---
name: Onboarding Checklist
description: "Work a new-starter onboarding checklist in Microsoft 365 Copilot: draft artefacts and raise access requests without auto-approving, for leader review."
lastReviewed: 2026-09-30
---

# Onboarding Checklist

> **TL;DR:** This skill works a new starter through the standard onboarding checklist, drafting the welcome email, folder structure and intro meetings and raising access requests, then produces a summary the people-leader reviews before approval.

## How do you run a new-starter onboarding checklist?

The Onboarding Checklist skill works a new starter through six standard checklist items in Microsoft 365 Copilot, drafting the welcome email, folder structure, intro meetings and reading list, and preparing Microsoft Entra access requests, then produces a summary table the people-leader reviews before anything is approved.

The prompt is structured as a Role (onboarding coordinator), an Action (work each checklist item), a Context (the starter's details and required access groups) and an Expectation (a summary table marking what needs manager sign-off). Access is requested but never auto-approved, so the people-leader and IT stay in control of provisioning.

## When should you run this skill?

- "Run onboarding checklist for new starter"
- "Set up the new starter for their start date"
- "Onboard a new employee"

## Inputs required

- Starter name
- Start date
- Role and team
- Reporting manager
- Required system access groups

## How this skill works, step by step

The standard checklist:

1. Propose a personal SharePoint folder structure under the team library.
2. Draft the welcome email from the manager.
3. Draft three intro meeting invitations: manager 1:1, team welcome, IT setup.
4. Prepare access request details (suggested access package and justification) for required system groups (do NOT auto-approve).
5. List the Teams channels the starter should join.
6. Set up their first-week reading list as a one-pager.

Then run the process:

1. Confirm all required inputs are present; ask for any missing.
2. Run each checklist item, marking done when complete or blocked when not.
3. Produce a summary table for the manager listing every action, the outcome, and any items needing manager sign-off.

## Output format

| # | Action | Outcome | Owner | Sign-off needed |
|---|---|---|---|---|

Followed by a brief summary: items completed automatically versus items awaiting manager approval.

## Scope and safety

This skill does NOT:

- Grant access (prepares requests only — IT or manager approves).
- Send emails on the manager's behalf (drafts only).
- Make role or team assignment decisions.

## Licensing and permissions

### Licences and add-ons

| Capability used | Minimum licence |
| --- | --- |
| Grounding Microsoft 365 Copilot responses in the people-leader's work data through Microsoft Graph | Microsoft 365 Copilot (Premium) add-on licence |
| Microsoft Entra entitlement management access packages | Microsoft Entra ID Governance or Microsoft Entra Suite |

Microsoft Learn does not document Microsoft 365 Copilot creating SharePoint folders, meeting invitations or access package requests. Treat every output as a draft or proposal that the people-leader carries out and checks.

### Least-privilege roles

- The new starter's people-leader, who already has access to the team SharePoint library and Teams channels, runs the skill; no additional administrative role is required to draft artefacts.
- Access requests are routed to the existing access-package approvers in Microsoft Entra entitlement management, where each access package policy defines who can request and who approves.

### Microsoft Graph permissions (read-only)

Microsoft does not document which Graph permissions Microsoft 365 Copilot uses for this task. If you build the skill as a custom agent, these are the delegated read-only permissions Learn lists for the data involved:

- `User.Read` — read the signed-in people-leader's profile to personalise drafted artefacts.
- `Sites.Read.All` — locate the team SharePoint library when proposing the new starter's folder structure.
- `Channel.ReadBasic.All` — list the relevant Teams channels the starter should join.
- `EntitlementManagement.Read.All` — discover the Microsoft Entra access packages to request, without granting or approving access.

## Related skills

- [Lifecycle Workflows Joiner Mover Leaver Coverage](/purview/lifecycle-workflows-coverage): run before to check joiner events are automated rather than manual
- [Starter Leaver Access Review](/purview/starter-leaver-access-review): run after to map a named user's access and recommend the onboarding baseline
- [Site Permissions Baseline](/sharepoint/site-permissions-baseline): run after to check site permissions for broad or excessive access
- [What Is an AI Skill?](/cowork/what-is-an-ai-skill): the pillar explainer on what this library's read-only skills are

## Sources

Reviewed 2026-09-30: removed the unsourced RACE label, Claude licence and Fair Work National Employment Standards claims (source could not be opened), aligned licences and Graph permissions with Microsoft Learn, and reworded checklist steps to drafts and proposals.

- [What is entitlement management? (Microsoft Learn)](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/entra/id-governance/entitlement-management-overview)
- [Microsoft Copilot overview (Microsoft Learn)](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/copilot/microsoft-365/microsoft-365-copilot-overview)
- [Microsoft Graph permissions reference (Microsoft Learn)](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/graph/permissions-reference)