These days, having a solid steel detailer onboarding guide isn’t just helpful — it’s essential. With experienced pros retiring and a new wave of detailers stepping in, many companies are struggling to train people who are great on paper but lack hands-on experience. That gap can lead to costly mistakes, delays, and inconsistent drawings. To stay competitive, you need a solid onboarding process that gets new hires up to speed — not just with software, but with real project workflows.
This guide outlines practical steps to help you create an effective steel detailer onboarding and upskilling strategy tailored to your detailing team.
Why Onboarding Systems Are Vital in Steel Detailing
The generational shift in the workforce is reshaping the steel detailing industry. Veteran detailers, often with 30 or more years of experience, are retiring in droves, taking with them invaluable institutional knowledge. Meanwhile, their replacements—recent graduates—are stepping into complex roles with limited practical experience. This gap underscores the importance of onboarding systems.
An effective onboarding system helps new hires quickly align with company practices and industry standards, accelerating their productivity and reducing the time it takes for them to contribute meaningfully. By providing clear guidelines and structured training, these systems also ensure fewer mistakes in shop and erection drawings, which are critical for project success. Companies risk operational inefficiencies, missed deadlines, and reduced competitiveness without such systems.
Preserving Expertise Through Learning Manuals
When seasoned steel detailers retire, their knowledge and insights can vanish unless properly documented. A learning manual acts as a vital repository, preserving critical information for onboarding and continuous learning. A well-constructed learning manual for steel detailing should include:
• Industry Standards
Detailed explanations and commentary of AISC standards, AWS guidelines, and other “regulatory frameworks” that govern the steel detailing industry. (Refer to the AISC Detailing Manual for current industry standards.)
• Software Tutorials
Comprehensive guides on using software like Tekla Structures, AutoCAD, SDS/2, and others.
• Workflow Processes
Clear step-by-step instructions for creating shop and erection drawings, coordinating with fabricators and contractors, and ensuring quality control.
• Common Mistakes and Solutions
Real-world examples of errors and the steps taken to correct them, offering a practical learning resource for new hires.
Such manuals provide consistency, enabling even inexperienced detailers to achieve high levels of accuracy and efficiency.
Steps to Create a steel detailer onboarding guide
Step 1: Audit Existing Steel Detailing Knowledge
Talk to Your Best Detailers
Every team has its go-to pros — the ones who always find the smartest way to solve a problem or model a tricky connection. Sit down with them. Ask how they approach drawings, what tricks they use, and what habits help them stay efficient.
These conversations are gold. Turn their insights into practical guides and tips that others can actually use — not just theory, but what really works on the job.
Identify Knowledge Gaps
Talk to your team — especially newer detailers — and look at where errors happen most often or what tasks tend to take the longest. Performance review sessions or informal check-ins can reveal patterns, including common problem areas, challenging modeling situations, or areas of confusion, such as connection detailing or interpreting structural steel drawings.
Use this feedback to create focused guides and training content that tackle those pain points directly — helping both new and experienced detailers level up where it matters most.
Step 2: Build a Central Knowledge Base for Detailers
Build a Living Knowledge Base
Create a single, accessible space where all detailers—new and experienced—can find the information they need. Tools like Notion, Confluence, or Google Drive work great for this. Use them to store guides, standards, tips, and lessons learned along the way.
Think of it as a shared brain: something that grows and evolves as your team faces new challenges and finds new solutions.
Organize by Topics
Make it easy to navigate. Group content into practical sections, such as connection detailing, code requirements, modeling techniques, or common issues and their solutions. Mix formats — written guides, video tutorials, checklists — whatever helps the knowledge stick and stay accessible.
Step 3: Create Visual Training Materials for Tekla and SDS/2
Make It Visual
People learn best when they see how things work, not just read about them. Create step-by-step manuals with plenty of visuals to walk through key tasks like generating shop drawings or performing clash checks. The goal isn’t to write a 100-page document — it’s to help your team actually understand how to work better.
Use Video to Your Advantage
Recording short video tutorials is one of the fastest, easiest ways to build helpful content. Have experienced detailers walk through real tasks on screen — showing modeling workflows, shortcuts, and best practices. It’s quick to produce and incredibly effective for training.
Include Interactive 3D Models
Sometimes the best way to learn is to explore. Maintain demo models that show how parts come together, how components are set up, and which detailing techniques are used. These models become hands-on training tools your team can refer back to anytime.
Step 4: Structure Onboarding Programs for Steel Detailing
Set Clear Learning Goals
Establish what skills a detailer needs to demonstrate before they start working on live projects. Break the learning path into levels — beginner, intermediate, and advanced — and set realistic timelines. For some, onboarding may take a few weeks; for others, it could take a few months. What matters is clarity: everyone should know what they’re working toward, and what “ready for submittal” looks like.
Assign Mentors
Don’t let new hires figure everything out on their own. Pair them with experienced detailers who can guide them through the tools, workflows, and best practices. A good mentor doesn’t just answer questions — they help build confidence, share lessons learned, and stay available even after the training phase ends.
Step 5: Train Detailers on Tekla, SDS/2, and AutoCAD
Go Beyond the Basics
Software is the main tool of a steel detailer, and how well someone uses it directly affects the quality and speed of their work. Don’t stop at surface-level video courses. Offer structured training that covers the basics, advanced features, and practical problem-solving within platforms like Tekla Structures or SDS/2.
Yes, it takes time. But deep proficiency pays off—detailers work faster, encounter fewer roadblocks, and even begin to develop custom solutions like macros, parametric tools, or low-code automation that benefit the entire team.
Practice with Real Projects
Most training examples are too clean and too easy. Real jobs are messy — with incomplete data, confusing drawings, and unusual connections. Give trainees access to archived projects that reflect real-world complexity. These practice runs help bridge the gap between learning and doing, building confidence in a much more meaningful way.
Step 6: Standardize Steel Detailing Workflows
Establish Clear Guidelines
Consistency matters — both for internal quality and for how clients perceive your work. Create and maintain up-to-date style guides and standard libraries for drawing templates, dimensioning, labeling, and QA checks. Tools like Notion make it easy to document and share both your internal standards and any client-specific requirements.
Ensure Workflow Consistency
Standardizing output is only half the battle. You also need consistency in how projects are run. Develop repeatable workflows that your team can follow across different projects and clients — with built-in flexibility for unique needs. This makes it easier to switch between jobs, onboard new team members, and deliver reliable results every time.
Step 7: Promote Continuous Learning and Cross-Training
Make Learning Part of the Culture
Training shouldn’t stop after onboarding. Steel detailing — like any technical field — keeps evolving. Encourage your team to grow with it. Share insights from daily work, document lessons learned, and stay up to date with industry developments through resources like AISC, NISD, or NASCC.
Regular refresher sessions help keep everyone sharp — whether it’s about software updates, new connection types, or evolving standards.
Encourage Cross-Training
Nothing dulls skills faster than doing the same thing every day. Rotate team members across different types of projects, clients, or even detailing disciplines. This builds a more flexible team and keeps people engaged and growing. Plus, it naturally promotes knowledge sharing and a deeper understanding of the bigger picture.
Step 8: Build a Collaborative Steel Detailing Culture
Facilitate Communication
People do their best work when they’re not working alone. Use team chats, shared channels, and group threads — on Slack, Teams, or similar platforms — to make it easy for detailers to ask questions, share quick tips, or help each other troubleshoot. A strong communication loop keeps knowledge flowing and problems from piling up.
Hold Retrospectives
After every project, take time to reflect. What worked well? What caused delays or confusion? Encourage team leads to run feedback sessions where these insights are captured and discussed. Use what you learn to adjust workflows, fill knowledge gaps, and plan targeted mini-trainings to address recurring challenges.
Step 9: Keep Training Materials and Standards Up to Date
Keep Materials Current
Even the best training materials go stale if they’re not updated. As software evolves, standards shift, and new techniques emerge, your knowledge base needs to keep pace. Make content upkeep a shared responsibility — everyone should feel encouraged to contribute.
At the same time, assign a dedicated person or team to moderate, curate, and maintain consistency. This ensures that your manuals, guides, and training materials stay accurate, helpful, and easy to follow.
Preparing for the Future of Steel Detailing
The steel detailing industry stands at a crossroads, with challenges that demand innovative solutions. Steel detailer onboarding guide is not just tools—it is investments in the future of steel fabrication. By adopting these strategies, companies can bridge the skills gap, retain critical knowledge, and ensure operational excellence. Now is the time to act and build a resilient workforce equipped to meet future demands.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
How long does it take to onboard a new steel detailer?
Onboarding duration varies, but with a structured program, most detailers can begin contributing within 4–12 weeks, depending on complexity and prior experience.
What software should steel detailers be trained on?
Core platforms include Tekla Structures, SDS/2, and sometimes SolidWorks. Training should cover both basic and advanced features.
Why are learning manuals important in steel detailing?
They preserve expert knowledge, reduce onboarding time, and help new hires avoid common errors — leading to better quality drawings and smoother coordination with fabricators.
What is the best way to train steel detailers remotely?
The best way to train steel detailers is honestly just having them in the office. Nothing beats sitting next to someone and showing them things right on the screen. It’s so much faster and easier than setting up calls, sharing screens, or trying to explain something over chat. You can spot mistakes together, answer questions on the spot, and make sure things are clear without all the back-and-forth. Especially when someone’s just starting out, that kind of face-to-face support makes a huge difference.
If you’re looking for reliable support in structural, miscellaneous, or ornamental steel detailing — or guidance on how to onboard new detailers effectively — let’s talk.
Get in touch with ESD Solutions today.
