30-60-90 Day Onboarding Plan: Template and Examples
Copy a 30-60-90 day onboarding plan template, with week-by-week examples for sales, engineering, support and new managers, plus check-in questions.
On this page 8 sections
- How the three phases of a 30-60-90 day plan work
- 30-60-90 day onboarding plan template (copy this table)
- The manager's side vs the new hire's side
- 30-60-90 day plan examples by role
- How to run the day 30, 60 and 90 check-ins
- Tracking the learning column without chasing people
- Common 30-60-90 day plan mistakes
- Frequently asked questions
Short answer
A 30-60-90 day onboarding plan splits a new hire's first three months into three phases: learn (days 1-30), contribute (days 31-60) and own (days 61-90). Each phase sets goals, required learning, people to meet, one deliverable and a check-in. Copy the template below, then adapt the role example closest to your hire.
Skip to the editable version: Download the 30-60-90 day plan template (XLSX) — three phases, owner and success-measure columns, plus a worked example for a first sales hire.
How the three phases of a 30-60-90 day plan work
The plan picks up where orientation ends. Paperwork, laptop and badge happen in week one; the 30-60-90 plan covers how the person goes from new to independent.
- Days 1-30, Learn. Output is low on purpose. The new hire gets access to every system, completes required training, meets the people they depend on and learns how their work is judged.
- Days 31-60, Contribute. Real work, with a reviewer close by. The new hire ships small pieces, gets feedback within days, and starts handling routine work without asking.
- Days 61-90, Own. The new hire runs a defined scope on their own, suggests at least one improvement and agrees goals for the next quarter.
Key point
Day 90 is independence, not peak performance. Gallup's guidance on onboarding says new employees typically take around 12 months to reach peak performance potential. Set day 90 goals a competent person can hit in their first quarter, and plan development beyond it.
30-60-90 day onboarding plan template (copy this table)
Copy the table into a doc or spreadsheet and replace the bracketed text. Keep three to five items per cell. If a cell needs more, the role probably needs a longer ramp, not a fuller plan.
| Phase | Goals | Learning | Relationships | Deliverables | Check-in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Days 1-30: Learn | Has working access to all tools. Can explain [product/service] and how [role] is measured. Completes first small task end to end. | Company policies and required compliance courses. [Product] fundamentals. [Core tool] training. Role-specific course: [name]. | 1:1 with manager weekly. Assigned buddy: [name]. Meet [3-5 key partners] by day 15. | [One small, real piece of work], reviewed by [name]. | Day 30 review, 45 minutes. Weekly 1:1s before it. |
| Days 31-60: Contribute | Handles [routine work type] with review. Hits [interim target, e.g. 50% of the team standard]. Applies feedback from day 30. | Advanced [product/tool] course. [Process] certification or quiz. Shadowing: [what, with whom]. | Joins [team meeting/ritual]. Meets [cross-functional partners]. Gets feedback from one peer. | [First owned project or queue], delivered by day 55. | Day 60 review, 45 minutes. Biweekly 1:1s. |
| Days 61-90: Own | Owns [defined scope] without daily review. Meets [full team standard or agreed day 90 target]. Proposes one improvement. | Any courses flagged at day 60. Starts one development goal for next quarter. | Represents the team in [meeting/stakeholder relationship]. Becomes a contact others go to for [topic]. | [Larger deliverable]. Written next-quarter goals. | Day 90 review, 60 minutes. Sets next-quarter goals. |
How to fill in the template
- Start with day 90. Write what the person should own on day 90, then work backward to what must be true on day 60 and day 30.
- Write outcomes, not activities. "Learn the CRM" cannot be checked. "Logs every call in the CRM with next step and date" can.
- Name a person for every relationship item. "Meet the finance team" becomes "30 minutes with Priya in AP about invoice approvals."
- Book the three check-ins before day one. Calendar invites for day 30, 60 and 90 make the reviews happen when the month gets busy.
- Share it on day one and let the new hire edit it. They add questions, blockers and progress notes. It is a shared working document, not an HR form.
The manager's side vs the new hire's side
Most templates list only what the new hire does. The ramp depends just as much on the manager. In the same Gallup article, employees were 3.4 times as likely to say their onboarding was successful when their manager took an active role. Split the plan into two columns so both people know their part.
| Phase | Manager does | New hire does |
|---|---|---|
| Before day 1 | Drafts the plan, requests all system access, assigns a buddy, books check-ins, picks the first real task. | Reads anything sent ahead; nothing else is expected. |
| Days 1-30 | Weekly 1:1s. Explains how the role is measured, with real examples of good work. Makes introductions personally. Reviews the first task within two working days. | Completes assigned training by its due date. Keeps a running list of questions. Takes notes in the plan after each 1:1. |
| Days 31-60 | Hands over real work with a clear standard. Gives specific feedback each week. Removes blockers raised at day 30. | Delivers the first owned project. Asks for feedback instead of waiting for it. Updates progress against each goal. |
| Days 61-90 | Steps back from daily review. Gathers peer input before day 90. Writes the next-quarter goals together with the new hire. | Runs their scope independently. Brings one improvement idea with a short rationale. Self-assesses against every day 90 goal before the review. |
30-60-90 day plan examples by role
Each example uses the same three phases, broken into weeks. The "Done when" column is what you check at the next review. Targets in brackets are yours to set from your own team's numbers.
Example 1: Sales development rep (SDR)
| Weeks | What the new hire does | Done when |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | CRM, dialer and email tool set up. Product overview course. Listens to 10 recorded calls from top reps. | Can log a test activity in the CRM; has written notes on 10 calls. |
| 2 | Learns ideal customer profile and buyer personas. Shadows live discovery calls. Drafts a 30-second pitch. | Delivers the pitch to the manager without notes. |
| 3-4 | Objection-handling role-plays twice a week. Writes three email sequences for manager review. Product quiz. | Passes the role-play scorecard and quiz. Day 30 check-in. |
| 5-6 | Works an assigned lead list. Manager listens to the first 10 live calls and gives same-day feedback. | Reaches [50%] of the team activity standard. |
| 7-8 | Books first meetings for account executives. Weekly call review with manager. | [X] qualified meetings booked; CRM records complete. Day 60 check-in. |
| 9-13 | Full activity standard on own territory. Shares one objection and the answer that worked at a team meeting. | Hits the ramped meeting target for month three. Day 90 review sets quarter-two quota. |
For account executives, stretch the same pattern: the learning phase adds pricing approval rules and a mock demo, and the day 90 goal becomes pipeline value rather than meetings. Our guide to sales onboarding and ramp time covers quota ramps in more detail.
Example 2: Software engineer
| Weeks | What the new hire does | Done when |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gets repo, cloud and ticketing access. Runs the app locally. Ships one tiny change (a doc fix or copy change) through the full review and deploy pipeline. | The change is live in production. |
| 2 | Architecture walkthrough with a senior engineer. Reads the on-call runbook. Pairs with the buddy on a small bug. | Can draw the main services and data flow from memory. |
| 3-4 | Takes two or three small tickets. Reviews other engineers' pull requests. Completes security and data privacy training. | Tickets merged with no more than one round of major review comments. Day 30 check-in. |
| 5-6 | Owns a medium feature. Writes a one-page design note and gets it reviewed before coding. Shadows one on-call shift. | Design note approved. |
| 7-8 | Ships the feature behind a flag with tests. Demos it at the team review. | Feature released to users. Day 60 check-in. |
| 9-13 | Joins on-call as secondary. Leads review on a teammate's pull request. Proposes one fix to tooling, tests or docs that slowed them down. | Owns a named component; improvement ticket written and prioritized. Day 90 review. |
Example 3: Customer support agent
| Weeks | What the new hire does | Done when |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Product training path. Ticketing tool, macros and tone guide. Sits with a senior agent for a full shift. | Completes the product path and can find any macro by name. |
| 2 | Answers real tickets in draft mode. A senior agent approves every reply before it sends. | [80%] of drafts approved without edits. |
| 3-4 | Handles the easiest tier-1 categories live, such as password resets and billing questions. QA reviews a sample of tickets each week. | Passes the product certification. Day 30 check-in. |
| 5-6 | Adds a second channel (chat or phone). Learns escalation rules and the bug report template. | Escalations include every required field. |
| 7-8 | Works the full tier-1 queue. | Meets [team QA score] on sampled tickets. Day 60 check-in. |
| 9-13 | Takes one tier-2 category. Writes or updates two help articles based on repeat questions. | Meets team standards for QA score and response time. Day 90 review. |
Example 4: New people manager
A manager's plan is about listening before changing. The biggest early risk is reorganizing a team they do not yet understand.
| Weeks | What the new hire does | Done when |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Learns HR systems, approval rights, PTO and the performance cycle. Holds a 45-minute 1:1 with each direct report: what is working, what is not, what should I not change? | Every direct report has had a first 1:1. |
| 2 | Meets peer managers and key stakeholders. Reads last cycle's reviews and the team's current goals. | Can name each report's main project and development goal. |
| 3-4 | Starts manager training (feedback, 1:1s, hiring, performance conversations). Writes a one-page "state of the team" from what they heard. No structural changes yet. | Summary shared with own manager. Day 30 check-in. |
| 5-6 | Runs recurring 1:1s and the first team meeting on their own agenda. Gives first documented piece of feedback. | Every report has had at least three 1:1s. |
| 7-8 | Agrees one or two quick wins from the listening tour with own manager and delivers one. | One quick win shipped. Day 60 check-in. |
| 9-13 | Sets next-quarter team goals with the reports. Asks own manager to collect skip-level feedback. | Team goals published; skip-level themes reviewed. Day 90 review. |
For first-time managers, the training in weeks 3-8 matters more than for experienced hires. You can build it yourself or assign an off-the-shelf course such as the First-Time Manager Certification pack in MyPass LMS. Our guide to manager training programs lists the topics to cover.
How to run the day 30, 60 and 90 check-ins
Each check-in compares the plan to reality and changes the next phase if needed. Keep weekly 1:1s for the first month and biweekly after that; the three milestone check-ins are longer and written down.
Tip
Send the questions two days ahead and ask the new hire to answer in writing first. You get more honest answers, and the meeting is spent on the gaps instead of on recall.
Day 30 check-in questions
- Which day 30 goals are done, and which slipped? What got in the way?
- What do you still not have access to, or who have you not met yet?
- On a scale of 1 to 5, how clear is it what good work looks like in your role?
- What has been harder or easier than you expected?
- What do we do here that seems odd to someone new?
The manager closes with one thing going well and one thing to change before day 60, both specific.
Day 60 check-in questions
- What have you completed on your own, and where did you still need help?
- Which feedback from day 30 have you applied? Show me an example.
- What is slowing you down that I can remove?
- Do the day 90 goals still look right, or should we change them now?
- Who do you work with most, and how is that going?
Day 90 review questions
- For each day 90 goal: met, partly met or missed, with evidence.
- What do you want to own next quarter?
- Which skill do you want to build over the next six months?
- What would you change about how we onboarded you? (Feed the answer into the next hire's plan.)
- Manager's own question: is this person on track? If not, what is the specific plan and date to revisit?
The day 90 review ends the onboarding plan, but it is not the annual performance review. Use it to set next-quarter goals and close the onboarding record.
Tracking the learning column without chasing people
The learning column is the part of the plan most likely to drift, because nobody notices an unfinished course until the check-in. Give each phase its own set of courses with due dates on day 25, 55 and 85, so you see who is behind before the conversation rather than during it. Grouping courses by phase also works well as a structured learning path.
In MyPass LMS
In MyPass LMS you can build one learning path per phase, assign it to a new hire with due dates, and issue a certificate when a phase is complete (for example, a product certification at day 30). Dynamic Reports show each new hire's progress by phase, so the manager checks one report before each check-in. See how this fits our employee onboarding solution.
Common 30-60-90 day plan mistakes
- Writing the plan after the person starts. A plan drafted in week two means week one was spent waiting. Have it ready before day one.
- Mixing it up with the setup checklist. Laptop, payroll and badge belong in an onboarding checklist. The 30-60-90 plan is about ramp-up, not setup.
- Goals that cannot be checked. "Understand our customers" has no finish line. "Can explain our three main customer types and their top objection" does.
- One plan for every role. Keep the template, but rewrite the goals and deliverables for each job. A support agent and an engineer share almost no week-level items.
- Cramming all training into week one. Spread courses across the 90 days so people learn a topic close to when they use it.
- Skipping the day 60 check-in. Day 60 is when you can still change course. If a problem first comes up at day 90, it is usually too late to fix inside the plan.
- Treating missed goals as a verdict. A missed goal is a reason to ask why: unclear expectation, missing access, wrong target, or a real performance issue. Each needs a different fix.
Frequently asked questions
What should a 30-60-90 day onboarding plan include?
For each of the three phases, list three to five measurable goals, the training to complete, the people to meet, one concrete deliverable and the date of the check-in. Add a manager column so the plan also shows what the manager will provide, such as introductions, feedback and system access.
Who writes a 30-60-90 day plan, the manager or the new hire?
For onboarding, the hiring manager drafts it before day one, often using a template from HR. The new hire then edits it in the first week by adding questions and progress notes. In job interviews the candidate writes their own 30-60-90 plan, but that is a pitch, not an onboarding plan.
How is a 30-60-90 day plan different from an onboarding checklist?
An onboarding checklist covers one-time setup tasks such as paperwork, equipment, accounts and introductions, mostly in the first week. A 30-60-90 day plan covers how the new hire ramps up over three months, with goals, learning, deliverables and check-ins. Most teams use both, with the checklist finished before the plan's first phase is far along.
Is a new hire fully productive after 90 days?
Usually not. Ninety days is a reasonable target for working independently in a defined scope, but Gallup estimates new employees typically take around 12 months to reach peak performance. Set day 90 goals for independence and use the day 90 review to plan development for the rest of the first year.
What if a new hire falls behind the 30-60-90 day plan?
Find the cause at the next check-in before changing anything. Missing access, unclear expectations and unrealistic targets are fixed by the manager or by adjusting the plan. If the cause is performance, write a short, specific plan with dates for the next 30 days and review it weekly.
Can you use a 30-60-90 day plan for an internal promotion?
Yes. Drop the company-level items such as policies and tools, and focus the learning phase on the new responsibilities, new stakeholders and the new way the role is measured. Promotions into a first management role benefit most, because the skills needed are different from the job the person was promoted from.
If you run this plan for every new hire, MyPass turns it into an assigned onboarding track with completion tracking, so nobody reaches day 90 with an empty checklist.
