So, you need to get new people up and running with Koala. Maybe your team’s growing fast, or maybe someone finally convinced the boss to stop tracking projects in spreadsheets. Whatever the reason, onboarding isn’t just about handing over a login and hoping for the best. If you want new folks to actually use Koala—and not just click around confused for two weeks—there’s a better way.
This guide is for team leads, project managers, and anyone who wants new team members to actually stick the landing in Koala, not just limp through it. Here’s how to make onboarding fast, painless, and (mostly) foolproof.
Step 1: Know What Matters in Koala (and Skip the Noise)
Before you start, let’s get real: most tools have way more features than you’ll ever need, and Koala is no exception. There’s no need to walk people through every button. Instead, focus on:
- Core workflows: What must people do in Koala to do their jobs? That’s your onboarding list.
- Team conventions: Are you using tags a certain way? Naming projects with a specific format? Write these down.
- Pitfalls: Where do people usually get stuck? (Think: notification overload, duplicate tasks, or lost files.)
Ignore: Advanced features nobody uses, settings your IT team controls, or integrations you haven’t even tried.
Pro tip: Ask a recent hire what confused them most. Fix that in your onboarding.
Step 2: Prep Before Day One
A little groundwork saves a lot of headaches. Here’s what to do before your new teammate logs in:
- Create their Koala account ahead of time. Double-check permissions—too much access is risky, too little is frustrating.
- Add them to the right teams or projects so they’re not staring at an empty dashboard.
- Share a “How We Use Koala” doc. Keep it short—a one-pager with the basics, team conventions, and who to ask for help.
- Line up a real project or task they can practice on. Theory is useless without something to actually do.
Don’t: Dump a 30-page PDF on them or expect them to read the full Koala manual. Nobody does.
Step 3: Give a Focused, Practical Walkthrough
The first walkthrough is where most onboarding goes off the rails. Here’s how to keep it useful:
- Keep it short. 30 minutes, tops. Anything longer and their eyes glaze over.
- Do, don’t demo. Share your screen and actually set up a task or project together. Or better: let them drive, you narrate.
- Highlight the “what” and “why.” “Here’s how we assign tasks, and here’s why we do it this way.”
- Point out the gotchas. “Notifications default to ‘all,’ so turn down what you don’t want to see.”
- Show where to get help. Is there a team wiki? A Koala support chat? Make it obvious.
Skip: Explaining every menu item. Most people learn by doing, not by listening.
Step 4: Set Clear Expectations and Check In
New people want to know what “good” looks like. Don’t make them guess.
- Spell out what they’re expected to do in Koala. (e.g., “Check in tasks daily,” “Leave updates by Friday,” etc.)
- Explain how the team uses Koala. Are you strict about deadlines? Do you use comments or Slack for updates?
- Schedule a quick check-in after their first week. Five minutes to answer questions is worth a lot more than you think.
Caution: Don’t assume silence means they’re fine. Most people won’t speak up if they’re lost—they’ll just fudge it.
Step 5: Make Feedback Easy (and Actually Use It)
No onboarding process is perfect, and Koala will trip people up in ways you didn’t expect.
- Ask for feedback after a week or two. “What was confusing? What could’ve been easier?”
- Fix what you can. If people keep missing an important step, change your process or documentation.
- Share new tips with the whole team. Someone found a shortcut? Let everyone know.
Don’t: Treat onboarding as “set it and forget it.” The best teams tweak their process as they go.
Step 6: Avoid Common Koala Pitfalls
You want to set people up for success, not trip them up. Watch out for:
- Notification overload: Koala’s default settings can drown people in updates. Help new folks set up sane notifications.
- Too many or too few permissions: Make sure people can access what they need—but not everything.
- Unclear naming conventions: If you don’t standardize project or task names, things get messy fast.
- Docs that only make sense to veterans: Rewrite onboarding docs using plain English and real examples.
Pro tip: Have someone outside your team try your onboarding process and see where they get stuck.
Step 7: Automate the Boring Stuff
If you’re onboarding more than a couple people a year, automate what you can:
- Template your welcome doc. Have a reusable Google Doc or Notion page for “How We Use Koala.”
- Create project or task templates in Koala. Saves new folks from reinventing the wheel.
- Use onboarding checklists. Even a simple Trello card with a few steps beats nothing.
But: Don’t go overboard with automation. Human help still matters, especially when people are new.
Step 8: Keep It Real—Don’t Overpromise
It’s tempting to pitch Koala as the answer to all your problems. Don’t do it.
- Be honest about what Koala does well (centralizing tasks, keeping projects organized).
- Admit what it doesn’t (it won’t fix bad communication, or magically make people care about deadlines).
- Set realistic goals for getting up to speed. Most folks aren’t power users on day one—and that’s fine.
Remember: The goal is effective onboarding, not perfect onboarding. If people know how to do their job in Koala by week two, you’ve won.
Quick Reference: The Onboarding Checklist
Here’s a sample checklist you can adapt for your team:
- [ ] Account created and permissions set
- [ ] Added to all relevant projects/teams
- [ ] Welcome doc shared
- [ ] First walkthrough scheduled (and done)
- [ ] Real task assigned for hands-on practice
- [ ] Notification settings reviewed
- [ ] Naming conventions explained
- [ ] One-week check-in scheduled
- [ ] Feedback gathered and acted on
Wrapping Up
Getting new team members rolling in Koala doesn’t have to be a slog. Cut the fluff, focus on what actually matters, and keep tweaking your process as you go. The goal isn’t to create the world’s most comprehensive manual—it’s to help real people do real work, with as little friction as possible. Start simple, fix what’s broken, and you’ll get better every time.