Creating a 30-60-90 day plan for your first 3 months at work

There’s a lot to take in when you start a new role. Aside from learning how to do your job, there’s so much to remember: passwords, processes, colleagues’ names. If the onboarding period has you feeling overwhelmed, perhaps a 30-60-90 day plan can help smooth your transition. 

The first three months is usually a grace period, or probation period, when you can learn the ropes and feel comfortable with your responsibilities. It’s fair to allow yourself this time to acclimatise and get settled in your role. Creating a 30-60-90 day plan is a great way to set targets and action steps that will get you to the end of probation successfully. 

Keen to learn more? Read on to find out what a 30-60-90 day plan is, the benefits of using this strategy at work, and how to create your own.

• What is a 30-60-90 day plan?
• Benefits of a 30-60-90 day plan at work
• How to create a 30-60-90 day plan template
• Tips for creating a 30-60-90 day plan for managers and employees
• FAQs 

What is a 30-60-90 day plan? 

A 30-60-90 day plan is designed to help you set clear goals that will guide you through the first three months at your new job. Rather than looking at this period as a whole, this plan breaks the first 90 days down into manageable stages. Each stage has its own outcomes and goals, with a clear course of action to keep you on track for success.  

The ultimate aim is to make your onboarding as smooth as possible and help you become efficient in your role during those first months. It’s also to help you align with the company’s mission and vision, so you’re set up for long-term progression. 

Benefits of a 30-60-90 day plan at work

Using a 30-60-90 day plan helps you adapt to your new work environment as quickly as possible. These kinds of plans offer a range of benefits, including:

• Clarity: creating a 30-60-90 day plan helps you define your short and long-term professional goals. This is a great way to provide a clear roadmap for
  success. 
• Faster integration: having a plan can help you settle into the company
  culture and work environment.
• Alignment with company objectives: a clear plan ensures your goals as a new employee are in step with the mission and vision of the company. This helps to create a sense of shared purpose with your colleagues and makes
  you feel like you’re contributing.
• Demonstrates initiative: as a new employee, creating a 30-60-90 day plan shows your initiative and proactive approach to your role, leaving a positive impression on colleagues and supervisors.
• Measurable success: the plan includes SMART goals: specific, measurable and achievable goals, making it easier to track and celebrate your accomplishments within the first 90 days.
• Visibility to leadership: sharing the plan with your supervisor shows that you are making a contribution to the company.
• Reduces onboarding stress: having a structured plan in place can help reduce
  the stress and uncertainty that often comes with starting a new job. This can allow you to focus on your new tasks and responsibilities.
• Basis for professional development: these plans can incorporate elements of skill development, training and networking, showing a commitment to continuous improvement and professional growth.

How to create a 30-60-90 day plan template

Most 30-60-90 day plans tend to follow the same structure, so they can be applied across a range of industries and positions. If you use a template, make sure you personalise your goals to your specific role. Here’s how you can create your own 30-60-90 day plan template. 

What to include in your 30-60-90 day plan

When creating your own plan, there are a few key elements that you should include to help boost your chances of success in your new role. 

Learning goals

Learning goals are specific objectives or targets that you set for yourself, to acquire new knowledge, skills or competencies within a set time period. These goals are focused on professional development and enhancing your abilities, knowledge base or performance in terms of your new position.

When developing your own set of learning goals, it’s important to use the SMART method. That means that your goals should be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-based. Here are some learning goals that you could set across the first 30, 60 and 90 days. 

Learning goals – 30 days

1. Get to know the company culture and process
   Attend onboarding sessions and engage with team members to understand the company’s internal processes. Become familiar with values and mission.
2. Understand marketing tools and platforms
   Complete training on the company's marketing tools, including CRM systems, analytics platforms and social media management tools.
3. Study current marketing campaigns
   Analyse and evaluate ongoing marketing campaigns to grasp the current strategy, messaging and performance metrics.

Learning goals – 60 days

1. Execute my own small marketing campaign
   Plan and execute a small-scale marketing project under the guidance of a mentor to apply the acquired knowledge and skills.
2. Advance training on specific platforms
   Take advanced training sessions or workshops on specific marketing tools or software that are crucial for the role. 
3. Engage with other teams within the company
   Collaborate with other departments such as sales, product development or customer service to understand the cross-functional dynamics of the organisation

Learning goals – 90 days

1. Develop a comprehensive marketing plan
   Create a comprehensive marketing plan for the upcoming quarter, incorporating insights from the first 60 days and aligning with overall company goals
2. Implement data-driven decision making
   Implement data-driven decision-making processes by regularly analysing marketing performance metrics and adjusting strategies accordingly  
3. Seek mentorship for career development
   Identify a mentor within the company or industry who’s willing to provide ongoing career guidance and mentorship

Performance goals

Performance goals are targets you set for yourself, to improve your productivity and contribution within a specific timeframe. When setting performance goals, it’s helpful to reflect on the progress you hope to make within the first 30, 60 or 90 days in your new role. Here are some examples of performance goals that you could use for a 30-60-90 day plan. 

Performance goals – 30 days

1. Master product knowledge
   Demonstrate a comprehensive grasp of the company's products or services by completing the product training program and understanding the key features and benefits.
2. Build an initial prospect list
   Research and compile a list of potential prospects or leads within the target market, laying the foundation for future outreach and engagement.
3. Complete sales process training
   Complete training on the company’s sales process, including lead generation, qualification and conversion, to ensure I am working in line with company procedures.

Performance goals – 60 days

1. Conduct initial prospect meeting
   Schedule and conduct initial meetings with at least 15 prospects to introduce the company's offerings and gather information about their needs and challenges.
2. Attend sales strategy sessions
   Take part in sales strategy sessions to contribute insights and ideas, showcasing a proactive approach to collaboration and solution development.
3. Meet sales quota targets
   Achieve at least 50% of the assigned sales quota for the first 60 days by effectively progressing leads through the sales funnel

Performance goals – 90 days

1. Close first sale
   Close and secure the first sale with a new client, demonstrating negotiation and closing skills.
2. Customer relationship development
   Establish strong relationships with at least three key clients, ensuring customer satisfaction and identifying opportunities for upselling or cross-selling. 
3. Contribute to sales improvement
   Propose at least two actionable suggestions for improving the sales process or enhancing team efficiency based on observed patterns and feedback.

Personal goals

Personal goals refer to the objectives you set around forming connections with your teammates. Here are some examples of personal goals that you could include in your 30-60-90 day plan. 

Personal goals – 30 days

1. Establish relationships
   Initiate conversations with my teammates; propose a team lunch or bring snacks to share.
2. Explore the work environment
   Familiarise myself with the workplace culture, office layout and end-of-trip facilities to feel more comfortable. Find out how to submit expenses.
3. Set up personal workstation
   Bring to the office: calendar, daily planner, mug, water bottle, spare phone charger, hand sanitiser, masks.

Personal goals – 60 days

1. Engage in team activities
   Participate in weekly team-building outing or CSR activity. Join the board game club.
2. Identify work-life integration strategies
   Investigate gyms/fitness centres near the office. Find a café or park to take breaks or destress in.
3. Attend company events
   Go to any events or training sessions available, to get a deeper understanding of the company culture and meet new colleagues.

Personal goals – 90 days

1. Contribute to a positive work environment
   Actively contribute to maintaining a positive work environment by supporting team members, offering assistance and joining extra-curricular activities.
2. Establish mentorship or networking connections
   Identify potential mentors or networking opportunities to help with my  professional development.
3. Celebrate achievements
   Celebrate the first 90 days, recognise my progress by reviewing the things I’ve learned over the past three months.

Tips for creating a 30-60-90 day plan for managers and employees

With the types of goals and how to include them in mind, let’s take a closer look at how to piece it all together. Here are a few tips to help you create your own 30-60-90 day plan.

Keep it short and simple 

Before you start creating your own 30-60-90 day plan, remember to focus on quality over quantity. Ideally, your plan should not exceed two pages in length. Keep it concise by taking out any unnecessary points and focusing only on actionable steps. Your plan should be easy to skim over, so you can easily refer back to it over the first 90 days.

Make it specific and actionable 

The key to creating an effective 30-60-90 day plan is to make sure it’s specific to your new role and that it’s actionable. While it’s important to include specific goals for the first three months of a new role, it’s just as essential to detail the steps you intend to take to achieve your goals and objectives. 

For example, a generic goal could be to increase social media engagement. Instead, you should aim to create goals with targets that you can measure. For example: boost social media engagement by 20% in the first 30 days through targeted content and daily interaction with followers.

Set SMART goals

The SMART goal framework is a popular approach for setting effective and achievable goals. By using the SMART goal framework, you’ll be better positioned to create goals that are well-defined, focused and realisitically achievable. 

One of your 30-60-90 day plan goals might be to double current sales. As you can see, this goal is vague and doesn’t follow the SMART approach. Instead, you could apply the SMART goal framework to create a more specific goal. For example: increase sales by 15% in the next quarter through targeted marketing efforts. By including an actual sales goal and a timeframe, this goal follows the SMART goal-setting method.

Adopt a growth mindset

A growth mindset is an attitude that your abilities, intelligence and talents can be developed and improved over time, through dedication, hard work and continuous learning. Adopting a growth mindset is central to success in a new role. When you embrace this type of mindset, you’re more likely to view challenges as opportunities and you’re more likely to be open to change.

The change that comes with starting a new job is an opportunity to learn new things and meet new people. And the changes will continue to come, whether you stay in your role or more to another one — so it’s important to keep an open mind, embrace any uncertainty and have a positive attitude towards continuous learning. 

Keep track of your progress 

It’s important to make sure the goals you set in your 30-60-90 day plan are measurable, so you can track your progress. These ‘success metrics’ should be in line with the company’s business goals, so you know that you are working towards the same objective as your teammates. 

For example, measurable goals that relate to your learning and development could include getting a Google Analytics certification, finishing five videos on digital marketing, or closing three sales. It all depends on your tasks and responsibilities as part of your new role. 

Creating a 30-60-90 day plan is a great way to fast-track your professional development when starting a new role. Beginning a new job can be overwhelming, which can impact your efficiency and overall job performance. But with a strategy in hand, you’ll have a framework to go back to if you start to feel unsure of what you should be doing. Use our template and examples to create your own 30-60-90 day plan, so you can feel more confident as you transition into your new role.

FAQs

How flexible should the plan be? 

Every role is different, so it’s important to tailor your 30-60-90 day plan to suit your new job. It’s also worth approaching the first three months in a new position with an open mind and adaptable attitude. While creating a 30-60-90 day plan can be a great starting point to help you get through those first few months in a new role, it’s important to be flexible too. As you learn more about your tasks and responsibilities along the way, you might need to tweak your plan to suit. 

What if my goals change during the initial months? 

It’s normal for goals to change within the first 90 days of starting a new job. At the end of the 30-, 60- and 90-day stages, it’s important to check in with your plan to see how you’re progressing in terms of your objectives. You might find that you need to adjust your goals for the rest of the timeframe or overhaul them completely if your role is different from what you initially anticipated.

What is a good answer to the 30-60-90 day plan?

Although there’s no need to have a 30-60-90 day plan drawn up and ready to go for a potential job opportunity, it’s always worth reflecting on your goals and objectives if the question were to come up in an interview. Aim to provide a well-thought-out and realistic response that demonstrates your understanding of the role and the company.

For example, in the first 30 days, your primary focus might be understanding important processes and immersing yourself in the company culture. As you move into your second month, you might aim to start making a more significant impact and contribute more strategically. By the third month, your goal might be to solidify your position within the team and demonstrate your value to the organisation.

What is the process on a 30-60-90 day plan?

When you sit down to create your own 30-60-90 day plan, be sure to sections for learning, performance and professional goals for the first three months of your new role. Your goals should follow the SMART approach and they should align with the overall objectives of the organisation. Once you start your new job and begin actioning your strategies for achieving those goals, it’s important to regularly check in with how you’re progressing and make changes if you need to, to boost your performance along the way. 

What is your 30-60-90 day plan if you were rehired for the position?

At the end of the first 90 days of your new role, your manager might ask you what you would change about your plan if you were rehired for the same position. This is a great opportunity to reflect on your original 30-60-90 day plan, and think about which aspects worked and which areas could have been improved. 

Reflect on how effective the strategies were that you used as part of your initial plan, consider any feedback you received and think about what adjustments you could have made to boost your performance even more. 

What is the 30-60-90 day integration plan?

A 30-60-90 day integration plan is a roadmap that outlines your goals, actions and priorities during the first three months in a new role. One of the main aims of a 30-60-90 day integration plan is to bring a new employee up to the expected level of productivity and knowledge for their role by the end of the 90 days. These types of plans aim to boost job performance and efficiency within the first few months of starting a new role.