Minute one: sign in and look around#
Find three things before touching anything: where your work lives, where settings live, and where help lives. Most products put them in the same three places, and knowing them removes the low-grade anxiety of clicking blind.
Minutes two to four: do one thing end to end#
Pick the smallest version of the job you came here for. Not your biggest dataset, not the workflow with six approvals — the tiny one you can verify by eye.
Fill this in: name the smallest complete action in docs and write the three clicks that perform it. If it takes more than three, that is a product finding worth reporting rather than a documentation problem to write around.
Minute five: look at what you got#
Compare the result against what you expected. Two outcomes, both useful:
- It matches. You now know the shape of the product's output. Move on to Connect your data.
- It does not match. Write the difference down in one sentence before investigating. That sentence is the fastest thing to send to support, and it is usually enough for them to answer without a call.
What to skip for now#
| Skip | Why |
|---|---|
| Inviting the whole team | They will ask questions you cannot answer yet |
| Custom settings and themes | They change how it looks, not whether it works |
| Bulk imports | A failed bulk import is far harder to read than a failed single one |
| Automations and schedules | Automating an unverified result multiplies the mistake |
Before you close the tab#
Write down two things: what surprised you, and what you could not find. Both are worth sending to whoever owns docs internally. First impressions are unrepeatable, and they are gone by tomorrow.
Next steps#
- Connect your data — point the product at your own material.
- Core concepts — the words you just met, defined.
- Troubleshooting — if minute three went wrong.