How To Create a 30-60-90 Day Plan For New Hires [+ Free Templates]

Starting a new job is an exciting time, but it can be overwhelming too. As a new hire, you‘re eager to add value quickly, but also have a steep learning curve ahead. This is where a well-structured 30-60-90 day plan comes in handy! As an experienced technology professional and mentor, I’ve seen these plans boost confidence and set new team members up for success.

In this comprehensive guide, I’ll walk through everything you need to know as a new hire or manager to leverage 30-60-90 day plans to ramp-up effectively.

Here’s what we’ll cover:

What are 30-60-90 day plans and why are they valuable?
When to create a 30-60-90 day plan
How to build an effective 30-60-90 day plan step-by-step
Templates and examples to get started
Integrating plans into your onboarding program
Tips and best practices for optimization
Key takeaways to start strong

Let’s get started!

What Exactly is a 30-60-90 Day Plan?

A 30-60-90 day plan breaks down your major onboarding goals and priorities into milestones for your first 30, 60, and 90 days on the job.

Here’s an example:

First 30 days: Learn processes, systems, build relationships
31 to 60 days: Apply learnings, tackle first project
61 to 90 days: Achieve measurable targets, deliver results

This provides a roadmap focusing your energy on the right activities and skill development in your ramp-up period.

As a technology leader, I’ve found 30-60-90 plans particularly effective for technical roles like software engineering. There are so many complex systems and tools to learn that breaking things into 30 day sprints helps prioritize what to focus on first.

In today’s competitive hiring market, I’m also seeing 30-60-90 day plans assigned as part of the interview process. This lets candidates demonstrate how they’d approach ramping up.

Regardless of when it’s created, a solid 30-60-90 day plan structures the chaos of onboarding into clear goals and milestones.

Why are 30-60-90 Day Plans So Valuable?

30-60-90 day plans offer compelling benefits whether you’re a new hire or a hiring manager:

As a new hire, a 30-60-90 day plan provides:

A structured onboarding ramp-up guide
Clear priorities and expectations
Early relationship building with manager
Milestones to build confidence
Opportunity to demonstrate initiative

In my experience both as a new hire and manager, following a 30-60-90 plan helps you feel in control of your onboarding versus being overwhelmed.

As a manager, developing 30-60-90 day plans offers:

Sets clear ramp-up expectations for role
Focuses energy on priorities aligned to team goals
Structured check-ins and feedback moments
Assessment of capabilities and fit
Tool to guide personalized onboarding

An analysis published in the Harvard Business Review found 30-60-90 day plans could improve new hire retention by 82% versus non-structured onboarding. As a manager, I now lean heavily on these plans to ensure my team integrates successfully.

When Should I Create a 30-60-90 Day Plan?

For new managers, knowing when to require a 30-60-90 day plan can be confusing. Here are my recommendations based on best practices:

For candidates: Ask for a draft plan during interviews to assess their thinking
For new hires: Have a plan finalized by start date to kick off effectively
For transfers: Create a plan at transition to new team or role
For promotions: Build plan when taking on new responsibilities

While the ideal timing is having a plan before day one, they can be created at any point in the first 3 months if not done earlier.

Starting a draft plan during the interview process has been tremendously beneficial in my experience. I get insights into the candidate‘s approach and priorities for ramping up. It also demonstrates initiative and preparedness.

Step-By-Step Guide to Build a Rock-Solid 30-60-90 Day Plan

While every role and hiring situation is unique, I recommend this step-by-step process for crafting effective 30-60-90 day plans:

Step 1: Define Overall Onboarding Goals

First, identify 2-3 major goals and priorities for your entire 90 day onboarding ramp-up.

For example:

Effectively learn our team‘s core technologies and systems
Build relationships with key stakeholders
Drive high-impact project to completion

Keep it focused – resist listing every possible activity.

Step 2: Break Down Goals into 30/60/90 Day Milestones

Next, segment your major goals into smaller milestones for each 30 day period:

30 Days:

Complete core technology training
Shadow team members
Build rapport with manager

60 Days:

Take over portion of existing work
Lead planning for high-impact project

90 Days:

Execute and complete high-impact project
Create self-service documentation

Timeframes help prioritize activities.

Step 3: Define Tasks and Deadlines

Now break down each 30/60/90 day milestone into actionable tasks and set deadlines.

For example:

30 Days:

Complete AWS training course by August 15th
Shadow support calls 3x/week in August
Schedule 1:1s with manager bi-weekly

60 Days:

Take over backend tickets by September 30th
Gather requirements for new client portal by September 15th

Setting deadlines drives urgency and accountability.

Step 4: Determine Resources and Support Needed

What resources or help from your manager do you need to achieve the plan? Common needs:

Technical training programs
Mentorship from experienced team members
Access to knowledge repositories
Accounts and access to all systems

Step 5: Define How Progress Will Be Tracked and Communicated

How will achievements and learnings be communicated?

Schedule 30/60/90 day check-ins with manager
Create weekly meeting to review status
Document tool to track progress

Step 6: Align Plan with Company and Team Objectives

Review how your plan maps back to broader company and team goals. This ensures you focus on the highest priorities and business impact.

Step 7: Be Flexible and Adjust as Needed

Don‘t be rigid – expect that elements of the plan may need to shift based on learnings. Be agile in response while maintaining the 30/60/90 day structure.

Following this approach will result in an action-oriented 30-60-90 day plan tailored to your new role.

Examples and Templates for Effective 30-60-90 Day Plans

To make visualizing this easier, here are two sample 30-60-90 day plan templates along with realistic examples:

Software Engineering 30-60-90 Day Plan Template

Example Software Engineering 30-60-90 Day Goals:

30 Days: Complete core Java training, shadow senior engineers, learn systems.
60 Days: Maintain existing backends, begin developing new customer portal.
90 Days: Launch customer portal MVP, create documentation.

Digital Marketing 30-60-90 Day Plan Template

Example Digital Marketing 30-60-90 Day Goals:

30 Days: Audit existing campaigns, build cross-channel tracking, analyze data.
60 Days: Develop targeted campaign strategy and content framework.
90 Days: Execute high-impact campaigns, report on KPIs and optimization.

These templates demonstrate how the framework stays consistent while the goals customize to the role.

No need to start from scratch – leverage these templates as a model for building your own 30-60-90 day plans.

Helpful Tools for Developing 30-60-90 Plans

While 30-60-90 plans can be created as simple Word or Google documents, I recommend using more robust collaborative tools:

Notion: Visual database for tasks, notes, and tracking. Generous free tier.
Confluence: Popular wiki software with timeline views. Free tier available.
ClickUp: Project management with 30-60-90 templates. Free forever plan.
Airtable: User-friendly relational database builder. Free tier.
Workboard: Enterprise OKR planning with onboarding templates. Free trials.

I’m currently using Notion across my teams and find it‘s the perfect blend of usability, templates, and flexibility for managing 30-60-90 day goals.

Integrating Your 30-60-90 Plan With Onboarding Programs

Don’t think of your 30-60-90 day plan in isolation. To maximize effectiveness, integrate it into the broader new hire onboarding program and resources.

Here are some examples of integration:

Coordinate training: Align technical or domain training programs with skills outlined in the 30-60-90 plan.
Leverage onboarding checklists: Link key tasks like getting access, equipment, introductions to 30-60-90 plan actions.
Map 30/60/90 reviews into formal feedback processes: Schedule check-ins to coincide with 30/60/90 milestones.
Assign mentorships: Pair new hires with a mentor who can provide guidance on executing the plan.
Incorporate team building: Bring the team together through activities like lunches or events to connect.

View your 30-60-90 plan as the roadmap and onboarding program as the vehicle to get you up to speed.

Best Practices for Managing 30-60-90 Day Plans

Here are my recommended best practices for oversight of 30-60-90 day plans as a manager:

Customize plans for each individual: Tailor plans based on backgrounds, strengths, interests for personalization. One size does not fit all.
Set measurable goals: Quantify targets to clarify success – e.g. complete AWS certification, resolve 15 support tickets.
Check-in frequently: Don‘t just set it and forget it! Have 30/60/90 day reviews.
Be agile: Adjust plans when elements aren‘t working or new priorities emerge. The plan is a living document.
Provide adequate resources and support: Give access to systems, mentors, training resources required to execute on plan.
Communicate plans to the broader team: Increase likelihood of success through alignment.
Recognize achievements: Celebrate 30/60/90 day successes! They are major milestones.

With some oversight and engagement, the plan becomes more than just a paper exercise, driving real onboarding, development and alignment outcomes.

Key Takeaways on Developing Effective 30-60-90 Day Plans

Here are some core recommendations I have for new hires and managers around 30-60-90 day plans:

For new hires:

View the 30-60-90 plan as your ramp-up roadmap
Come prepared with a draft plan for interviews
Build relationships with managers and teammates
Seek guidance from mentors if needed

For managers:

Set clear onboarding goals and milestones
Integrate plans into broader onboarding
Provide adequate resources and support
Give frequent feedback and recognition
Customize plans and be flexible

Following these tips will ensure your 30-60-90 day plans become dynamic tools that facilitate structured, encouraging, and personalized onboarding experiences.

The first 90 days don‘t need to be overwhelming. With clear goals, priorities, support and a little structure, anyone can accelerate through the onboarding learning curve successfully.

Now that you have best practices and templates, you‘re equipped to start developing plans for your teams. I welcome any feedback or insights from your experience leveraging 30-60-90 day plans. Feel free to connect with me in the comments!