# Onboarding guide

How your team goes from the first call to using Sphoton every day, and what we need from you at each step.

Source: https://sphoton.io/onboarding · Updated October 2026

## The short version

- Onboarding takes about six weeks, in seven steps, starting with a 45-minute call.
- You name one champion who decides on your side. We name one onboarding lead.
- We start with a pilot: one repository and the modules your team asks about most.
- Going live is a joint decision, made on agreed criteria.
- For two weeks after go-live, every bug or request gets a response within 24 hours.

## 1. The steps

| Step | What happens | Finishes when | Length |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 00 Discovery call | We learn your system and agree a pilot area. | Beta agreed, kickoff booked | `45 min` |
| 01 Kickoff and setup | Scope, success criteria and owners agreed. Workspace, seats and keys set up. | Pilot team signed in | `Days 1–5` |
| 02 Delivery | Pilot modules mapped and certified. Commander connected. | Pilot ready to test | `Weeks 1–3` |
| 03 Testing and training | Your team tests agreed scenarios. Every seat is trained. | Acceptance signed off | `Week 3–4` |
| 04 Go / no-go call | We check the criteria together. | A written decision | `60 min` |
| 05 Hypercare | Closer support, 24-hour responses. | Exit criteria met | `2 weeks` |
| 06 Onboarded | Standard support and regular reviews. | Value confirmed | `Ongoing` |

Lengths are typical for a team of up to 15 with one repository. Larger teams agree their own timeline at kickoff.

## 2. Who is involved

| Role | Side | Does |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Champion | You | Decides on your side and keeps the team moving. |
| Admin | You | Seats, model keys, environments and access. |
| Certifying engineer | You | Reviews and certifies the pilot modules. |
| Pilot users | You | Test Sphoton and use it in daily work. |
| Onboarding lead | Sphoton | Your main contact: plan, status, go / no-go, reviews. |
| Delivery engineer | Sphoton | Setup, mapping support, Commander, training, hypercare. |

## 3. Discovery call

Book it from [Join the beta](https://sphoton.io/#join) with your name, work email, company and team size, then pick a time. In 45 minutes we cover your system, where knowledge lives today, a short demo, and whether there is a good pilot. Within 24 hours you get a written summary, the beta terms and a kickoff date.

## 4. Kickoff and setup

A 60-minute kickoff agrees the pilot scope, measurable success criteria, owners on both sides, a weekly 30-minute check-in, and the dates for testing, the go / no-go call and hypercare.

### 4.1 What we need from you

- Your champion, admin and certifying engineer, by name.
- Seats for the pilot team.
- Your model keys, added by your admin.
- A place on your infrastructure for Commander.
- Each member's recovery key, stored safely.

## 5. Delivery

We map the pilot modules with you: purpose, data, behaviour, boundaries and impact. Your certifying engineer certifies each one at a revision. Commander is deployed on your infrastructure and reads the map. You get a short written status after every weekly check-in.

## 6. Testing and training

Your pilot users test Sphoton against scenarios agreed in advance. You decide whether each one passes.

| Scenario | Passes when |
| --- | --- |
| Impact of a change | An engineer finds every module a real past change touched. |
| A question for your expert | Recent questions are answered from the map. |
| Staying current | A merge marks the module for review; re-certifying clears it. |
| Agent session | A new agent session starts with the certified conditions. |
| Access | Each seat sees and does only what its role allows. |

Each seat gets a short training session (30 to 45 minutes), recorded for later.

## 7. Go / no-go call

We go live when testing is signed off with no blocking issues, the pilot modules are certified at a current revision, Commander answers from the map, every pilot user can sign in, and recovery keys are stored.

| Decision | Then |
| --- | --- |
| Go | Live the same day; hypercare starts. |
| Go with conditions | Live, with open minor items tracked to a date. |
| No-go | We agree the fixes and a new date, usually within two weeks. |

## 8. Hypercare

Two weeks of closer support straight after go-live, extended if needed. **Every bug or request gets a response within 24 hours.** A response means a person has read it, set its severity and told you what happens next.

| Severity | Meaning | Target |
| --- | --- | --- |
| `S1` | Blocked, or data at risk. | Workaround within 1 business day. |
| `S2` | A main task fails, no workaround. | Fixed within 3 business days. |
| `S3` | Minor fault, workaround available. | Next scheduled release. |
| `Request` | A change or new feature. | Triaged; we tell you where it landed. |

To report: who you are, your seat, what you did, what you expected, what happened, and a screenshot if you can. Hypercare ends after five business days without a blocking issue, once your success criteria are met.

## 9. After onboarding

Standard support starts, with a response within one business day. We meet at 30, 60 and 90 days to review use, widen the rollout and collect your beta feedback.

## 10. Beta terms

| Order of joining | Discount, first 3 months |
| --- | --- |
| 1st firm | `50%` |
| 2nd firm | `40%` |
| 3rd firm | `30%` |
| 4th firm | `20%` |
| 5th firm | `10%` |

Your slot is held from the day the beta is agreed in writing. In return you join the weekly check-ins, testing and the reviews. Questions: [tanmaysinh.gharia@sphoton.io](mailto:tanmaysinh.gharia@sphoton.io).

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