Guide for new starters in development (#31)

This was raised in #30 - luckily I was asked to get one of these together a while ago, and have been working on it in the background! But this repo does seem like a natural home for it.

The guide is mostly about getting access to various tools, sharing links to various standards, and encouraging people to get on Slack and come to meetups.

README.md

@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@ This is the temporary home for standards and guidance relating to software devel
   - [Continuous integration](/guides/continuous_integration.md)
   - [Developer workflows](/guides/developer_workflows.md)
   - [Java auto-format with Eclipse](/guides/java_auto_format_eclipse.md)
+  - [New starters](/guides/new_starters.md)
   - [PL/SQL auto-format with TOAD](/guides/plsql_auto_format_toad.md)
   - [SQL Prompt](/guides/version_control_guidance.md)
   - [Style guide for standards](/guides/style_guide_for_standards.md)

guides/README.md

@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ This folder contains various guides to help those working in software developmen
 - [Continuous integration](continuous_integration.md)
 - [Developer workflows](developer_workflows.md)
 - [Java auto-format with Eclipse](java_auto_format_eclipse.md)
+- [New starters](new_starters.md)
 - [PL/SQL auto-format with TOAD](plsql_auto_format_toad.md)
 - [SQL Prompt](sql_prompt_tool.md)
 - [Style guide for standards](style_guide_for_standards.md)

guides/new_starters.md

@@ -0,0 +1,75 @@
+# Guide for new Defra developers
+
+Welcome to Defra! This guide is an overview of tools and resources available to you as a developer, and how to get access to them.
+
+## Developing in government
+
+### Defra development standards
+
+You can find [our software development standards](https://github.com/DEFRA/software-development-standards/) on GitHub (in this very repository!)
+
+### Cross-government standards
+
+The Government Digital Service (GDS) sets standards for government digital services.
+
+You can read these standards here:
+
+- [Service standard](https://www.gov.uk/service-manual/service-standard)
+- [Service manual](https://www.gov.uk/service-manual)
+
+## Meet the community
+
+### Get onto Slack
+
+Digital teams in Defra use Slack to keep in touch. Slack is a messaging app that lets you talk to colleagues in your team, department, or even across government.
+
+[Join the Defra Digital Slack](https://defra-digital.slack.com/)
+
+If you have a Defra email address, you should be able to sign up to this Slack workspace yourself.
+
+You may also want to join the [UK Government Digital Slack](https://ukgovernmentdigital.slack.com/). This has thousands of members from across government, and useful channels about software development and security.
+
+### Come to a developer meetup
+
+Developer community of practice meetups are a chance to meet other developers, share what you’re working on, and find out news and updates about best practice.
+
+Participating in the community of practice is considered part of your core job, so we encourage both permanent and contract devs to come along.
+
+Meetups usually happen in our four hub offices, but developers from any office are welcome to attend.
+
+#### North East meetup
+
+- Meets every other Thursday at 2pm in Foss House, York
+- Organised by John Watson
+- Check the #york-dev-test-cop channel in [defra-digital Slack](https://defra-digital.slack.com/) for updates
+
+#### North West meetup
+
+- Meets every Monday at 1pm in Richard Fairclough House, Warrington
+- Organised by Paul Shaw and Lynne Farrow
+
+#### South West meetup
+
+- Meets every other Monday at 2pm in Temple Quay House, Bristol
+- Organised by Alan Cruikshanks
+- Check the #development channel in [defra-digital Slack](https://defra-digital.slack.com/) for updates
+
+## Tech and tools
+
+What technology you’ll be using depends on the service you work on. Here are some common resources and tools to be aware of, and how to access them.
+
+### Access to Git, VPN, Jenkins and more
+
+Access to GitHub, GitLab, Jenkins and other infrastructure services is managed by the Web Ops team.
+
+We aim to develop in the open on GitHub. However, some repos (especially things like environment config) are privately stored on GitLab.
+
+You will need VPN access to get to GitLab, Jenkins and our development environments.
+
+Contact the Web Ops team or another developer to request access to these services.
+
+### Access to Jira
+
+Many teams use the project management tool Jira to manage their work.
+
+[How to request Jira access](https://github.com/DEFRA/qa-test/wiki/Jira)