Thoughts on streamlining the process of getting someone up to speed when they join a project as a new hire; or as is common in some companies, switch from one project to another: Has anyone heard of a strategy (including emphasis towards consistent, ongoing documentation) that would bring a user up to speed quickly? Has there been any thought given to focused documentation, specific to a role within a project? Or formalized mentoring within a project, that goes beyond a “system walkthrough”?
Often it's overlooked what time is wasted when a senior level worker is brought on board. It's assumed that they will know the right questions to ask. They are the type of people that normally learn quickly, and in their own ways, so let them get by with what's out there.
Having a user without a computer will cost you measurable worker hours, making it an easy target to shoot at (and rightly so). Not getting them up to speed as quickly as possible is an efficiency issue, that seems to have become an industry standard as an accepted loss. Given the complexity of the projects within most companies, and the frequency with which users are shifted from one project to another based on need; I think this is an area that bears consideration.
