Main image of article The 30-60-90 Day Plan for New Tech Hires: Building a Robust Foundation

Summary

Starting your first tech job after graduation is a huge deal. It can also feel overwhelming as you navigate a new codebase, adapt to a new team, and strive to demonstrate your capabilities. You might find yourself wondering if you are on the right track.

This is where a good 30-60-90 day plan comes into play. This structured roadmap provides a framework for setting achievable objectives, building momentum, and demonstrating your commitment to contributing to your team. Regardless of whether your initial role is remote, hybrid, or in-office, this plan offers a valuable tool for tracking your progress and ensuring alignment with your manager's expectations.

Let's delve into how to maximize your initial 90 days, transforming a positive first impression into a solid foundation for long-term career success.

A well-defined 30-60-90 day plan offers several key benefits:

  • Provides Structure in Ambiguity: It brings order to the inherent uncertainty of a new role, offering a clear path forward during a period of significant adjustment.
  • Highlights Tangible Progress: It allows you to identify and reflect upon your achievements, providing a sense of accomplishment and reinforcing positive momentum.
  • Cultivates Managerial Trust: By demonstrating organization and self-direction, you build confidence with your manager, showcasing your proactive approach to your responsibilities.
  • Mitigates Common Pitfalls: It helps you avoid common early-career mistakes, such as overcommitting to tasks prematurely or remaining too passive in seeking guidance and opportunities.

Let's examine the specific areas of focus for each critical stage of your initial three months.

Your first month in a new tech job is fundamentally about observation, onboarding, and absorbing as much information about your team and mission as possible. While you won’t be expected to deliver major features immediately, the focus is on rapidly acquiring foundational knowledge.

  • Master Company Tools, Processes, and Workflows: Gain proficiency in the essential software, platforms, methodologies (like Agile or Waterfall), and reporting structures utilized by the organization.

  • Comprehend Team Mission and Current Priorities: Develop a clear understanding of the team's overarching objectives, the specific projects currently underway, and how your role contributes to these efforts.
  • Cultivate Relationships with Manager, Teammates, and Cross-Functional Partners: Build connections with key individuals you will be working with directly and indirectly. Understanding their roles and responsibilities will be crucial for effective collaboration.
  • Initiate Small Contributions: Begin by addressing minor tasks such as bug fixes, contributing to documentation, or assisting with testing efforts to familiarize yourself with the development lifecycle.

  • Ask Questions: Don't hesitate to seek clarification on acronyms, team objectives, and aspects of the existing codebase that are unclear. Maintain a log of questions and their corresponding answers for future reference.

  • Meticulously Document Information: Keep detailed notes from onboarding sessions, recurring meetings, and solutions to common technical issues. This personal knowledge base will prove invaluable as you progress.
  • Engage with Documentation and Codebase: Familiarize yourself with internal documentation, architectural diagrams, and the structure of the software used by your team. Ask experienced team members for recommended starting points within the codebase.
  • Schedule Regular Meetings with Your Manager: Utilize weekly check-ins to align on expectations, share your progress and early successes, and proactively solicit constructive feedback.

Here’s another good idea: reach out to team members through informal channels like direct messages or virtual coffee breaks. Inquire about their specific responsibilities and how you can best support their work.

Moving into your second month, the emphasis shifts from pure onboarding to actively contributing to the team’s work. This is the period to take ownership of smaller features, deepen your technical understanding, and demonstrate initiative in identifying areas for contribution.

  • Take Ownership of Meaningful Tasks: Begin working on assigned tickets or features that contribute directly to team goals, even if they are of limited scope at first.

  • Actively Participate in Code Reviews and Team Discussions: Engage in code review processes, offering thoughtful feedback and learning from the reviews of your own code. Contribute actively to team meetings and technical discussions.
  • Demonstrate Curiosity and a Growth Mindset: Show a proactive desire to learn new technologies, improve your skills, and understand the underlying principles of the systems you are working with. Be receptive to coaching and guidance.
  • Begin Identifying Opportunities for Value Addition: Start to recognize areas where your skills and perspective can contribute to improvements in processes, code quality, or team efficiency.

  • Volunteer for Specific Tasks: Proactively offer to tackle well-defined but visible features or address existing bugs. Successfully delivering a complete piece of work builds confidence and demonstrates reliability.

  • Develop High-Quality Pull Requests: Ensure your code submissions are clear, well-documented, and accompanied by concise and informative commit messages. This facilitates smoother code reviews.
  • Actively Seek Feedback: Regularly ask questions like, “How could I have approached this differently?” This demonstrates a commitment to continuous improvement and professional maturity.
  • Identify Automation and Improvement Opportunities: Look for repetitive manual processes that could be automated or areas in the documentation that could be enhanced for future team members.

Also, request opportunities to pair program with more senior developers. This collaborative approach accelerates your learning and strengthens your working relationships with the team.

By your third month, you are no longer considered a brand-new member of the team. This phase is about reflecting on your progress, tackling more substantial work, and beginning to formulate your long-term contributions and career trajectory.

  • Successfully Complete a Project or Major Contribution: Aim to deliver a significant piece of work that demonstrates your ability to handle more complex tasks and contribute meaningfully to team objectives.

  • Share Progress in Team Meetings and Retrospectives: Effectively communicate your accomplishments, challenges, and learnings during team meetings and project retrospectives.
  • Develop a Plan for Continuous Learning and Skill Development: Identify areas where you want to deepen your expertise or acquire new skills relevant to your role and the company's technology roadmap.
  • Initiate Discussions About Future Goals and Responsibilities: Begin conversations with your manager about your career aspirations and potential growth opportunities within the team or organization.

  • Request a Formal 90-Day Review: Proactively schedule a meeting with your manager to formally assess your performance, discuss what is going well, and identify areas for further development.

  • Document Your Achievements and Learnings: Maintain a record of the features you have shipped, the technical skills you have acquired, and your key contributions to the team. This documentation is valuable for performance reviews and future career opportunities.
  • Seek Out Growth Opportunities: Express your interest in learning new technologies, potentially mentoring junior colleagues or interns, or taking ownership of specific components of the codebase.
  • Foster Cross-Functional Connections: Reach out to individuals in related departments such as product management, design, or quality assurance to gain a broader understanding of the product lifecycle and interdependencies.

Ask your manager directly: “Where do you see opportunities for me to grow in the next quarter?” This proactive question signals your ambition and helps to collaboratively define your development plan.

It is a common experience for new technology professionals to grapple with feelings of inadequacy or the fear of not possessing sufficient knowledge. It's important to remember that you are not expected to have all the answers on day one, or even after 90 days.

To effectively manage imposter syndrome:

  • Acknowledge Your Hiring Rationale: Remind yourself that you were selected for this role based on your existing skills and potential. You bring valuable perspectives and abilities, even while you are still in the learning process.
  • Focus on Your Personal Growth Trajectory: Avoid comparing your progress to that of more experienced colleagues. Concentrate on your own learning curve and celebrate your individual milestones.
  • Regularly Reflect on Your Learning: Take time each week to consciously acknowledge the new information you have absorbed and the skills you have developed. This cumulative progress is often more significant than it feels in the moment.

The initial 90 days of your technology career are crucial for establishing a strong foundation for all that follows. By embracing your new role with curiosity, humility, and a commitment to continuous growth, you will not only earn the trust of your colleagues and manager but also accelerate your learning and position yourself as a valuable and indispensable member of the team.

  • Complete all onboarding and initial training programs.

  • Develop a clear understanding of the team structure and key project objectives.
  • Hold introductory one-on-one meetings with your manager and key team members.
  • Establish short-term, achievable learning goals focused on foundational knowledge.

  • Successfully deliver your first meaningful feature or bug fix.

  • Actively participate in code reviews and daily stand-up meetings.
  • Seek informal feedback from peers on your technical contributions and collaboration style.
  • Propose a small but impactful improvement to a process or contribute to documentation.

  • Complete a more substantial project or make a significant individual contribution.

  • Effectively communicate your progress and learnings to the team or your manager.
  • Conduct a formal 90-day performance review or engage in a structured self-reflection.
  • Define longer-term professional development goals for the subsequent 3–6 months.