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How to Ramp Up Fast

Whether you're joining a new team, learning a new codebase, or picking up a new framework, speed matters. Every week you spend ramping up is a week you're not delivering value.

This guide focuses on one thing: getting you productive as fast as possible.

The Core Principle​

Focus on making your first meaningful contribution, not understanding everything.

Most developers make the mistake of trying to understand the whole system before contributing. This is backwards. Ship first, understand later.

Speed Techniques​

1. Find the Critical Path​

Every system has a "critical path"—the 20% of code that handles 80% of functionality.

How to find it:

  • Ask: "What are the 3 most important features?"
  • Look at: Which files are modified most often? (git log --oneline | head -50)
  • Trace: One user action from start to finish

Focus all your energy here first.

2. Ask Questions Immediately​

The #1 thing that slows developers down: working in silence when stuck.

New rule: If you're stuck for more than 30 minutes, ask for help.

Traditional help-seeking is slow because:

  • Senior engineers are busy
  • You feel like you're interrupting
  • Scheduling is hard

Ramp solves this:

ramp voice
> "How does the payment flow work?"
# Get instant answers with code context

3. Time-Box Learning​

Don't fall into research rabbit holes.

TaskTime Limit
Understanding a new file15 minutes
Researching a library30 minutes
Debugging an issue45 minutes

When the timer ends, either you've figured it out or you ask for help.

4. Work on Real Tasks from Day 1​

Tutorials and documentation are useful, but nothing beats working on real code.

Request a small task on Day 1. Even if it's just fixing a typo in a comment.

Why this works:

  • You learn the contribution workflow immediately
  • You see real patterns, not sanitized examples
  • You build confidence through shipping

5. Create a Personal Knowledge Base​

As you learn, document:

  • Commands you'll forget
  • Architecture decisions
  • Who knows what
  • Common error messages and fixes

This compounds over time. By month 3, you have a searchable reference.

6. Pair with Fast Learners​

Not all mentors are equal. Find someone who:

  • Joined recently (they remember what's confusing)
  • Learns quickly (they can teach speed techniques)
  • Ships often (they know the critical paths)

Ask them: "Can I shadow you for an hour while you work?"

7. Run Code Before Reading It​

When encountering new code:

  1. Run it — See what it does
  2. Modify it — Change something and see what breaks
  3. Then read it — Now the code makes sense

This is 3x faster than reading first.

8. Use AI Assistance​

Modern AI tools dramatically accelerate ramp-up:

TaskTraditionalWith AI
Finding where X is implemented20 min30 sec
Understanding a function15 min2 min
Learning a pattern30 min5 min
# Ramp example
ramp ask "Where is user authentication handled?"
ramp ask "How does the caching layer work?"
ramp ask "What's the pattern for adding a new API endpoint?"

9. Learn the Hot Keys​

Your IDE is your primary tool. Learn it well.

Essential shortcuts:

  • Global search (files)
  • Global search (content)
  • Go to definition
  • Find all references
  • Navigate back/forward

Master these and you'll navigate 3x faster.

10. Set Aggressive Goals​

External deadlines create focus.

Tell your manager: "I want to ship my first meaningful feature by end of week 2."

Now you have a forcing function. You'll focus on what matters and skip what doesn't.

The Fast Ramp-Up Checklist​

Week 1​

  • App running locally
  • First commit merged
  • 3 small tasks completed
  • 1:1s scheduled with key team members
  • Core architecture mapped at high level

Week 2​

  • First feature shipped
  • One core system understood deeply
  • Contributing to code reviews
  • Personal knowledge base started

Week 3​

  • Working independently on medium tasks
  • Can estimate work accurately
  • Know who to ask for what
  • Contributed to a technical discussion

Week 4​

  • Shipping features consistently
  • Helping onboard newer team members
  • Proposing improvements
  • Considered "ramped up" by the team

How Ramp Enables Fast Onboarding​

Ramp was built specifically for speed:

  • Voice mode — Ask questions naturally, get instant answers
  • Context-aware — Understands your specific codebase
  • 24/7 available — No waiting for senior engineers
  • No social friction — Ask "dumb" questions without judgment
npm install -g @anthropic/ramp
ramp init
ramp voice  # Start asking questions

Ready to ramp up faster? Try Ramp free →