The CTO's Integration Checklist for New Offshore Team Members

The 30–60-day integration period for a new offshore engineer determines whether they become a high-performing team member or an expensive mistake. Most offshore integration failures are not talent failures — they're process failures. This checklist provides the CTO and engineering leadership with a structured integration framework.

Before Day 1: Infrastructure Setup

• System access provisioned: GitHub/GitLab repo access, Jira/Linear, Slack, Notion/Confluence, AWS/GCP console (read-only initially), monitoring dashboards (Datadog, Sentry)
• Equipment shipped or purchased locally (if company-provided): laptop with required software, peripherals if relevant
• EOR employment contract signed and payroll set up — first paycheck must not be delayed
• Buddy assigned: a senior engineer (preferably in the same time zone if possible; otherwise an offshore lead) who has 2 hours available in the first week for questions
• 30-60-90 day onboarding document prepared: specific deliverables for each phase, not generic goals
• Introduction email drafted: brief bio of the new hire sent to the full engineering team before day 1

Week 1: Orientation and Context

Day 1: the setup call

45-minute video call between the new engineer, their direct manager, and their buddy. Agenda: welcome and introductions, walk through the first week schedule, confirm all system accesses work, answer immediate questions. Do not start with technical work on day 1 — the cognitive load of orientation is significant enough.

Days 2–5: structured shadowing

Assign the new engineer to observe — not contribute. Attend all team meetings without the expectation of participation. Read the last three architecture decision records. Go through the codebase with the buddy for 2 hours. Complete the onboarding Notion checklist (development environment setup, first PR that adds their name to a team roster file, reading the engineering principles document).

End of Week 1 deliverable

Write a one-page document: what does this company build, how does the engineering team work, what do you understand about the current sprint's goals, and what questions do you still have. Share with the manager. This exercise reveals context gaps immediately and creates a feedback loop.

Weeks 2–4: First Real Contribution

The first real ticket

Assign a well-scoped, non-critical ticket in the second week. Criteria: clear acceptance criteria, no architectural decisions required, involves the new engineer's core skill set, and can be completed within 3–4 days. Review the resulting PR thoroughly and use it as a coaching opportunity — comment generously on both what's good and what could be improved.

Daily touchpoints

Manager or buddy checks in with the new engineer daily in Slack for the first four weeks — not to micromanage, but to surface blockers early. 'How's the ticket going? Anything unclear?' A one-line async message takes 30 seconds and prevents a new engineer from being stuck for two days without asking for help.

Technical depth review at week 3

A 60-minute technical review session: walk through a component of the codebase with the new engineer explaining it back to you. This reveals their depth of understanding vs surface familiarity, and surfaces any context gaps you can address before they affect delivery.

Days 30–60: Growing Autonomy

• Assign the first feature — an end-to-end deliverable with multiple tickets — and let the engineer break it down themselves; review the breakdown before implementation begins
• Introduce to cross-functional stakeholders: product manager, designer, QA — the offshore engineer should know who to contact for what
• Conduct the formal 30-day review: 30-minute written + verbal review using the template (wins, improvements, goals, rating on 4 dimensions)
• Assess performance honestly: at 30 days you have enough signal to know if this hire will work out; if there are serious concerns, address them at 30 days — not 90

The 90-Day Milestone

At 90 days, a well-onboarded offshore engineer should be: independently completing sprint tickets without daily check-ins, submitting PRs that require minimal revision for technical quality, actively participating in code reviews of others' work, and communicating blockers proactively without prompting.

Conduct a formal 90-day review with a two-way feedback session. The engineer rates their own onboarding experience; you rate their integration. Agree on the next quarter's goals. This conversation, if done well, significantly increases the probability of the engineer staying for 2+ years.