Engineering onboarding documentation overhaul

This case study documents an internal project at CoreWeave where some deliverables cannot be publicly shared. The case study presents the challenge, approach, and impact of the initiative. Artifacts included are either anonymized examples or sanitized mockups that preserve confidentiality while demonstrating the scope and structure of the work.

Abstract

Role: Project lead
Company: CoreWeave
Timeline: Q3 2025 (4-week execution)

Challenge

Engineering is CoreWeave's largest organization and operational core, bringing on 10 to 20 new hires weekly. The onboarding documentation hadn't kept pace with either the company's growth or platform changes. Content was fragmented across multiple platforms, technical details were outdated, and while an initial update had been drafted, it required significant rework to ensure accuracy and quality.

Rather than rush incomplete documentation to publication, I proposed a strategic four-week overhaul: audit existing content, bridge critical gaps, and rebuild the documentation to match Engineering's actual workflows. Working independently, I delivered all milestones on schedule, creating an accurate, cohesive onboarding experience that reduced support questions and accelerated engineers' time to first commit.

Approach

I took ownership of the entire project lifecycle, from strategic planning through execution:

Assessed and replanned: Evaluated the existing draft, identified gaps, and proposed an extended timeline that balanced urgency with quality
Designed the structure: Created Lucidchart diagrams mapping the onboarding journey and documentation architecture
Built project framework: Developed project proposal with milestone checkpoints for weekly leadership reviews, then created granular Jira epics and tickets to ensure transparency and timeline accountability
Reorganized content: Unified fragmented documentation across multiple repositories, restructuring navigation and information hierarchy to eliminate confusion and create a single, coherent onboarding journey
Rewrote 20+ documents: Covered the full onboarding spectrum from week-one orientation to advanced engineering workflows, including:
- Workstation setup (terminal, VS Code, development environments)
- Local and remote development using OrbStack, VDI, and Coder.com
- GitHub access, credentials, and organization standards
- CI/CD pipelines and deployment standards
Incorporated feedback iteratively: Met with leadership weekly to ensure deliverables aligned with organizational needs while maintaining timeline commitments

Key deliverables

Lucidchart diagrams visualizing onboarding flow and documentation structure
Comprehensive project proposal and implementation plan
Complete Jira epic and ticket structure for tracking and accountability
20+ rewritten or newly created documentation pages spanning:
- Week 1 onboarding tasks and orientation
- Engineering workstation setup across multiple tools
- Development environment configuration (local and remote)
- Engineering standards for GitHub, CI/CD, and deployment
Reorganized information architecture for improved discoverability

Impact

This project showcased my ability to balance speed with quality, lead technical documentation projects independently, and deliver scalable solutions for high-growth engineering organizations.

Enabled seamless onboarding: Documentation supports consistent onboarding for all new engineering hires
Improved quality under pressure: Extended timeline strategically to deliver publication-ready content rather than rushing inadequate documentation
Demonstrated end-to-end ownership: Managed every phase from proposal to implementation, proving capability to lead complex documentation initiatives
Aligned with stakeholder needs: Weekly leadership check-ins ensured deliverables met organizational requirements while staying on schedule