Through all the excitement and happiness you get from starting a new job, feelings of anxiety and worry can come. It can take a while to settle into a new position. The first few months are spent learning the ropes, and there’s a lot of new information you have to absorb and learning curves to overcome. On top of that, you are trying to integrate yourself into a new team. You have a ton of things you need to look after. Creating a 30-60-90 day plan can break down your goals into attainable milestones.
What is the 30-60-90-day plan?
A 30-60-90 day plan is a document created either by a hiring manager or the new employee to set goals and outline what needs to be accomplished in the first three months of a new job. This document breaks down larger goals into manageable milestones to be achieved in 30, 60 and 90-day increments. This 3-month strategy will help maximize your performance output and set you up for success early on in your role.
Benefits of the 30-60-90 day plan
- Focus: Having a clear action plan keeps you on track for success and ensures that your days are productive.
- Impress your supervisors: Following through with your 30-60-90 day plan will demonstrate your ability to initiative and self-manage.
- Success: The 30-60-90 day plan makes it manageable to achieve your goals and excel in your new role.
Key elements of the 30-60-90 day plan
Primer
The primer in your plan is a general idea of what you want to achieve within each 30-day period. Don’t be afraid to approach your employer to discuss a primer that aligns with your personal and company goals.
Learning goals
Set learning goals for skills you want to gain or improve on. These skills allow you to better your output at work. For example, cybersecurity professionals might have goals of improving their scripting abilities.
Performance goals
You know the basics, but how can you take it further? Performance goals look at how you can demonstrate improvement in the skills you’ve acquired and use key metrics to measure progress.
Personal goals
Personal goals focus on company culture and how you can strengthen relationships with your colleagues. Personal goals can help showcase your motivation to contribute to the organization.
Resources
When beginning a new job, you can only achieve your goals with resources. as part of your training and onboarding. You should be provided with any resources required to do your job. To stay organized, include a complete list of resources needed to achieve your goals in your 30-60-90 day plan.
How to write a 30-60-90 plan
Know the company’s mission
Before you define your goals, you need to know what you’re working towards. Think about what your company’s mission is and what you need to do in your role to fulfill this mission. The company mission paints a larger picture and will help you stay on track when forming goals.
Use SMART goals
No matter the level of your position, improving your skills and performance requires an action plan with concrete goals. Avoid vagueness when setting objectives. Using SMART goals, you can define learning, performance or personal goals. Start just jotting down general goals and then categorize them into the appropriate goal type.
Identify 30-day targets
The first 30 days of your new job should focus on learning about the company, its structure and your specific role and duties. By looking at your learning, performance and personal goals, identify any attainable goals for your first month on the job.
Identify 60-day targets
Once you have a grasp of the company and your general duties, think of how you can improve your contributions to the company. Using knowledge gained in the first 30 days select targets that can be met
Identify 90-day targets
The final 30 days of your plan should focus on applying your recently gained knowledge and experience to be an effective leader.
Utilize key metrics
How will you measure if you’ve achieved your goals? Determine action items that will achieve your goals and which metrics can be used to measure progress and success.
Example goals
Over your first 90 days, here are some general goals necessary to achieve for any role and organization.
- Know your product
- Understand your performance metrics
- Learn company culture
- Suggest solutions
- Get feedback
- Determine expectations
- Get to know your team
- Learn the company structure
- Become autonomous
30-60-90 Day Plan Template
Day 1-30
Primer:
Learning goals:
Key metric:
Performance goals:
Key metric:
Personal goals:
Key metric:
Day 31-60
Primer:
Learning goals:
Key metric:
Performance goals:
Key metric:
Personal goals:
Key metric:
Day 61-90
Primer:
Learning goals:
Key metric:
Performance goals:
Key metric:
Personal goals:
Key metric:
Resources