Onboarding 30/60/90¶

The first 90 days shape how a new hire perceives the team, the company, and their own potential for success.

A 30/60/90 plan creates structure for what can otherwise feel overwhelming. It sets clear expectations, provides milestones to aim for, and ensures the new hire gets the support they need. Without it, onboarding becomes ad-hoc—and ad-hoc onboarding leads to slow ramp-up, early frustration, and preventable attrition.

This isn't about hand-holding. It's about clarity. A strong engineer wants to contribute quickly. A good onboarding plan tells them exactly how.

What problem this solves¶

Without structured onboarding:

• New hires don't know what's expected of them.
• They don't know if they're progressing at a reasonable pace.
• Managers don't have a framework to assess ramp-up.
• Important context falls through the cracks.
• New hires feel lost, managers feel frustrated, and early attrition increases.

The 30/60/90 framework solves this by creating a shared roadmap for success.

When to use this¶

Always for new hires—engineers, tech leads, and managers.

Adjust the specifics based on:

• Role level: Senior hires ramp faster on execution but may need more time on organizational context.
• Experience: Someone new to the domain needs more learning time; someone with deep domain knowledge can contribute sooner.
• Team maturity: A well-documented team enables faster onboarding.

The framework stays the same; the milestones adjust.

Roles and ownership¶

The manager is accountable for onboarding success. The buddy makes the day-to-day experience smoother.

The 30/60/90 framework¶

Days 1–30: Learn¶

Focus: Absorb context. Understand the team, codebase, systems, and culture.

Goals:

• Understand the team's mission, current priorities, and how work flows.
• Set up the development environment and ship something small.
• Meet key people: team members, stakeholders, cross-functional partners.
• Understand the codebase enough to navigate and make small changes.
• Learn the team's rituals, norms, and working agreements.

Manager responsibilities:

• Ensure logistics are handled (access, equipment, accounts).
• Schedule introductions with key people.
• Assign an onboarding buddy.
• Have at least two 1:1s during this period.
• Set clear expectations for week 1, week 2, week 3–4.

Buddy responsibilities:

• Be available for questions (schedule daily check-ins for the first week).
• Walk through the codebase and key systems.
• Explain unwritten norms and context.
• Help navigate internal tools and communication.

New hire deliverables:

• Development environment set up and working.
• First commit merged (bug fix, small improvement—something real).
• Documented questions and learnings.
• Met with all team members and key stakeholders.

Check-in at day 30:

• What have you learned?
• What's still confusing?
• Are you getting the support you need?
• Any concerns or surprises?

Days 31–60: Contribute¶

Focus: Start delivering meaningful work. Deepen understanding.

Goals:

• Own and deliver features or improvements independently.
• Participate fully in team rituals (planning, reviews, retros).
• Understand the broader system architecture and dependencies.
• Build relationships with cross-functional partners.
• Start identifying areas for improvement.

Manager responsibilities:

• Assign work that's challenging but achievable.
• Continue weekly 1:1s.
• Provide real feedback—what's going well, what to improve.
• Check that the new hire is integrated socially, not just technically.

Buddy responsibilities:

• Step back slightly—be available but not hovering.
• Help navigate complex situations.
• Give honest feedback on how the new hire is doing.

New hire deliverables:

• At least one meaningful feature or project delivered.
• Active participation in team rituals.
• Documented understanding of key systems (can explain them to someone else).
• Relationships established with Product, Design, and key stakeholders.

Check-in at day 60:

• How do you feel about your contributions so far?
• What's working well in how you're ramping up?
• What would help you be more effective?
• Any feedback for the team or me?

Days 61–90: Drive¶

Focus: Operate independently. Start having impact beyond assigned work.

Goals:

• Deliver work with minimal guidance.
• Mentor other new hires or contribute to onboarding materials.
• Identify and propose improvements (process, technical, team).
• Build reputation as a reliable contributor.
• Have a clear view of growth areas and development goals.

Manager responsibilities:

• Treat as a full team member, not "the new person."
• Discuss performance and trajectory candidly.
• Begin discussing growth goals and development plan.
• Ensure they have visibility and recognition for contributions.

New hire deliverables:

• Operating independently on normal team work.
• At least one contribution outside core assignments (doc improvement, process suggestion, helping a teammate).
• Clear understanding of their role and expectations going forward.
• Draft development goals for the next quarter.

Check-in at day 90:

• Do you feel fully ramped? If not, what's missing?
• What feedback do you have for your onboarding experience?
• What are your goals for the next quarter?
• Any concerns or things you want to change?

What good looks like¶

A successful onboarding at 90 days:

• The new hire is contributing independently on normal team work.
• They've shipped meaningful features, not just small fixes.
• They're participating actively in rituals and discussions.
• They understand the system well enough to make good technical decisions.
• They have relationships with key stakeholders.
• They feel welcome, supported, and optimistic about their future.
• The team sees them as a full member, not "still ramping."

The manager can answer:

• Is this person performing at the expected level for their role?
• What are their strengths and growth areas?
• Are they on track for long-term success?

Failure modes and mitigations¶

Onboarding checklist¶

# Onboarding Checklist: [Name]

**Start date:** [Date]
**Manager:** [Name]
**Buddy:** [Name]

## Pre-arrival

- [ ] Equipment ordered and shipped.
- [ ] Accounts requested (email, Slack, GitHub, etc.).
- [ ] Added to team calendar and relevant channels.
- [ ] 30/60/90 plan prepared.
- [ ] First week meetings scheduled.
- [ ] Buddy assigned and briefed.

## Week 1

- [ ] Welcome meeting with manager.
- [ ] Introduction to buddy.
- [ ] Accounts and access verified.
- [ ] Development environment set up.
- [ ] Team introductions scheduled/completed.
- [ ] Overview of team mission and current priorities.
- [ ] Review of working agreements and norms.
- [ ] First small task assigned.

## Days 1–30 (Learn)

- [ ] Daily check-ins with buddy (week 1), then as needed.
- [ ] Weekly 1:1 with manager.
- [ ] First commit merged.
- [ ] Met with all team members.
- [ ] Met with key stakeholders (Product, Design, etc.).
- [ ] Documented questions and learnings.
- [ ] Day 30 check-in completed.

## Days 31–60 (Contribute)

- [ ] Weekly 1:1 with manager.
- [ ] Participating in all team rituals.
- [ ] Delivered at least one meaningful feature.
- [ ] Understands key systems (can explain to others).
- [ ] Day 60 check-in completed.

## Days 61–90 (Drive)

- [ ] Weekly 1:1 with manager.
- [ ] Operating independently on team work.
- [ ] Contributed beyond core assignments.
- [ ] Draft development goals created.
- [ ] Day 90 check-in completed.
- [ ] Onboarding retrospective held.

Copy-pastable artifact: 30/60/90 plan template¶

# 30/60/90 Onboarding Plan: [Name]

**Role:** [Title]
**Start date:** [Date]
**Manager:** [Name]
**Buddy:** [Name]

---

## Overview

Welcome to [Team Name]! This plan outlines expectations and milestones for your first 90 days. It's a guide, not a rigid script—we'll adjust based on how things go and what you need.

Your success metrics:

- **Day 30:** You understand how we work and have shipped something.
- **Day 60:** You're contributing meaningful work independently.
- **Day 90:** You're a full team member, operating with minimal guidance.

---

## Days 1–30: Learn

### Focus

Absorb context. Understand the team, systems, and culture.

### Goals

- [ ] Development environment set up and working.
- [ ] Understand team mission, priorities, and how work flows.
- [ ] Meet all team members and key stakeholders.
- [ ] Ship first commit (bug fix, small improvement).
- [ ] Understand codebase well enough to navigate.
- [ ] Learn team rituals, norms, and working agreements.

### Key meetings

- [ ] Welcome 1:1 with [Manager] — Day 1
- [ ] Buddy introduction with [Buddy] — Day 1
- [ ] Team introduction — Day [X]
- [ ] Product/Design intro — Day [X]
- [ ] System architecture overview — Day [X]

### Resources to review

- [ ] [Team wiki/docs]
- [ ] [Architecture diagrams]
- [ ] [Working agreements]
- [ ] [On-call/runbook docs]

### Day 30 check-in topics

- What have you learned?
- What's still unclear?
- Are you getting the support you need?
- Feedback so far?

---

## Days 31–60: Contribute

### Focus

Deliver meaningful work. Deepen understanding.

### Goals

- [ ] Own and deliver at least one feature or significant improvement.
- [ ] Participate actively in all team rituals.
- [ ] Understand system architecture and dependencies.
- [ ] Build relationships with cross-functional partners.
- [ ] Identify areas for improvement.

### Expected work

- [ ] [Specific project or feature]
- [ ] [Additional assignments as capacity allows]

### Day 60 check-in topics

- How do you feel about your contributions?
- What's working well in your ramp-up?
- What would help you be more effective?
- Feedback for the team or me?

---

## Days 61–90: Drive

### Focus

Operate independently. Have impact beyond assigned work.

### Goals

- [ ] Deliver work with minimal guidance.
- [ ] Contribute outside core assignments (docs, process, helping teammates).
- [ ] Understand growth areas and draft development goals.
- [ ] Mentor future new hires or improve onboarding materials.

### Expected work

- [ ] [Normal team work, independently owned]
- [ ] [Stretch goal or additional responsibility]

### Day 90 check-in topics

- Do you feel fully ramped?
- Feedback on your onboarding experience?
- Goals for next quarter?
- Anything you want to change?

---

## Support structure

**Manager ([Name]):**

- Weekly 1:1s throughout onboarding.
- Check-ins at day 30, 60, and 90.
- Available for questions and guidance.

**Buddy ([Name]):**

- Daily check-ins in week 1, then as needed.
- First point of contact for questions.
- Help navigating codebase, tools, and culture.

**Team:**

- Here to help—ask questions freely.
- We don't expect you to know everything.

---

## How to ask for help

- **Quick questions:** Slack [#team-channel] or DM your buddy.
- **Blocked on something:** Raise in standup or message your buddy/manager.
- **Feedback or concerns:** Bring to your 1:1 with your manager.

---

## Notes and adjustments

[Use this space to document changes to the plan, additional context, or notes from check-ins]

Related pages¶

• People: Hiring Playbook — The process that leads to onboarding.
• Working Agreements — Norms new hires need to learn.
• One-on-Ones — The check-in structure during onboarding.
• Growth Plans — What comes after onboarding.
• Templates: Growth Plan Template — For creating development goals.