Success at work doesn’t happen by accident. Instead, it’s the result of identifying problems for the company, taking initiative to find solutions, and promoting the value of your efforts. And that’s exactly why creating a 30-60-90 plan is one of the most important things you can do for your career.

Are you wondering how to create a 30-60-90 day plan? Or when the best time is to create one? Both of those are good questions! And, in this post, I’m going to give you the answers and more by covering:

• What a 30-60-90 day plan is
• The benefits of creating a 30-60-90 day plan
• How to create a 30-60-90 day plan
• Examples of 30-60-90 day plans (including free templates you can use)

Let’s get right to it!

What Is A 30-60-90 Day Plan?

A 30-60-90 plan is a document you create that outlines what actions you’ll take at work to achieve one or more goals during the next 30, 60, and 90 days.

Creating one can be a game-changer for standing out and getting ahead in a variety of situations. Here are four ways a 30-60-90 day plan can be used:

1. Strategically follow up on a job application or interview
2. Hit the ground running when starting a new job
3. Set and meet career advancement goals
4. Lay the groundwork for getting a promotion

The Benefits Of Creating A 30-60-90 Day Plan

There are many benefits to creating a 30-60-90 plan, both in the short and long term. You probably noticed I already mentioned some of those above. But let’s look at a few more ways creating a 30-60-90 could benefit you.

If you’re following up on a job application, a 30-60-90 day plan can help you:

• Assist the hiring manager in imagining how you’d approach the core responsibilities of the role
• Stand out from the competition as someone that can undoubtedly succeed in the new role from day one

If you’re starting a new job, a 30-60-90 plan can help you:

• Establish a clear path to success between you and your manager, giving you both checkpoints to meet and follow up on
• Show that you're someone who takes the job seriously, wants to become a top performer, and, therefore, deserves to be nurtured toward career advancement

If you’re working on your personal career goals, a 30-60-90 day plan can help you:

• Stay on track toward meeting your goals by breaking down the specific steps you’ll need to take over the next three months
• Ensure that you don’t let anything slip through the cracks while juggling competing tasks, deadlines, and goals

If you’re working toward a promotion, a 30-60-90 plan can help you:

• Align expectations between you and your manager for what it will take for you to earn, or get closer to, a promotion in the next three months
• Build a metric-driven scorecard that you can use when discussing why you deserve the promotion, an increase to your salary, and readiness for new responsibilities

How To Create A 30-60-90 Day

Plan Luckily, creating a 30-60-90 day plan isn’t too hard. But it does require a bit of research, critical thinking, and time to execute well. That’s because you’ll need to make sure each phase of your plan includes ways to benefit the company in direct and tangible ways.

Now, if you’re approaching this from the position of an employee working toward a promotion, this could be easy — you have insider knowledge.

But if you’re fresh from an interview or it’s your first week on the job, then what? How do you set objectives for a job you haven’t even started?

Well, you have two options:

1. Use the core responsibilities listed in the job description
2. Use insights gained from speaking to someone already working at the company

From there, you’re going to set primary objectives for each month followed by smaller, task-based goals that focus on finding solutions to problems you’ll be expected to solve. Now, I know that can be easier said than done. So, let’s turn now to some examples of how you’re 30-60-90 could look!

30-60-90 Day Plan Examples (Download Our Template!)

Below are two examples of 30-60-90 plans you can use for reference and inspiration. Afterward, I also share a FREE template you can use for whatever situation you need to create your own 30-60-90 day plan!

Example #1 – Digital Marketing Strategist

Days 1-30

Focus: Audit

Goal 1: Get up to speed on the company’s unique selling points, buyer personas, and each stage of the customer journey

Goal 2: Conduct SWOT analysis to get an understanding of key differences between the company and its top competitors

Goal 3: Review current digital marketing strategy, existing and upcoming initiatives, and performance goals

Days 31-60

Focus: Build

Goal 1: Review the analytics of the company website and begin documenting a list of recommendations for website enhancement

Goal 2: Analyze performance metrics of Google and social media ads and develop a strategy to increase conversion rate by at least 4%

Goal 3: Identify and develop a digital strategy for 1-2 new opportunities to promote the company’s upcoming product launch

Days 61-90

Focus: Optimize

Goal 1: Begin implementing recommendations for website enhancement using available tools

Goal 2: Analyze the results of new changes to ad campaigns and work toward further increasing conversion rate

Goal 3: Work with sales and customer service team to further refine the digital marketing strategy for new product launch

Example #2 – Sales Manager

Days 1-30

Focus: Cultivate

Goal 1: Meet with each team member to build camaraderie, understand everyone’s core strengths and skills, and begin strategizing ways to improve the team’s performance

Goal 2: Gain a deeper understanding of the company’s product by scheduling weekly meetings with the product development team

Goal 3: Become familiar with the company sales process by observing sales calls and demos, mastering the use of the CRM, and learning about the most important performance metrics

Days 31-60

Focus: Strategize

Goal 1: Improve the sales process by working with the team to identify 1-3 ways to better align sales pitch and materials with the needs of the target consumer

Goal 2: Analyze progress on moving current leads through the sales pipeline, find ways to improve efficiency, and begin sales forecasting

Goal 3: Examine the individual results of each team member to find areas where more training is needed

Days 61-90

Focus: Implement

Goal 1: Develop and train the team on improved sales strategy based on insights gained during days 1-60

Goal 2: Create and plan a strategy for growth during the upcoming sales cycle that increases revenue by at least 8%

Goal 3: Compile a summary of results to date to share with the senior management team and get feedback on where improvements can be made

Free 30-60-90 Day Plan Template

I hope you’re now feeling confident to create and use a 30-30-90 day plan to your advantage. Now you can go and implement everything you’ve learned by downloading and using this free 30-60-90 day plan template!