates. This helps set appropriate expectations for both the new hire and the team. Underestimated tasks can lead to frustration and a sense of inadequacy, while overestimated tasks might not provide sufficient challenge.
The estimated effort should account for the learning curve involved. A task that might take an experienced team member a day could reasonably take a new hire several days as they navigate unfamiliar systems, coding patterns, and processes. Be explicit about these expectations to avoid unnecessary pressure.
Breaking larger tasks into smaller, more manageable chunks can help provide a sense of progress and accomplishment. Each completed task builds confidence and provides an opportunity for feedback and course correction if needed.
For example, instead of assigning “Implement the new reporting module” (which might be a 3-week task for an experienced team member), break it down into “Set up the basic UI framework for the reporting page” (1-2 days) and “Implement the date range selector component” (1-2 days), and so on.
By applying these S’MORE criteria to task selection during ramp-up, you create a structured yet flexible approach that adapts to each new hire’s unique skills and learning style. The right mix of tasks will accelerate integration into the team while delivering real value to the product—a win-win for everyone involved.
The S’MORE framework isn’t meant to be a rigid checklist where every task must score perfectly on all five attributes. Rather, it’s a guide to help you be more intentional about the ramp-up process. Most tasks will naturally be stronger in some attributes than others.
Consider keeping a small backlog of “ramp-up friendly” tasks that meet most of these criteria, so you’re prepared when new team members join. Review and refine this list periodically based on feedback from recent hires about what helped them most during their onboarding.
Remember that the ultimate goal is to transform a newcomer into a confident, contributing team member as efficiently and positively as possible. With the right selection of hands-on tasks, you’ll find that new hires integrate faster, feel more valued, and become productive contributors much sooner than with traditional passive onboarding approaches.