Onboarding is the structured process of preparing a person, supplier, or system user to operate within defined roles, procedures, tools, and expectations. In manufacturing, it commonly refers to bringing new operators, technicians, engineers, quality personnel, or other users into the work environment in a controlled and documented way.
Operational onboarding may include role-specific training, safety and quality orientation, access provisioning, review of standard work, instruction on MES or ERP transactions, and confirmation that required documentation has been completed. In regulated or quality-sensitive environments, onboarding is often connected to training records, competency requirements, work instruction access, and authorization to perform specific tasks.
The term should not be confused with general orientation alone. Orientation is usually an introductory activity, while onboarding is broader and may continue until the person or party can reliably perform the assigned role within the applicable process controls. In IT contexts, onboarding can also mean creating user accounts, assigning permissions, or connecting a new supplier or application to an existing workflow.