Quick Summary: A 30-60-90 day plan gives new managers structure, helps focus on what matters most, and creates a clear way to track progress in the first three months. Use this article and the downloadable guide to set realistic goals, build trust, and avoid feeling overwhelmed in your new role.
Stepping into a new manager role can feel exciting and stressful at the same time. There is a lot to learn, many people to meet, and pressure to “prove yourself” early on. A simple way to bring structure to those first few months is to build a 30-60-90 day plan.
A 30-60-90 day plan lays out what you will focus on in your first three months, how you will measure progress, and where you may need support. It helps you prioritize, communicate expectations with your leader, and avoid trying to fix everything at once.
To make this easier, we’ve created a practical worksheet you can use: Download the 30-60-90 Day Plan for New Managers.
Why a 90-Day Plan Matters for New Managers
In your first few months, you are learning the business, building relationships, and starting to make decisions that affect others. Without a plan, it is easy to get pulled in many directions and lose sight of what will make the biggest impact.
A 30-60-90 day plan helps you:
- Bring structure and focus to your goals.
- Clarify what success looks like in your new role.
- Have better conversations with your manager about expectations.
- Build trust with your team and senior leaders.
- Regularly check your progress and adjust when things change.
By revisiting your plan every 30 days, you can assess what is working, what needs to shift, and where you might need more information or support.
Types of Goals to Include in Your 30-60-90 Day Plan
Any goals you include in your 90-day plan should follow the SMART model: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Bound.
Learning goals
These goals focus on understanding your new environment, including:
- Learning more about the company, its strategy, and priorities.
- Understanding your team’s responsibilities, strengths, and pain points.
- Reviewing the history of projects and initiatives you are now responsible for.
Personal development goals
These goals help you grow as a leader and adjust to the demands of the role, for example:
- Improving how you manage your time and energy across competing priorities.
- Strengthening your communication, feedback, or delegation skills.
- Identifying habits you need to build or reset to be effective as a manager.
Performance goals
These goals focus on concrete outcomes, such as:
- Delivering on key projects or milestones within agreed timelines.
- Clarifying the measures of success for your team and your role.
- Identifying where additional budget, tools, or resources may be needed.
It is better to have a small number of realistic performance goals than a long list that is not achievable in your first three months.
What to Focus on in Your First 30, 60 and 90 Days
The first 30 days: Listen, learn, and build relationships
In your first month, your focus is to understand your environment and build trust. Examples of 30-day priorities include:
- Meeting one-on-one with team members to learn about their work and perspectives.
- Connecting with key partners or stakeholders in other departments.
- Reviewing current projects, processes, and team goals.
- Clarifying expectations with your own manager about priorities and success measures.
The first 60 days: Turn insight into action
By 60 days, you should start moving from learning to taking more deliberate action. Examples of 60-day priorities include:
- Identifying “quick wins” where small changes will make a noticeable difference.
- Refining team priorities and aligning them with business goals.
- Adjusting how work is organized, communicated, or tracked, where needed.
- Continuing regular check-ins with your manager and team to validate your direction.
The first 90 days: Own the role and set direction
By 90 days, you should have a clearer view of your team, your priorities, and what success looks like. Examples of 90-day priorities include:
- Taking ownership of key decisions within your scope.
- Assessing performance for the quarter and identifying trends or issues.
- Confirming a clear strategy and action plan for the next 3–6 months.
- Sharing your observations and early results with your manager and, where appropriate, your team.
Using the 30-60-90 Day Plan Template
A template can help you organize your goals and keep everything in one place. To avoid feeling overwhelmed, aim for two or three SMART goals in each 30-day segment across your learning, personal development, and performance areas.
Here is a simplified example of how you might structure your goals:
Sample 30-day goals
- Learning: Attend key team and cross-functional meetings to understand current initiatives.
- Personal: Block time each week to reflect on what you are learning and where you feel stretched.
- Performance: Summarize your initial observations and share them with your manager for feedback.
Sample 60-day goals
- Learning: Deepen your understanding of project or initiative goals by seeking input from team members and partners.
- Personal: Strengthen working relationships by setting up regular check-ins with your direct reports.
- Performance: Build a more detailed action plan for at least one key project or priority area.
Sample 90-day goals
- Learning: Meet with senior leaders or sponsors to confirm expectations and success measures.
- Personal: Review your original 30- and 60-day goals and adjust where needed based on what you have learned.
- Performance: Present early results, recommendations, or achievements to your manager or team.
For a fillable worksheet you can use right away, download the guide: 30-60-90 Day Plan for New Managers.
Ready to build the skills you need to lead with confidence? Strengthen your transition into management with our course Making the Transition to Supervising and Managing Others or Management Skills for New Supervisors and Managers.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do new managers often feel overwhelmed at the start?
You’re learning a new role while trying to understand your team, your leader’s expectations, and how the work actually gets done. It’s a lot to absorb, and the pressure to show progress quickly can make it feel even heavier.
What should I focus on first as a new manager?
Start with people and context. Spend time listening, asking questions, and understanding what’s already working. Building trust early on makes everything else easier.
How do I balance learning the role with pressure to deliver?
Give yourself permission to pace things out. Small wins, consistency, and clear communication matter more than trying to fix everything at once. Most leaders don’t expect perfection right away, they expect progress and awareness.
How can a 30-60-90 day plan actually help?
It gives you structure when everything feels new. A simple plan helps you sort out what to focus on now, what can wait, and what needs a deeper conversation. It also gives you a clear way to check your progress without feeling like you’re supposed to “know it all” immediately.
This article first appeared on amanet.org and has been adapted for Canadian Management Centre. Used with permission. All rights reserved.
