What do you include in a 90-day development plan for a new employee?

A new employee may well be “up and running” during their first few weeks, yet still lack a solid foundation after three months. In that case, you may have carried out onboarding, but failed to provide direction regarding growth, expectations and measurable output. A 90-day development plan makes that initial period concrete: what does someone need to learn, deliver and align in order to add value independently?.

What is a 90-day development plan (and what isn’t it)?

A 90-day development plan is a short, practical document that sets out what a new employee is expected to achieve during their first three months. It covers skills, results, collaboration and behaviour in the context of the role. You use it as a shared guide for both the employee and their manager, not as an HR form to be filed away.

It is neither a comprehensive performance review cycle nor a “compendium of everything that might ever be useful to learn”. If the plan feels like a 30-page mini-training course, it won’t be used. The key is focus: a limited number of objectives, clear benchmarks and fixed points in time for making adjustments.

Why hiring teams are reaping the benefits here

Many recruitment processes end with “hired”. Yet it is precisely at this stage that you can bridge the gap between what you expected during the selection process and what someone needs to demonstrate in practice. You often note down areas for focus for the first few months in your scorecard; the 90-day development plan translates these into specific actions and support.

• You make expectations clear and avoid misunderstandings (“I thought this would come later”).
• You can reduce drop-out rates during the probationary period by establishing clarity and a routine more quickly.
• You help managers to coach more effectively on behaviour and output, rather than on gut feeling.

What elements do you include in the 90-day development plan?

The best plans combine four elements: results, skills, collaboration and enabling conditions. Below you will find components that work in virtually any role, from production and logistics to engineering and sales.

1) Role context: what constitutes “good work” in this role?

Start with a brief description of what the job is really like, not as it was described in the job advert. Think about key responsibilities, busy periods, quality standards, safety rules and who depends on you. This is particularly helpful for roles where the first few weeks are full of new experiences but offer little guidance.

• 3–6 core tasks explained in plain language.
• What should a person be able to do independently by the end of days 30, 60 and 90?
• Which errors are “learning errors” and which pose a risk (safety/quality)?

2) Targets by period: 0–30, 31–60, 61–90 days

Work in phases. In the first 30 days, the focus is often on understanding the role and settling in safely. In the second phase, the focus shifts to working independently. In the third phase, you’ll be looking for consistent performance and a clear path to further growth.

Always introduce objectives with a sentence that clearly distinguishes between an activity and an outcome. “Attending a training course” is an activity; “is able to carry out X independently in accordance with standard Y” is an outcome.

3) Measurable KPIs that are appropriate for the role (without going overboard)

Not every role requires a dashboard with twenty figures. However, a few clear indicators do help to keep discussions grounded in facts. Choose KPIs that the employee can influence and that reflect the reality of the workplace.

• Manufacturing/industry: quality rejects, output per shift, safety reports, compliance with work instructions.
• Logistics: picking errors, lead time, damage, scanning discipline, delivery reliability within our own scope.
• Technical/maintenance: troubleshooting standard issues, first-time resolution of known jobs, documentation in order.
• Sales: number of high-quality conversations, follow-up discipline, pipeline management, first deals or trial orders (depending on the cycle).

4) Learning and development: skills, knowledge and behaviour

A 90-day development plan is not a “training overview”, but you do want to set out explicitly what someone needs to learn. Think in terms of three layers: professional knowledge, working methods and behaviour. Particularly when it comes to hard-to-find roles, the difference often lies not just in skills, but in how someone sets priorities, communicates and turns feedback into action.

• Technical expertise: systems, machinery, product knowledge, procedures, standards.
• Procedure: standard working practices, checklists, escalation, reporting, handover.
• Behaviour: safety awareness, ownership, teamwork, coping with pace and pressure.

5) Stakeholders and collaboration: who do you need to know and how do you work together?

New staff members rarely fail because they “can’t do it”, but often because they “don’t coordinate”. You should therefore include in the plan the people with whom the new employee needs to establish clear working arrangements during the first 90 days. Be specific: who should they go to for what, and when is something “good enough” to be passed on?

• Team lead: daily stand-up, priorities, escalations.
• Planning: capacity, changes, handover.
• Quality/HSE: audits, reports, non-conformities, areas for improvement.
• Sales/operations (for commercial roles): qualification criteria, pricing agreements, handover to the operations team.

6) The rhythm of support: check-ins that really make a difference

Schedule fixed times; otherwise, the development plan will get lost in the hustle and bustle. It helps to have short, predictable check-ins with a set agenda. Keep the discussion brief: what went well, what’s holding things up, what’s the next step, and what support is needed?

• Weeks 1–2: two short check-ins per week (15 minutes).
• Weeks 3–6: weekly (30 minutes), with one observation session in the workplace.
• Weeks 7–12: fortnightly (30–45 minutes), focusing on independence and areas for improvement.

7) Translating risks and areas for attention identified during the selection process into actions

This is where you link back to your selection insights. If you’re working with a scorecard, you’ll usually have already identified areas for development and things to watch out for. Translate those points directly into specific coaching advice; otherwise, it’ll remain just a hunch.

Examples:

• “Little experience with shift handover” becomes: practise the handover three times with a buddy, with feedback on the structure.
• “Tends to act too quickly” becomes: works with a checklist for critical steps; team lead checks weeks 1–4.
• “Sales: convince quickly, ask few follow-up questions” becomes: record and review 5 conversations, focus on needs analysis.

8) Clear assessment criteria regarding the probationary period and privacy

Many organisations also use the 90-day period as a probationary period or as preparation for the final assessment. In such cases, make it clear which criteria you are using and how you will record them. In practice, assessment notes and areas for development often constitute personal data.

For practical guidance on handling job application and personnel data, please refer to the Explanation from the Dutch Data Protection Authority regarding job application data consult. This helps to maintain transparency towards staff and to take retention periods and purpose limitation seriously.

Practical steps: how to draw up the plan in 45 minutes

You don’t need to make a big deal out of this. With the right input, you can draw up a workable plan in a single working session with the hiring manager and a member of the team.

1. Take a look at the function’s output: What must someone demonstrably achieve within 90 days?
2. Choose 3–5 goals per phase (30/60/90), with measurable results.
3. Identify 2–3 risks from ‘selection’ to ‘guidance’.
4. Plan the rhythm: first check-in within 48 hours, followed by fixed times.
5. Establish ownership: What does the employee do, what does the buddy do, and what does the manager do?

Common mistakes that render the plan useless

• Vague language: “Becoming proactive” doesn’t mean anything. Describe behaviour in situations that actually occur.
• List training sessions only: if you don’t set out in writing what someone should be able to do independently afterwards, it remains non-binding.
• No link to the selection: then you repeat the same surprises again after 6 weeks.
• Do not book a time slot: without check-ins, the plan is just a document, not a guide.

How to link this to your scorecard and interview structure

If you are already using fixed criteria in the selection process, you can align the development plan with these. This makes the transition from “gathering evidence” to “supporting growth” a logical one. It also prevents a manager from suddenly focusing on different aspects after the employee has joined the company than those on which the recruitment decision was based.

• Use the scorecard fields “risks/areas for attention” and “development plan for the first 90 days” as a basis. See: Create a selection scorecard for hiring managers.
• Link your objectives to the skills and case studies discussed during your interview, so that you maintain the same standard. See: How to conduct a structured interview in 8 steps.
• If you find that speed or the process is causing friction, check that you aren’t falling into any common pitfalls. See: mistakes that cost you your best candidates.

One final check: is the plan fair, feasible and practical?

A good 90-day development plan is strict on expectations and lenient in its support. It sets out what constitutes “sufficient”, when someone receives help, and what happens if targets are not met. If you set this out clearly, the first three months will involve less guesswork and more guidance.

Would you like to standardise these kinds of 90-day plans by job category (blue-collar, sales or maritime) and link them to a data-driven recruitment and onboarding system? If so, it makes sense to look at this in conjunction with your recruitment process and target audience insights. Please feel free to get in touch via FosFor to discuss an approach that suits your roles and recruitment needs.