Onboarding Process

The onboarding process is crucial for integrating new IT team members in the public sector, as it ensures they quickly become productive and feel valued within the organisation.

Effective onboarding helps new employees understand their roles, organisational culture, and specific protocols, which is particularly important in the public sector where compliance and security are essential.

For an IT team, the process should start with a comprehensive orientation that covers the RISA's mission, digital context and evolution in Rwanda, key digital policies, and an overview of the IT infrastructure.

Providing a detailed introduction to the tools, systems, and software they will be using is essential. Pairing new hires with mentors can facilitate smoother integration by offering guidance and support. Regular check-ins and feedback sessions during the first few months can help address any concerns and adjust the onboarding process as needed.

In addition, accessible and actionable documentation on the CDO offices' organisations and common resources can be shared as part of the onboarding process.

Ritualize onboarding sessions with new recruits: for instance, every 3-6 month, organise a one-week program for new recruits to meet with key organisations and stakeholders linked to Rwanda’s digital transformation, get familiar with digital transformation standards, and be integrated into the community.

Five levels of maturity of an onboarding process can be found in the Digital Maturity grid which are:

Levels	Statements
1	No formal onboarding process in place. The new hires are placed into their positions with no prior orientation. They learn as they go along their daily duties
2	Beginning of onboarding process in place, as the new hires are introduced to the colleagues, key contacts for administrative tasks are provided to the hires through a short welcome training (up to 1 day) where key information are provided to them but still without a real comprehensive onboarding process
3	Onboarding process is formalised, a detailed integration plan with clear objectives for the first few weeks and months are in place. Onboarding process is comprehensive with not only the welcome training, but a dedicated seminar for new hires each year (ex. intensive bootcamps to immerse new recruits in the company's culture and values). There is a pairing program (buddy, mentorship, etc.)
4	New hires are met before they start their contracts, they meet the future colleagues in company activities, organising friendly competitions to encourage learning and collaboration from the outset. Metrics and analytics are employed to measure effectiveness and the process is updated regularly based on the metrics measurement and organising regular feedback meetings with new recruits to discuss their progress and adjust the induction program if necessary.
5	Deployment of new technologies in the onboarding process such as: Using VR/AR for simulations and practical training, making it easier to learn specific procedures and tools, Use chatbots to answer new recruits' frequently asked questions and provide information in real time, Use of AI algorithms to personalise the onboarding experience according to recruits' profiles and needs.

Please refer to the onboarding process at RISA for more detailed information.