You have 1 article left to read this month before you need to register a free LeadDev.com account.
Your inbox, upgraded.
Receive weekly engineering insights to level up your leadership approach.
How senior engineering manager at Google plans for their first days in the role.
For anyone, including me, starting a new job as an engineering manager can be overwhelming. In between onboarding and getting to know my direct reports, I need to familiarize myself with the tech stack, tooling, operations, and rhythm of the business. A 30-60-90-day plan has saved the day countless times before for me, and has set me up for success in my new jobs. Here’s how to write one for a smooth transition.
What is a 30-60-90-day plan?
A 30-60-90-day plan is a tool for new managers or managers new to their roles to gain clarity of what’s expected from them. It allows you to identify the largest challenges, and set goals. It serves as a guide, a resource, and a checklist. It’s a key part of a robust onboarding process. It’s a reminder of priorities, and defines what you plan to accomplish in the time frame.
When I moved from managing the JavaScript Cloud Advocacy team at Microsoft to managing multiple teams, drafting a 30-60-90-day plan helped me think about priorities, set realistic time-bound expectations, and identify the highest priorities for myself and my teams. I used it as a checklist for my goals, as well as who to meet with.
Six tips for making a 30-60-90-day plan
Think big picture
Start by identifying your big goals for the first three months, then break it down into manageable tasks for each month. Reflect on your overall priorities and identify why the company hired you. Does your team have specific long-term goals? Is there anything particularly important that senior leadership wants to see?
Start with what’s important for you. Think about the steps it’ll take to set yourself on track to be successful in the role long-term. Identify how short-term goals feed into the bigger picture.
Set smart goals
In each stage of your strategy plan, your goals should be SMART: specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and time-bound. Try to be concise with your plan. Instead of, “Meet many product stakeholders”, try, “Schedule 5 initial 1:1s with product stakeholders in the first 30 days”, and “Set up 3 regular 1:1s with stakeholders outside of my organization within 60 days”. This way, you can measure your progress.
Be a sponge
Deadline: January 4, 2026
Call for Proposals for London 2026 is open!
Ask your manager and stakeholders what you can tackle in the first 90 days that will allow you to hit the ground running, as well as make a significant impact in the organization. Ask many questions about the company, culture, goals, and challenges. Soak up as much information as you can. Read existing strategy documents like annual road maps or objectives and key results (OKRs). Understanding existing OKRs is a great way to get a better sense of the current status of direction of different teams. Try to get your hands on ORKs for your team, your larger org, and cross-functional partner teams.
Meet, meet, meet
Relationships are crucial for leaders. Meet with your peers (the direct reports of your manager), coworkers with a similar role to you, anybody you’ll work with regularly outside your organization, and, if possible, the previous manager of your team. Ask many questions to understand the big picture. In each meeting, learn about the other person’s role in the company and get to know them as a person. Look them up on LinkedIn before the meeting. Maybe you have a shared interest to connect on a more personal level. I recommend listening as much as possible when you’re new, but also having a light agenda prepared, so these first meetings go more smoothly.
Be flexible
Remember, the 30-60-90 plan is less of a strict plan and more a general direction. The thinking and reflecting that goes into the creation of the plan is valuable in itself. Regularly check into your plan and be flexible to adjust it.
Level set expectations with your manager
It’s important to discuss your 30-60-90-day plan with your direct manager. Ask them to point out gaps and tasks that should be deprioritized. This helps to establish a shared understanding of expectations for your role, and clarifies short- and long-term goals.
Fig.1. Generalized template for a 30-60-90 plan
A detailed 30-60-90 template
Here’s a sample plan that you can adapt to your own position. Every role and company is unique, so don’t expect to use this plan exactly as it is, but it should make it easier than starting with a blank piece of paper.
High priority goals to meet:
- Establish a cross-org partnership with Bob’s team for project X.
- Establish a common key result for Q2.
Gaps/risks
- No touch points with Eve’s team yet.
To-do’s for my manager
- Introductions to the product and UX teams by the third week of January.Schedule an executive review of the revenue reporting plan.
Check-list
30 days
Dates: 1-31, August 2025
Main goals:
- Kickoff partnership with Bob’s org.
- Identify additional stakeholders.Understand current goals.Suggest work streams.
- Reach out to Timun, Loretta, and Nikita via 1:1s regarding project Foo.Draft a one-page executive summary for Bob.Discuss UX team engagement for project Foo.Plan work streams in collaboration with Bob.
Tasks outside of main goals:
- Collaborate with Susan’s team on the Learning Hub strategy.Collaborate with Mike on my org’s workshop strategy.Identify stakeholders for the Billing Calculator project.Draft annual road map.Upskill on Zig and prepare for presentation in February.Hiring for a back-end developer.
60 days
Dates: 1-30, September 2025
Main goals:
- First draft for testing strategy.Execute on workstreams with Bob for project X.Meet with additional stakeholders from Bob’s org.Iterate on feedback for revenue report.Deliver presentation on Zig offsite.Organize mid-quarter objectives and key results (OKR) check-in meeting.
[Tasks that are not part of the main goals]
90 days
Dates: 1-31, October 2025
Main goals:
- Implement the plan for SLO reporting.Finalize Q2 OKRs.Finalize shared key result with Bob’s org for Q2.Continue engagement with Bob.Iterate on feedback for testing strategy.
[Tasks that are not part of the main goals]
Final thoughts
While an exact 30-60-90-day plan is almost never possible for an engineering manager, it’s important to begin a new job with goals. You might not check off everything on your plan, and you might complete some items earlier than expected. But the plan will be a useful tool for developing a strategy and aligning with your manager. Good luck!
