Template · Onboarding
30-60-90 day onboarding plan
In short
A 30 60 90 day plan template sets out what a new employee should learn, do and deliver in each of their first three months, with measurable goals, named support and scheduled check-ins. Managers draft it before day one, review it with the new hire in week one and use it as the basis for the 90-day review.
30-60-90 Day Plan template
30-60-90 Day Plan
The manager drafts this plan before the start date. Review it together in the first week, agree changes, and both sign. Revisit it at each check-in. Goals should be specific enough that both of you would agree whether they were met.
Employee and role
- Employee name
- Job title
- Manager
- Onboarding buddy or mentor
- Start date
- What success looks like in this role after one year (2 to 3 sentences)
Days 1 to 30: Learn
- Learning goals (systems, products, processes, customers)
- People to meet and why
- Training and certifications to complete, with dates
- First small deliverable or task owned end to end
- Measures of success by day 30
- Support the manager will provide
Days 31 to 60: Contribute
- Responsibilities taken on independently
- Performance goals with targets (for example quality score, volume, response time)
- Project or improvement to start
- Skills gaps to close and how
- Measures of success by day 60
Days 61 to 90: Own
- Full responsibilities owned at the expected level
- Performance targets at full productivity
- Project outcome or contribution to deliver
- Development goals for months 4 to 12
- Measures of success by day 90
Check-in log
- Week 1 review: plan agreed
- Day 30 check-in date
- Day 30 status
- On trackPartly on trackOff track
- Day 30 notes and changes
- Day 60 check-in date
- Day 60 status
- On trackPartly on trackOff track
- Day 60 notes and changes
- Day 90 review date
- Day 90 overall result
- Met or exceeded the planMet most of the planDid not meet the plan
- Day 90 summary and next steps
Sign-off
- Employee signature
- Date
- Manager signature
- Date
How to use this template
- Before the start date, write the one-year success statement first, then work backward to what must be true at day 90, 60 and 30.
- Give each phase three to five goals, and make at least one goal per phase measurable with a number or a clear done-or-not-done outcome.
- Name the people, training and tools the employee needs in each phase so the plan says what you owe them as well.
- Walk through the draft with the new hire in the first week, adjust anything unrealistic and both sign it.
- Put the day 30, 60 and 90 check-ins in both calendars on day one.
- At each check-in, mark status, write two or three lines of notes and change later goals if the role or priorities moved.
- Use the day 90 result as the main input to the probation or first performance review.
How the three phases work
The labels vary, but the logic is the same everywhere: learn, then contribute, then own. The first 30 days are about understanding the systems, the customers and how work moves. Days 31 to 60 are when the new hire starts carrying real work with less supervision. By day 90 they should be doing the full job at, or close to, the expected level. For a fuller definition and the history of the format, see the 30-60-90 day plan glossary entry.
The plan is not a task list. Desk setup and benefits enrollment belong on the new hire onboarding checklist. This document records outcomes: what the person will know, deliver and be measured on. A good test is whether the manager and employee would agree, without arguing, on whether each goal was met.
A worked example
Maria Lopez joins a regional bank's operations center as a team lead over 12 loan processors.
Day 30: Complete the loan system and compliance training. Hold a one-on-one with each of the 12 processors. Shadow the outgoing lead's daily huddle for two weeks, then run it alone. Produce a one-page summary of the team's current volume, error rate and backlog.
Day 60: Run all huddles and one-on-ones without support. Own the weekly productivity report. Bring the backlog from 340 files to under 250. Identify the two most common error types and agree a fix with the quality team.
Day 90: Hold the team to the service level of 95 percent of files processed within five business days for four straight weeks. Complete first coaching plans for the two lowest-performing processors. Present a staffing proposal for the next quarter's peak.
Every goal is observable. None says "get comfortable with the team" or "understand the culture," which sound nice and cannot be reviewed.
Adapting the plan for hourly and high-volume roles
For a 30-person class of contact center agents, nobody writes 30 individual plans. Write one plan per role and class, with the same goals for everyone and space for individual notes. The phases usually line up with training: classroom in the first two to three weeks, nesting on live calls with close support next, then the production floor with full targets.
Use the metrics the role is already measured on: average handle time, quality score, first contact resolution, adherence and attendance. Set realistic glide paths. A common pattern is a handle time target of 150 percent of the floor average at day 30, 120 percent at day 60 and floor average by day 90. Show agents the targets in week one; people improve faster when they know the number.
The check-ins matter more at volume, not less. Early attrition in hourly roles is heavily concentrated in the first 90 days, and a 10-minute supervisor check-in at day 30 is one of the cheapest ways to catch someone who is about to stop showing up.
Mistakes managers make
- Writing the plan after the person starts. By then the first week is gone. Draft it before day one, even roughly.
- Vague goals. "Learn the product" cannot be scored. "Pass the product certification with 80 percent or better by day 21" can.
- Too many goals. Fifteen goals per phase means none get attention. Three to five is enough.
- No support side. If the plan lists only what the employee must do, it reads like a test. List the training, the buddy and the access you will provide.
- Never revisiting it. Roles change in three months. Update goals at each check-in rather than holding someone to a plan built on old assumptions.
More on goal setting for new starters is in our article on setting goals with new hires.
Connecting the plan to probation and reviews
If your organization has a probationary or introductory period, the day 90 result should feed straight into the probation review form. That keeps the decision tied to goals the employee saw on day one, which is fairer and easier to defend. Keep signed copies in the personnel file. A plan does not change at-will status in the US, and it should not promise continued employment or a raise if goals are met unless you intend to honor that.
Frequently asked questions
What should be in a 30-60-90 day plan for new employees?
A one-year success statement, three to five goals for each phase (learn, contribute, own), how each goal will be measured, the support and training the employee will get, and dates for the day 30, 60 and 90 check-ins with space to record the result.
Who writes the 30-60-90 day plan, the manager or the new hire?
For most roles the manager drafts it before the start date and the new hire refines it in week one. For senior or self-directed roles, some managers ask the new hire to write the day 60 and 90 sections after the first few weeks of listening and learning.
Is a 30-60-90 day plan the same as an onboarding plan template?
They overlap. An onboarding plan usually covers logistics, orientation and training schedules. A 30-60-90 day plan focuses on goals and outcomes for each month. Many teams use both: an onboarding checklist for the tasks and the 90-day plan for performance.
What happens if a new hire misses their 90 day plan goals?
Look at why first: unclear goals, missing training or access, a role that changed, or a performance gap. If it is performance, agree a short extension with specific targets or, if your organization uses one, extend the probationary period. Document the conversation.
Do hourly employees need a 30-60-90 day plan?
They benefit from one, but it can be a shared plan per role or training class with the same targets for everyone, plus brief individual notes from each check-in. Hourly attrition peaks early, so the check-ins are often the most valuable part.