Most of us use a daily agenda and short and long-term planning for specific purposes, such as attending an event, taking a vacation, or renovating a house. However, our planning abilities are used sporadically, indulgently, and with plenty of freedom to change our minds. Nevertheless, there are moments in everyone’s life when a strict and well-structured plan is in order. And the most frequent one is when we are asked to do a 30-60-90-day plan.
A 30-60-90-day plan is a document that includes your planning for the first three months on a new job. You may be asked to do a 30-60-90-day plan for the trial period or before getting hired as proof of your intentions and planning skills.
A 30-60-90-day plan is a 3-part plan, each part focusing on a period of 30 days. The document lists your goals and objectives, actions and tasks, priorities, and dependencies. You should also include metrics and measurable variables as a way to measure your performance after the three months.
A good 30-60-90-day plan isn’t just for impressing your future employer. It is a guideline that helps you achieve your goals, stay on top of the situation, meet deadlines, and boost your morale and motivation. The 30-60-90-day plan keeps you engaged and dynamic, allowing you to focus on important actions and tasks, smoothen the integration process, and become a valuable team member in just three months.
It is also your way to prove your worth to colleagues and managers, show your strong skills, and improve your productivity in a new workplace.
A 30-60-90-day plan is a well-organized and easy-to-adjust document. Divided into three parts (the first 30 days- first month, days 31 to 60 – second month, and days 61 to 90 – third month), the document should include the following elements:
Because you want to prove trustworthy and efficient, you should have completed your 30-60-90-day plan at the end of the three months. So, keep it simple and on topic, focus on a broad perspective rather than on details, and try to include all aspects of your new job. For example, don’t include only professional goals and activities. You will also need to put time and effort into personal achievements, peer communication, and establishing good work relationships.
Another tip for writing a successful 30-60-90-day plan is to ask everything you need to know. You can’t set realistic goals and metrics if you don’t know what is expected from you. So, ask directly what you are supposed to accomplish in three months. The onboarding process is different for each company, and so are their expectations.
Also, take time to discuss with your colleagues and managers before writing the 30-60-90-day plan. They may share valuable insights about how much effort each task requires, internal HR procedures, and available tools. For example, it will be much faster and easier to catch up with HR documentation if you benefit from dedicated HR software, employee self-service, shared depositories, and quick access to work-related documents. But if you have to wait for someone to provide you with the documents you’re supposed to read, the plan should reflect the reality.
Nonetheless, your 30-60-90-day plan should be flexible. Remember, you are in a new workplace, surrounded by people you don’t know and following procedures you are not familiar with. Use SMART objectives and planning techniques but leave some room for annotations, mistakes, and delays. You can only control as much, so be prepared to take in reality and adapt fast.
In the lines below, we will provide four examples of 30-60-90-day plans for new employees, team managers, HR managers, and executives. We believe these details will provide you with the overall aspects to follow so that your new hires get the most from the first 3 months in the business.
A 30-60-90-day action plan for new employees guides their role for first 90 days on the job, with the key tasks, core objectibes and overall metrics. See our sample below, and personalize it according to your needs.
Employee: [Employee Name]
Manager: [Manager Name]
Job title: [employee position within the company]
Employment date: [date]
Focus points: Onboarding
Tasks:
• Reading employee manual
• Implementing HR processes and connecting to available HR software
• Attending training sessions
• Attending team meetings
• Reading project documentation
• Completing an employee feedback form
Objectives:
• Installing all tools required for good job activity development
• Team integration
• Starting project research
Focus points: Project research
Tasks:
• Reading technical documentation
• Attending project meetings
• Technical training sessions
Objectives:
• Setting up to start working on the project
Focus points: Development
Tasks:
• Discussing future steps with the project manager
• Solving entry-level tasks
Objectives:
• Becoming productive
Metrics:
• Number of solved/started tasks
HR manager's 30-60-90 day plan - comprises an action plan for the first 30 days, then the second and third months of employment. Find the most frequent tasks and objectives for onboarding new HR managers.
Employee: [Employee Name]
Manager: [Manager Name]
Job title: [HR manager]
Employment date: [date]
Focus points: Learning
Tasks:
• Learning the company’s HR procedures
• Implementing HR processes and connecting to available HR software
• Attending team meetings
• Familiarizing with the company’s culture
Objectives:
• Learning the HR processes and procedures of the company
• Understanding the company’s culture and purposes and what is expected from an HR manager
Focus points: Integration
Tasks:
• Subscribing to the company’s HR software
• Attending training sessions
Objectives:
• Becoming a proficient user of the company’s HR tools
Metrics:
• Complete readings
• Software installation and customization
Focus points: Contribution
Tasks:
• Discussing future HR strategies with the HR team
• Identify weak and strong points
• Analyze workforce patterns
Objectives:
• Performing the HR manager role at full capacity
Metrics:
• Preparing a draft for an HR strategy sent for approval
• Scheduling a meeting to present ideas and improvement solutions
A new manager's 30-60-90-day plan assists in identifying the most significant obstacles and setting goals. It is a resource, a guide, and a checklist for the first, second, and third months of service.
Employee: [Employee Name]
Manager: [Manager Name]
Job title: [ [team/department] manager]
Employment date: [date]
Focus points: Onboarding
Tasks:
• Getting to know the team
• Scheduling and attending team meetings
• Familiarizing with the team’s projects
Objectives:
• Becoming part of the team
• Gathering the knowledge required to lead the team
Focus points: Contributing
Tasks:
• Analyzing ongoing projects and project plans
• Attending project meetings
• Start making decisions
Objectives:
• Becoming a decision maker
Metrics:
• Complete readings
• Write project feedback documents
Focus points: Initiating
Tasks:
• Identify weak and strong points for each ongoing project and find short-term and long-term strategies to overcome problems
• Analyze team patterns and improve teamwork
• Propose new projects
Objectives:
• Performing the manager role at full capacity
Metrics:
• Schedule meetings to present ideas and improvement solutions
• Generate project tracking and analyzing reports
The executive 30-60-90 day plan aims to make the executive's onboarding process successful by facilitating a seamless transfer into a new position or organization.
Employee: [Employee Name]
Manager: [Manager Name]
Job title: [executive job description]
Employment date: [date]
Focus points: Onboarding
Tasks:
• Familiarizing with the company’s culture and procedures
• Attending team meetings and meeting the stakeholders
Objectives:
• Getting on board and becoming part of the team
Focus points: Analyzing
Tasks:
• Analyze data and statistics
• Identify short-term and long-term goals
Objectives:
• Understanding the company’s position in the market
• Finding solutions to existing problems or improvement strategies
Metrics:
• Complete data analysis
• Reports
Focus points: Taking action
Tasks:
• Propose new strategies for approval
• Project planning
Objectives:
• Start implementing an improvement strategy
Metrics:
• Project plan
• Meeting with stakeholders to present the project plan
If you want a starting point, download our free 30-60-90-day plan template. It’s easy to use, customizable, and efficient. The template will boost your productivity and save you a lot of trouble.
Conclusion
A template is a good starting point when you have to prove your planning abilities by writing a 30-60-90-day plan. But make sure you personalize it and make it flexible and appropriate for your job position. A good 30-60-90-day plan means nothing if you can’t transform it into reality and don’t receive good feedback after three months. Focus on your priorities and emphasize your skills in every aspect of your career.
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