Learn how we work

You're new to the team and want to understand how you all use Hamster, what your role is, and where you can contribute. This guide gets you oriented and pointed at your first task in week one.

Who this doc is for

You just joined a team that runs on Hamster, and you want to be useful fast without guessing at the conventions. You'll learn the shape of the work — Goals, Briefs, and Plans — and where to go for the version of all this written for your specific role.

Pre-flight checklist

Before you start:

• Your team lead has invited you and shown you the workspace.
• You've met the team and you know your role — engineer, designer, PM, or lead.
• You've skimmed the company Goals or roadmap, so the work has context.

Your first week

A concrete path from "just joined" to "shipping":

1. Watch a three-minute walkthrough of Hamster: how a Goal becomes a Brief becomes a Plan.
2. Read your role-specific doc. If you're an engineer, read Understand what you're building; if you're a PM, read Ship features users love.
3. Ask your lead: "What's the first Brief or task I should focus on?" You're done with onboarding when you have one.

Post-creation next steps

Once you've picked up your first task:

1. Understand how your task connects to the larger Brief or Initiative. Knowing the why makes the work easier.
2. Ask your lead: "What's the success criteria? What does 'done' look like?"
3. Comment in Hamster when you have questions — it's how the team communicates async, and asking is how you learn the conventions.
4. Update your task status as you work, so the team knows where things stand without asking.
5. After you ship, ask your lead: "What did we learn? What's next?"

Feature depth

Two feature docs to read early, then the doc written for your exact role:

• Briefs — the Hamster Brief guide: what a Brief is and how to read one.
• Plans — the Hamster Plan guide: how work gets broken down and assigned.
• Your role-specific persona doc:
  • For founders — set your direction in Hamster.
  • For team leads — run your team through Hamster.
  • For product managers — ship features users love.
  • For engineers — understand what you're building.
  • For designers and researchers — ensure design quality and user validation.

Sample first-week workflow

1. Monday: onboarding; watch the Hamster walkthrough.
2. Tuesday: read your role-specific doc.
3. Wednesday: identify your first task with your lead.
4. Thursday: begin work; ask questions in Hamster comments.
5. Friday: first sync with your lead; understand the next priority.

Common pitfalls

"I don't understand the language — Brief vs. Plan vs. Goal." Your lead can explain, and the role-specific docs above walk through each one in context. A Goal is the outcome, a Brief is the work, a Plan is the task breakdown.

"I don't know if my question is silly." Ask it anyway. Your team wants you productive, and the question you sat on is usually the one three other people had too.