Entry Point

🧭 Entry Point: One link to start. Not a collection of URLs—a single page that maps to everything else.

The project equivalent of walking into a restaurant and finding the menu.

An entry point addresses a really simple question: 'what single piece of written information do I need to get started in this project?' Not a quick chat with someone who'll email you documents later. Just one place to start.

Imagine a restaurant with no menu. You ask a server who names a few dishes but not all, tells you to ask someone else who's on break. Others around you are doing the same dance. It sounds absurd—but this is how many projects operate.

In software, this problem was solved long ago: the README file. It's designed empathy—written by someone who remembered being confused and took time to smooth the path for the next person.

What belongs on an entry point

Project purpose: What are we building and why?
Key contacts: Who owns what and how to reach them
Essential links: Repository, task board, documentation
Current priorities: What's happening now
How to contribute: Clear next steps for newcomers

Think menu, not phone book. Curated essentials that orient fast.

Why this matters

Faster onboarding: One tab instead of five, one conversation instead of a scavenger hunt
Reduced cognitive load: No more "where do I even start" paralysis
Shared reality: Everyone works from the same understanding
Invisible time savings: Eliminates the quiet tax of repeated orientation questions

(Pro tip: The first line should be "prefer talking? contact X to walk through this" because the real point isn't the format—it's ensuring someone owns the onboarding experience. Once you're onboarded, it becomes everyone's responsibility to keep improving it because we all remember what it felt like to be lost on day one.)

What this looks like

Code project: The README already does this—extend the concept
Business project: A single Confluence page, Notion doc, or even a well-organized Google Doc
Cross-functional effort: An index page linking to Jira, dashboards, meeting notes, and key decisions

It doesn't need to be fancy. It needs to exist and be maintained.

What I'm asking for

If your project has an entry point: Please send me that one link.

If it doesn't exist yet: Consider creating one. A simple page with the essentials above. Your future teammates (and future self) will thank you.

This isn't about process for process's sake—it's about recognizing that good onboarding is designed, not accidental.

Read the full thinking behind entry points →

This concept emerged from collaborative thinking about making organizations more human-centered. Because good tools should amplify human connection, not replace it.