President Trump has blamed “obstruction by Democrats’’ for delays in confirming his senior appointments, saying on Twitter that “it is a disgrace that my full cabinet is still not in place.’’

But the slow pace of filling out Trump’s Cabinet can be attributed in part to decisions made in the early days of the nominee vetting process.

The Trump transition team deviated from the practices of recent Democratic and Republican administrations, according to five people directly involved with the transition process. The Trump team chose to skip a practice of grilling nominees to prepare them and protect the president from potential embarrassment during the confirmation process.

Candidates, for example, were not asked about financial conflicts and past vices — known informally as the “sex, drugs, and rock ‘n’ roll’’ questions.

The rushed approach has led to some of Trump’s nominees — many with immense wealth and complex business interests — being held back by unexpected revelations.

Representative Tom Price of Georgia, just confirmed as secretary of the Health and Human Services Department, placed stock trades that were questioned; Andrew F. Puzder, the labor secretary nominee, hired an undocumented household worker; Representative Mick Mulvaney of South Carolina, the choice for budget director, skipped paying taxes on a nanny; and Steven T. Mnuchin, the Treasury secretary nominee, made major omissions about financial holdings.

“It was game time and they walked up without any uniforms on and with no playbook,’’ Clay Johnson III, who directed George W. Bush’s transition effort in 2000, said about the initial vetting process by Trump’s administration.

Nine of Trump’s nominees who require Senate confirmation have been approved. Eight years ago at this time, 12 of Barack Obama’s appointments had been confirmed, while 15 of Bush’s had been confirmed in 2001.

Throughout his campaign, through the transition, and in the early days of his presidency, Trump has often chosen to ignore protocols. After his election, Trump held court at Trump Tower in Manhattan, meeting with job candidates and celebrating the selection of his Cabinet and White House staff — but before the routine background scrubbing that typically occurs.

In a significant omission, the new administration early on did not ask Cabinet nominees and top White House officials to fill out the “sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll’’ questionnaire that has become a routine part of the nomination process.

In addition to trying to determine potential financial and professional conflicts of interest, the questions concern areas of potential blackmail, past criminal investigations, and whether taxes have been paid for nannies and hired help.

The goal is to have the most serious issues facing a potential candidate figured out well before the FBI conducts background checks and before financial disclosure statements are filed with the Office of Government Ethics.

In recent weeks, the administration has made efforts to catch up. It has hired an ethics compliance team, including four lawyers working for Donald F. McGahn, White House counsel.

And White House ethics officials have begun circulating a new version of the questionnaire. The new form, unlike the previous one used by the Obama administration, asks nominees just one question about conflicts of interest and skips over queries about ties to corporations or investments in properties, according to a copy reviewed by The New York Times. The slimmed-down form focuses mainly on questions of character and potential lawsuits that could arise from sexual and racial harassment claims.

The White House did not respond to e-mails and calls requesting comment.

Despite the vetting issues, few, if any of Trump’s Cabinet nominees are expected to be rejected by the Senate.