If you do a google search for “how to build a 30 60 90 day plan” you will get a bunch of misguided information and some random thoughts masquerading as best practices. Many of the so-called experts publishing this content are trying to sell products and services by dishing out click bait caliber advice that’s likely to do more harm than good for your career. It’s very rare to find a 30 60 90 day plan template created by and actual proven business leader or hiring manager – the individuals who make the hiring decisions and evaluate your performance over the first 3 months on the job. 

In this blog I’m going to answer some of the most common questions I get about the 30 60 90 day plan. At the end of the blog you’ll find links to access my free plan template as well as templates personalized for Sales and Leadership roles.  These are the templates I built and use in my own career, and they all include a fully built, easily customized 30 60 90 day plan example. 

30 60 90 day plan – Basics

I’m sure it goes without saying, but with so much change happening in our businesses and careers right now, there are many uses for a solid 30-60-90 day plan. Whether you’re trying to differentiate yourself from other candidates in a job search or starting a new role or project at your current job, a great plan is critical. 

Here are the questions I get asked most about these plans:

When should I be building a 30 60 90 day plan?

There are three occasions when you should use a 30 60 90 day plan. The first is in the final stages of the interview process. The right plan can help you differentiate from other candidates by demonstrating your capacity to think clearly and operationalize a strategy. You also want to build a plan before the end of your first week at a new job. It’s a critical tool to set yourself up for success and ultimately future promotions and pay raises. The last, is at the beginning of a new project or initiative. Before I kick off any big project I always start by presenting my boss a plan to show when we’ll see results and how we’ll measure them.

Key takeaways:

• You should build a 30 60 90 day plan in the late stages of the interview process
• You should deliver a plan before the end of your first week at a new job
• You should use the plan at the start of any major project or initiative

What is the objective of a 30 60 90 day plan?

This is where most of the advice on the Internet has it wrong. Most articles, make the critical mistake of thinking that the plan is designed to guide YOU. It’s not. The 30-60-90 day plan has nothing to do with helping you “get up to speed” or “hit the ground running” and everything to do with aligning your boss and management team to a definition and framework for success. It’s designed so your hiring will be declared an unequivocal success after 3 months by the people who matter most to your career. It’s not about making sure you focus on learning or training or any of the other bad advice out there. No one cares about that. The purpose of this plan is to set the foundation for career advancement.

When built correctly, this plan gets everyone aligned to a common definition of what success looks like so you can guarantee you’ll leave the first 90 days on pace to your next promotion.

Key takeaways:

• Don’t build the plan to help guide you. Build it to create a common definition of success.
• The 30 60 90 day plan is the first step to achieving your next promotion or pay raise.

What mistakes are most common in a 30 60 90 day plan?

I’ve already covered the first big mistake people make – they build these plans for themselves instead of to align others to a definition of success. The next biggest mistake people make is not being precise enough in their plans. You have to get way beyond surface-level points like “meeting with key people” or “executing company orientation”. These are table stakes activities that you’ll get fired for if you DON’T complete them – there are no points to be scored here. 

Your plan needs to include measurable deliverables that have actual value to the company. A few examples of what I mean: 1) Auditing and optimizing one key process 2) Implementing one new program to demonstrate the effectiveness of your process improvement. 3) Assessing key team member capabilities aligned to the process.

Another mistake people make is not being clear about what things you’re actually going to deliver and when. There needs to be some way of scoring your success or failure and a clear project plan with tasks and deliverables is a good way to accomplish that.

Key takeaways:

• Build your plan with precise definitions of what you will do. No obscure descriptions
• Be clear on what you will deliver and when you’ll deliver it
• Include a scorecard so your success can be measured

What does a good 30 60 90 day plan look like?

A good plan template always has the following components:

• It starts with a clear definition of objectives
• It identifies specific deliverables aligned to the objectives
• It contains discrete themes for each plan stage 
• It provides a clear set of tasks with dates
• It contains a scorecard so it’s easy to measure

30 60 90 day plan templates and examples

There are three plan templates available for download. Each includes a free 30 60 90 day plan example.

Basic template

If you want a basic template in PowerPoint format with example content, you can download it for free here. It is undoubtedly the best free template on the internet and has been used by more than 50,000 people. Download the free template here.

Sales template

If you’re in a Sales or Sales leadership role, you should get my 30 60 90 day template for Sales. For only $21.99 you get a fully customized Sales-oriented template that includes territory planning, revenue attainment modelling and more. Get the Sales template here.

Managers & Executives template

If you’re in a leadership role or interviewing for one, you should grab my 30 60 90 day plan template for Managers. For only $21.99 you get a fully customized leadership-oriented template that includes a situational assessment, strategic initiatives planning, and a management performance dashboard. Get the Managers and Executives plan template here.