What is a 30-60-90 Day Plan?
A 30-60-90 day plan is a structured onboarding framework that breaks your first three months as an engineering leader into three phases: Learn, Contribute, and Lead. It helps new managers avoid the common mistake of trying to change things too fast while also preventing the opposite trap of staying passive for too long. This template gives you specific milestones for each phase so you can build credibility, understand the team, and start leading with confidence.
Key Takeaways
- Days 1–30: Listen and learn — meet everyone, understand the codebase and processes
- Days 31–60: Start contributing — lead meetings, suggest improvements, give feedback
- Days 61–90: Lead with confidence — set quarterly goals, define team vision, own the roadmap
- Build relationships before making changes — trust is earned, not assumed
First 30 Days: Learn
Meet with each team member individually
Schedule 1:1s with every direct report. Learn their working style, career goals, and frustrations. Take notes and look for patterns.
Observe team dynamics and meeting cadence
Attend standups, retros, and planning sessions as an observer. Understand how decisions are made and where communication breaks down.
Understand the codebase, deployment process, and tooling
Get hands-on with the development workflow. You don't need to write code, but you need to understand what your team deals with daily.
Learn company values and how engineering aligns with business goals
Meet with product, design, and leadership to understand the company's priorities and where engineering fits in the bigger picture.
Understand your team from day one
Most new managers spend their first month just figuring out who does what. HackerPulse shows you velocity, collaboration, and workload data before your first 1:1.
Try it freeNext 30 Days: Contribute
Lead a sprint or project kickoff meeting
Take ownership of a process. Running a meeting well builds credibility and shows the team you're engaged.
Identify and suggest improvements in team processes
Based on your first month of observation, propose 1–2 targeted improvements. Start small — a better retro format, clearer sprint goals, or improved documentation.
Start giving constructive feedback in code reviews and retros
Share your perspective thoughtfully. Focus on patterns rather than individual incidents.
Collaborate with peers on cross-functional initiatives
Build relationships with other managers and teams. Cross-functional work demonstrates leadership beyond your immediate team.
Last 30 Days: Lead
Set clear goals for the next quarter
Define measurable objectives with your team. Use OKRs or another goal-setting framework that fits your org.
Host a team retrospective and implement changes
Run a retro focused on your first 90 days together. What's working? What should change? Turn insights into actions.
Define or refine your team's charter and vision
Write down what your team owns, why it matters, and where it's heading. Share it with the team and get buy-in.
Partner with Product and Design on roadmap planning
Take an active role in shaping what the team builds next. Bring engineering perspective to product decisions.