New Instructional Designer Onboarding Playbook

A 30-60-90 day plan that takes a new content developer from learning your process to owning a full project, through real work that grows in size.

Who it is for

• L&D and HR leaders bringing a new instructional designer or content developer onto the team.

• Small-business owners hiring their first person to build training, with no training team to learn from.

• Managers moving a trainer or subject expert into design work, who need a plan for the new skills.

• Training team leads who want every new designer to reach the same standard.

• New designers who want to plan their own first 90 days.

The problem it solves

New designers are often handed a large project in week one. They guess at the process and the standards, the first review sends most of the work back, and the subject expert loses patience. This playbook spreads the learning over 90 days: study finished work, complete small real projects, build one with support, then own one from request to launch. Every step has a template, and sign-off rests on a portfolio of real work.

What is inside

The guide (PDF, 31 pages)

• Start here: who it is for, the plan in brief, the order to work in (2 pages)

• 1. How this playbook works: what a designer does, three stages, plain-language terms, roles, adjusting the timeline (3 pages)

• 2. Before day one: the lead's checklist, building a starter library, the first-week agenda (2 pages)

• 3. Learning the build process: the steps in general terms and how to trace a real project through them (2 pages)

• 4. Learning the standards: what standards cover and how to learn them fast (2 pages)

• 5. Tools: the kinds of tools, a tool learning plan, practice tasks (2 pages)

• 6. Stage 1, Learn (days 1 to 30): goals, weekly plan, check-ins, day-30 checkpoint (2 pages)

• 7. First projects, small to large: a five-level project ladder with examples from a dental group, a cleaning company and a software support team (2 pages)

• 8. Stages 2 and 3, Build then own (days 31 to 90): supported build, then a full project (2 pages)

• 9. Working with subject experts: the kickoff, interview questions, scope and disagreements (3 pages)

• 10. The review checklist: how reviews work, the full checklist, giving and receiving comments (3 pages)

• 11. Skills sign-off: ten skill areas, the evidence portfolio, the sign-off conversation (2 pages)

• 12. Three teams, three plans: a first designer, a supervisor moving into design, and an experienced hire (2 pages)

• 13. Common mistakes and FAQ (1 page)

Editable Word templates (16 pages)

• 30-60-90 plan

• Process walk-through worksheet

• Standards check

• Tool learning plan

• Project brief

• Expert kickoff agenda and interview guide

• Review checklist and review log

• Weekly check-in notes

• Skills sign-off record with evidence portfolio

Excel tracker (9 tabs)

• How to use, Overview with live progress figures, Plan, Project Ladder, Tool Plan, Review Checklist, Review Log, Skills and Check-ins. Drop-down lists, color-coded status, overdue highlighting and example rows.

Filled-in examples (Word, 16 pages)

• Every Word template completed once for the first designer at a regional dental group.

How to use it

1. The lead designer and manager read Chapters 1, 2 and 7, then fill in the 30-60-90 plan.

2. The new designer reads Chapters 1, 3, 4 and 5 in the first week.

3. Work up the project ladder: two small projects in month one, a supported project in month two, a full project in month three.

4. Use the review checklist on every piece of work and track progress in the Excel tracker.

5. Complete the skills sign-off at day 90, based on the evidence portfolio.

Formats and file types

• PDF guide (31 pages, US Letter, print-ready)

• Microsoft Word templates (.docx, 16 pages, ten templates)

• Microsoft Excel tracker (.xlsx, 9 tabs)

• Microsoft Word filled-in examples (.docx, 16 pages)

• Licensed for use within your organization.

Frequently asked questions