First Impressions Document
This page explains First Impressions Document and its relevance to business operations.
D09 - Onboarding Effectiveness
Definition
A structured document produced by a new operational hire at the end of their 30-day observation period, capturing what's working and should be protected, what appears broken, and what questions remain unanswerable without more time or access.
A new hire's first 30 days contain a level of observational objectivity that disappears permanently once they're embedded in the culture. The First Impressions Document is the mechanism for capturing that objectivity before it's lost and for converting those observations into institutional insight that justifies the observation period.
Indicators
- No new operations hire has ever produced a written document of their early observations at the 30-day mark.
- Your last new hire was making changes by the end of their first two weeks.
- The onboarding for your operations function is defined by activities (shadowing, meetings) but not deliverables.
Quick Win
- If you're new in a role (under 30 days), write down three things working well that should be protected and three things that seem broken.
- That is your First Impressions Document in its first form.
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