Ask HN: How to introduce Claude Code to a team?

I am responsible for a small team of software engineers, including an industry veteran of 30 years, a junior developer on their first job, plus a view mid-level to senior folks. We have been using AI tools like IDE-integrated Copilot suggestions or ChatGPT, and are working with the OpenAI API in our product for assistant experiences, but did not (as a team) use coding agents yet.

I recently got introduced to Claude Code by a friend who quit their job to build a new product entirely on their own, by leveraging Claude to maximum effect. So that was kind of an awakening moment for me: The possible gains of productivity when putting it to good use are pretty incredible. I had been following the space closely, but after my experiments with early Cursor half a year ago, I didn't consider really working with coding agents. The last weeks, I did make massive progress on an OSS pet project of mine that has been stalling for years. So at this point, I realised I'll have to onboard my team at work to Claude Code, and finally improve on development velocity—the one, recurring complaint from the rest of the company.

However, I am wondering how to do this properly: I don't want to loose buy-in from a team with very diverse needs, and risk leaving either seniors frustrated with their job changing completely nor juniors playing with a blackbox they have no chance of understanding, or working with effectively. The more time I spend thinking about it, the more I realise how fundamental development processes change now: From setting up Claude to pre-screen GitHub issues and make a plan before we even start, to addressing all those long-standing but tedious tasks that have been laying around forever, rules for what we can do and how we work have changed entirely.

Now I think I am not the only one who experienced some variation of this story, and I want to know how you introduced your engineers to coding agents? Do you have reading recommendations or tips to get people started? I'm grateful for any advice here.

How do you introduce any tool/change to a team of people?

You get buy in, start having conversations see what AI people have explored. Have they tried claude? Do they prefer other tools? If so why? What are the objections. Actually listen. I’d also showcase what you can do. I love to present what codex has found when debugging something, or a prototype I’ve put together.

If you have the budget pay for subscriptions so they can play around.

Also, you say that development velocity is a big problem, but I would dive into why that is. You may be disappointed when velocity remains the same with AI tools.

I would give them a task and ask them to explore how to do it with Claude Code. Let them explore and learn.

I would start with internal tools, something you want to build fast, but you don't need to deploy or make it public-facing. This will give them time to learn how to collaborate by making AGENTS.md, skills, and MCPs (if required).

Give them a challenge, and then you'll participate in it yourself to prove yourself.