Team Onboarding

Welcome to TRAFOLO! We build simulation software for designing magnetic components and electric motors — so engineers catch design errors before anyone builds a physical prototype. This page is your starting point as a new joiner: how we work, the tools, money & expenses, and what to do in your first week.

Why this is worth your time

We want you to succeed — and we're set up so you can. TRAFOLO works with partners in big tech, so good work here gets noticed. Treat this as a chance to show what you can do.

Build a strong track record and doors open: an intro to our partners, a path into prestigious companies, or growing with us as partners.
The worst outcome isn't a hard problem you didn't crack — it's getting stuck in low-productivity, "bullshit-job" work. We'd much rather you take real swings.

How we work

Few rules. We hire people we trust to use judgment, so the whole policy is basically one line: act in TRAFOLO's best interest. The rest is just that, spelled out:

Act in the company's interest. The rule behind all the others — for spending, time, and priorities. Unsure? Do what's best for the company, not what's easiest or what just pleases your boss.
Do first, ask later. Take initiative. Run small tests, build the quick version — if it's reversible, just go. Don't wait for permission.
Remove obstacles yourself; ask if stuck. Clear the small stuff on your own. Genuinely stuck? Ask fast — don't sit blocked for days.
Bring solutions, not just problems. Hit a problem? Come with a proposed fix and your reasoning — always problem → proposed solution → why. Think in the company's context; don't wait for someone to tell you what to do.
Be candid. Direct feedback both ways, bad news early. No politics, no hype.
Prefer the 5-minute solution. Many problems have a 5-minute fix and a 5-year fix — take the first. Don't vanish down rabbit holes; done beats perfect.
Build what customers will pay for. We're not a university or a big corp — if nobody will pay for it, we don't do it. We have a few years to grow big or die, so speed matters.
Own it end to end — including writing down what you did and why, so others can build on it.

Documentation discipline

Write things down as you go — online, where others can see them.

Everything online, nothing local. Notes go in Confluence; anything tied to work — tasks, files, build photos — goes through the Telegram bot (our system of record). No files sitting on your laptop that nobody can review.
Write while you work, not after. A rough note today beats a polished report next week — seniors can only help if they see it early.
Always say why, and who decided. Changed a design or a setting? Record the reason and who made the call. "Someone said so" is not a reason.
Change one thing at a time — otherwise you can't tell what caused the result.
Capture the non-obvious. If something took you an hour to work out, write it down so the next person doesn't repeat it.

Tools & accounts (set up on day 1)

Tool	Used for	Note
Email (@trafolo.eu)	Your identity for everything	Get it from Juris
Confluence	Documentation + this handbook	You're already here
Telegram bot	System of record for work	Tasks, deadlines, status, blockers, decisions, files & questions worth keeping — tracked & searchable
WhatsApp	Human + real-time	"Free for a call?", urgent pings, personal/HR, rapport — ephemeral, not logged

Where things go: what to do / by when / where it stands → the Telegram bot. A quick human ping or a call → WhatsApp.

Money: purchasing & expenses

Small items (up to €20): pay yourself — we reimburse monthly.
Bigger items (office): send the link to Juris and he'll order it.
Bigger items (hardware / maker): speed matters, and nobody beats the speed of just going to Depo. You'll be given:
a Depo customer card — it carries our company credentials, so you can write out a Pavadzīme (company invoice) right at the store;
a Wise card — that's our payment card.
Paying with the Wise card anywhere other than the Depo customer card: ask the shop to put our company info on the invoice/bill (give the VAT number if they ask).
Always send invoices and receipts to Juris for accounting.
Use your own judgment — buy what's best for the company.

Your first week

[ ] Accounts working: email, Confluence, Telegram bot, WhatsApp
[ ] Read "How we work" + documentation discipline above
[ ] Read How Startups Compete — how we compete with bigger players like Ansys, especially in niche industries
[ ] Meet your buddy and get your first task (it lives in the Telegram bot)
[ ] Log daily progress through the Telegram bot — including photos of what you build, so it's tracked and reviewed
[ ] Get set up to pay: Wise card + Depo customer card, and the invoices-to-Juris rule
[ ] Pick up your role-specific plan (e.g. Prototype & Digital Fabrication Engineer — ask Venkatesh)