Bringing in a new backend developer doesn't have to slow down your team. With the right approach, you can get them up to speed fast while keeping your velocity steady. Start by setting up the workspace before they even begin. Ensure their local environment is equipped with required dependencies, API credentials, and internal wikis preloaded. Use infrastructure-as-code for setup so they can start the dev server with a simple terminal instruction.

Link them with a senior dev for the first few days, but keep it from becoming a full-time coaching role. Instead, conduct quick 1:1s—10–25 minutes per day—to clarify context and offer direction. This keeps the new hire making progress without interrupting their deep work. Have them record their discoveries as they go. This not only deepens retention but also creates reusable onboarding assets.

Assign their first task carefully. Pick a clearly scoped bug from the backlog that has explicit success conditions and few external integrations. Avoid complex system overhauls or critical production issues in the beginning. Completing a small task successfully builds confidence and gives them a early sense of ownership.

Ensure they can use observability platforms, log aggregation services, and CI. Teach them to interpret KPIs and understand what normal looks like. A backend engineer needs to feel comfortable with observability—not just coding features.

Include them in standups and code reviews from day one. Seeing how the team collaborates helps them integrate culturally. Require meaningful, actionable comments in reviews—it’s part of their onboarding too.

Avoid overwhelming them with too much information. Don’t try to teach the whole codebase upfront. Let them learn incrementally through doing. Provide a curated list of key services of microservices, and нужна команда разработчиков runbooks they can explore on their own.

Ultimately, judge onboarding by autonomy, not output speed, but by how soon they operate independently. By the end of the first week, they should be able to deploy a change to staging. By the end of the 7–10 days, they should be resolving issues solo without constant handholding. Protect team velocity by sticking to your rhythm and protecting focus time. Onboarding is not a detour—it’s an investment that yields returns when they stop being a burden.