IT onboarding checklist: ready for the first day
For IT, a good first day starts two weeks earlier. The account, licences, device, access and groups must be ready before the new colleague turns up at reception. This checklist is sorted by timing and meant to be copied, with notes on what is forgotten most often.
At a glance
Ask to be told about new starters at least two weeks ahead, with the start date, department, role and equipment request. Work through the list by timing and never send credentials in plain text. On the first day, a 30-minute introduction is enough if everything is prepared.
What IT needs to know before the start
You cannot prepare anything without these details. Get them from HR or the manager, ideally on a fixed form:
- Name, start date, department, location, manager.
- Role, and which applications and folders the person needs.
- Equipment request: laptop, monitor, company mobile, headset.
- A private email address, if credentials go out before the first day.
The checklist by timing
TWO TO FOUR WEEKS BEFORE [ ] New starter confirmed with all details [ ] Device in stock or ordered [ ] Licence needs checked (Microsoft 365, specialist software) ONE WEEK BEFORE [ ] User account created, blocked until the start day [ ] Licences assigned [ ] Groups and distribution lists: department, location, Teams [ ] Folder permissions set after the manager’s approval [ ] Business applications: access requested [ ] Phone number, extension and, if needed, company mobile with SIM [ ] Laptop set up, updates installed [ ] Handover form prepared THE DAY BEFORE [ ] Account activated or activation scheduled [ ] Initial password shared securely (one-time link, not plain text) [ ] Workstation: docking station, monitor and cables checked FIRST DAY [ ] Device handed over, form signed [ ] First sign-in supported, password changed [ ] Two-factor authentication set up [ ] Printer connected, Teams and Outlook tested [ ] 5 minutes: how and where to report IT issues AFTER ONE WEEK [ ] Quick check: is any access missing?
What is forgotten most often
- Distribution lists and Teams groups. For three weeks, the person does not get the invitation to the department meeting.
- Two-factor authentication. If it is not set up on the first day, the person is at home without access on the second.
- Business applications. Stock control, time tracking and accounting often need accounts of their own, which someone else creates.
- The printer. It sounds trivial, but it is often the first ticket on the first day.
- Where to report problems. Without this sentence, the new colleague will ask you in the corridor.
Hand over credentials securely
The initial password does not belong in plain text in an email that sits in several mailboxes and backups. Hand it over in person, separately from the username, or as a one-time link. And have it changed at the first sign-in. The options are compared in the guide Share passwords securely.
The first day: 30 minutes are enough
If everything is prepared, the introduction does not need two hours. Hand over the device, sign in together, set up two-factor authentication, test the printer and show where to report problems. The rest follows in the first week. If you offer an appointment that the person chooses themselves, nobody waits at reception.
Clarify access: a template for the manager
The most common delay on the first day is missing access, because nobody said what was needed. Send the manager these questions two weeks before. Whatever is not answered will not be set up.
New starter: [name], start [date], department [ ] Set up like: [name of a colleague in the same role] Additional folders: [ ] Business applications and roles: [ ] Mailboxes and distribution lists: [ ] Teams channels: [ ] Equipment: [ ] Laptop [ ] Monitor [ ] Company mobile [ ] Headset Working from home from week: [ ] Approved by: [manager], [date]
The question “Like whom?” saves a lot of time, but it is a trap if the colleague you copy has collected too many permissions over the years. Check the list briefly before you copy it.
Starting from home
If the person does not come to the office on the first day, everything moves forward. The device has to be shipped beforehand, the password sent beforehand and two-factor authentication set up on a video call. Plan a fixed appointment for the first sign-in, ideally on the morning of the first day, and include IT’s phone number on paper with the device.
Interns, temporary staff and external workers
For short assignments, the same list applies, with two differences: the account gets an expiry date, and permissions are kept as narrow as possible. Enter the end date when you create the account, so you do not have to remember it when the person leaves.
Support the first week
After five days, the questions turn up that nobody thought of on the first day: a missing folder, an application that only the predecessor knew, a printer at another site. A short call at the end of the first week catches this before it turns into frustration. Note what was missing and add it to your checklist. That way it gets better with every new starter.
Also ask whether the person knows where to report problems and where the guides are. Someone who learns that in week one does not call in week ten.
Share the list with HR
The best checklist does not help if IT is the last to hear about a new starter. Give HR a short version: what details IT needs and by when. Ideally this is a fixed form that lands with IT automatically. Then a new starter is no longer something shouted across the office, but a process with a date.
Turn the list into a reusable template
A paper checklist gets lost with every new starter. It is better to have a template that turns into a list with tick boxes for each new starter, which everyone on the team can see. In 404desk, that is the “New starter” request: you make it available to HR and, if needed, set up approval through a link in the email. IT receives a ticket with a task list. See requests and approvals.
Frequently asked questions
How early should IT hear about a new starter?
At least two weeks beforehand, or closer to four if a device has to be ordered. Agree this with HR as a fixed rule.
How should we send the initial password?
Not in plain text by email. Better in person, by text message separately from the username, or as a one-time link. You will find more in the guide Share passwords securely.
Who is responsible for access rights?
The manager says what the person needs, and IT sets it up. Get this in writing, ideally as a request with approval.
What if we hear too late?
Then prioritise: the account, two-factor authentication and a working device on the first day, and everything else in the first week. Afterwards, talk to HR about a fixed lead time.
Do temporary staff need their own accounts?
Yes, with no shared accounts. Give them an expiry date and as few permissions as possible.
What belongs in the first-day introduction?
Sign-in, two-factor authentication, the printer, Teams and Outlook, and where to report problems. The person will learn everything else better in the first week, when the questions are real.
Further reading
- IT offboarding checklist: close every access routeA practical employee offboarding checklist covering accounts, sessions, mailboxes, third-party services, device returns and handover forms.
- Requests and approvalsOnboarding, offboarding, hardware and access request templates with IT checklists. Managers approve through an email link without an account.
- IT equipment handover form: what to recordA copyable laptop and phone handover template, with advice on accessories, condition, signatures, returns and storing records in your asset inventory.