Go SME Onboarding Checklist (30/60/90)
Structured ramp for mid/senior hires new to Go.
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Structured ramp for mid/senior hires new to Go.
Use this checklist with a buddy reviewer to turn "learn Go" into dated, verifiable outcomes tied to your repository and CI.
Go version matches CI: Local go version equals the image or go-version in workflows.
Module downloads clean: go mod download and go test ./... pass on laptop.
Secrets and access: Git, cloud staging, observability dashboards, and pager access (if applicable).
Read team standards: Coding standards, ADR index, and Team Onboarding Basics completed.
gofmt and vet habit: Pre-push gofmt -l empty and go vet ./... green.
golangci-lint parity: Local lint matches CI or documented exceptions.
golangci-lint run output attached onceLayout map: Can draw cmd/, internal/, and top three packages without a cheat sheet.
First merged PR: Docs, test, or small bugfix through normal review.
Effective Go spine started: First three blocks from Effective Go Reading Path done with notes.
Pairing session completed: At least one structured session per Pairing & Mob Sessions.
Error handling drill: Explain when your codebase wraps with %w vs %v on one real function.
godoc pass: Ran go doc on two packages hire will touch; filed godoc gap if found.
Table-driven test contributed: Added or extended subtests in a production package.
Race detector used: go test -race ./... run on packages hire modified; failures fixed or filed.
-race enabledContext propagation: Traced context.Context through one handler or RPC; no stored contexts in structs.
Interface at consumer: Identified one interface defined by caller, not producer, in codebase.
Concurrency review: Participated in review touching goroutines, channels, or errgroup.
Feature slice owned: Delivered a small user-visible or API change end-to-end with tests.
Observability touch: Added or fixed one metric, log field, or trace attribute per team norms.
Second buddy rotation: Paired with a different reviewer than month one.
Review culture read: Code Review Culture for Go with one exemplar PR studied.
Module hygiene: Ran go mod tidy; understands MVS and internal proxy if used.
go mod tidy diff or "no change" noteDesign input: Commented on a design doc or RFC with Go-specific trade-offs (performance, API shape, errors).
On-call shadow: Completed shadow shift or incident tabletop for Go services.
pprof or trace: Used pprof or execution trace on a staging issue or load test.
Leveling self-assessment: Compared skills to Leveling Guide; gaps discussed with manager.
Teach one idiom: Led 15-minute brown bag or doc PR explaining one team pattern (errors, testing, layout).
Agent skill awareness: If team uses agent skills, ran one skill-guided review locally.
Dependency PR: Reviewed or authored a go get change with CVE or license check.
govulncheck or policy note90-day retro: Hire and mentor agree: ready for default queue, extended ramp, or role adjustment.
Staff hires may compress 1-12 but should not skip 13-18 unless they demonstrate equivalent merged work elsewhere.
Compress reading and syntax drills, not review culture or -race habits. Keep items 8, 13, 14, and 24 as non-negotiable evidence.
Document the gap in item 2 as N/A with a link to ephemeral environment workflow. Require a green pipeline run on the hire's branch instead.
Yes, but end at item 30 with explicit handoff artifacts: runbooks updated, pairing recordings, and open PRs listed.
Failed items become the next sprint's learning goals, not punitive marks. Pair extra sessions on failed rows before expanding scope.
No. This checklist covers engineering outcomes only. HR tasks sit in parallel tracks.
A short summary naming three rules the hire will apply, or answers to three quiz questions maintained by the team.
After item 18 feature slice merges and item 14 race runs are green - usually between days 45 and 75.
Quarterly or after a Go toolchain bump, linter set change, or onboarding retro with repeated failures on the same row.
They still consume go doc daily. Item 12 stays; library-heavy teams add a stricter godoc PR requirement.
Run a 2-week compressed pass: items 3-8, 11, 18, 22, 24, and 30. Focus on team-specific norms, not language basics.
Stack versions: This page was written for Go 1.26.x (Green Tea GC default, go fix modernizers - verify patch at build), chi (latest - verify at build), gin (latest - verify at build), echo (latest - verify at build), google.golang.org/grpc (latest - verify at build), sigs.k8s.io/controller-runtime (latest - verify at build), kubebuilder (latest - verify at build), tinygo (latest - verify board targets at build), wazero (latest - verify at build), and golangci-lint (latest - verify linter set at build).
Reviewed by Chris St. John·Last updated Jul 16, 2026