Set clear goals and guide new hires (or promoted staff) through their first 90 days on the job.
This 30/60/90 Day Plan Template helps you define success early, support your new hire effectively, and build momentum from day one.
Managers, you can fill it out first and then discuss with your new staff member, or fill it out together during onboarding. Use the goals you set here to guide their 90-day performance review.
Key Takeaways
- A 30/60/90 day plan template helps managers and employees set clear goals and build momentum in the first three months.
- The most effective plans are structured in three phases: learning (30 days), contribution (60 days), and impact (90 days).
- Set SMARTIE goals. Strong plans combine measurable outcomes, defined responsibilities, and a deadline for each phase.
Ready to set strategic goals and lead an all-star team? Sign up for our Build an Empowered Team training package! Gain confidence, strategies, and hands-on experience to define clear roles and goals, make better decisions, and give quality feedback.
What is a 30/60/90 Day Plan?
A 30/60/90 day plan is a structured outline of goals, activities, and priorities during a new hire’s first three months. It helps employees ramp up faster, gives managers a clear way to support performance, and builds early alignment on what success looks like.
The template breaks work into three phases, which you can adapt for your context.
- Days 1–30: Learning, role expectations, and relationship-building
- Days 31–60: Contributing and applying knowledge
- Days 61–90: Leading work and driving results
Why Use a 30/60/90 Day Plan Template?
A 30/60/90 day plan template helps onboard new hires or promoted staff with clarity and purpose. It supports staff to understand expectations and stay accountable to goals you set together.
This template can help managers:
- Align individual work with team and organizational priorities.
- Create a shared definition of success.
- Identify learning areas and performance gaps early.
- Identify key relationships new staff should build.
- Frame the 90-day new hire check-in conversation.
How Do I Use the Template?
The template complements our comprehensive onboarding toolkit. You can use it in three ways:
- Fill it out yourself and review it with your new hire.
- Complete it together during onboarding.
- Ask the employee to propose a draft, then refine together.
To get started:
- Review the job description and team goals.
- Ask yourself: “What would success look like after 30, 60, and 90 days?”
- Identify:
- Key skills to build
- Relationships to develop
- Responsibilities to own
Use this information to write SMARTIE goals that are realistic at 30 days, 60 days, and 90 days. Then, specify tactics or activities that will help achieve those goals.
Tip: If you’re short on time or hitting a wall, start by defining strong 90-day outcomes. Then, work backwards.
30/60/90 Day Plan Examples
The goals and tactics below cover: roles, goals, and expectations; training and development; organizational and team context; and getting to know team members and culture.
30-day goals (learning and alignment)
- Internalize role expectations and what success looks like
- Understand team priorities, tools, and workflows
- Build relationships with key stakeholders
- Learn from other team members
Example:
| Goal | Tactic | Status |
| Get familiar enough with all newsletter publication logistics (platforms, processes, and checklists) so that you are prepared to own newsletter publication in month two. | Attend training with Mari on XX/XX/XX; make time to shadow/observe them preparing for the next newsletter. | Not StartedIn Progress |
60-day goals (contributions and practice)
- Begin owning projects or responsibilities
- Apply learnings to real work
- Identify growth opportunities
Example:
| Goal | Tactic | Status |
| Draft communications strategy by XX in order to engage and showcase more of our BIPOC community members. | Conduct learning/listening sessions with audience members. Make sure to review last year’s plan <link>. | Not started yet |
90-day goals (driving results)
- Lead initiatives or key responsibilities
- Deliver measurable outcomes and drive results
- Refine processes and test improvements
Example:
| Goal | Tactic | Status |
| Finalize and begin driving communications strategy by selecting two ideas to test. At least one idea should improve accessibility for and the experience of our most marginalized users. | Send out survey to staff to get input on ideas. | Not started yet |
Download the 30/60/90 Goal-Setting Template
Get your editable version and start building a 90-day plan.
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