A 90-day plan develops a clear course of action for a new project, extension role or job, to be implemented over 90 days.
It is a short document – a two pager – easy to read, review and update.
It sets the focus, what needs to be learned and actioned and keeps things as efficient and as effective as possible, over a 90 day period.
Why 90 days?
This type of planning can be really effective as 90 days is not too long so as to lose focus and motivation and not too short that there is insufficient time to complete meaningful actions.
Shorter planning and implementation periods also enables agility in planning and execution, when dealing with changing environments.
Key Tip
Be clear on why you need a 90 day plan, e.g. to have a clear focus, to keep on top of things, to get alignment across the team, to be effective, to prioritise, to communicate, for decision making, to ensure outcomes are achieved. Whatever the reasons, focus on those to ensure success.A key outcome is that each team member has a clear understanding of what they’ll be expected to learn, action and deliver over the 90 days in respect to the focus.
A Buddy?
Consider whether it could be useful to have a “buddy” system. Buddies fast track networking and professional development. They help show fellow teammates the ropes, introduce them to other team members, act as go-to people for common questions that arise and generally help make the 90 days as smooth and as effective as possible, for their fellow teammate.
Organising the 90 day plan
Base it around time a timeframe:
- Day 1 – Vision, High Definition Direction (HDD), the Focus
- Week 1 – Assemble the team, S.M.A.R.T. Goals (Specific, Measurable, Actionable, Realistic, Time Bound)
- Day 30 – Review: The three R’s – Result, Reason, Response
- Result: Black and white – against your HDD and S.M.A.R.T. goals
- Reason: Identify the root cause of the result
- Response: Who will do what by when? – place that into the plan – then execute
- Day 60 – As for Day 30
- Day 90 – Wrap up – Review against your KPI’s – Commence a new 90 day plan?
Tips
It is also important to have consistent, frequent check-ins, with team leaders and fellow team members. As part of that process, goals are continually checked and further defined.The power of writing clearly articulated goals cannot be overstated. It can be the difference between clarity and confusion, empowerment and ineffectiveness and well described goals are strongly associated with goal success.
Scientific research shows two key things happen in respect to writing goals down:
- The practice helps in processing and remembering
- Writing helps analyze things as the brain encodes, it undergoes a biological process whereby information is analyzed and prioritised, during the act of writing it down.
Use SMART goals – Your goals should be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound. Assess each goal for these factors as they are added to the 90-day plan.
Foster a continuous improvement mindset – Prepare to adjust your goals and actions as needed. Learn and adapt from the actions and their results, as your 90 day plan is implemented.
Prepare to quantify – At the end of each 30 days, quantify your progress. Use this information to inform your next 30 days of work.
Keep it short and easily able to be read – Describe it in terms of goals and actions and it is suggested across these three areas:
1. Learning
2. Performance
3. Personal
90 Day Plan Template
Here is a template for a 30-60-90 day plan through which you identify the learning goals and actions and the performance goals and actions for your extension project or role. You can then also set any personal goals and actions if that would be useful. Ensure each goal you set is S.M.A.R.T. You can copy the text below and use it as fields in a document.
Vision – High Definition Direction (HDD), the focus:
Overall S.M.A.R.T. Goals for the 90 days:
Interim Goals (Add in below):
Learning goals
30 days
– Goal 1
– Goal 2
– Goal 3
60 days
– Goal 1
– Goal 2
– Goal 3
90 days
– Goal 1
– Goal 2
– Goal 3
Learning actions
30 days
– Action 1
– Action 2
– Action 3
60 days
– Action 1
– Action 2
– Action 3
90 days
– Action 1
– Action 2
– Action 3
Performance goals
30 days
– Goal 1
– Goal 2
– Goal 3
60 days
– Goal 1
– Goal 2
– Goal 3
90 days
– Goal 1
– Goal 2
– Goal 3
Performance actions
30 days
– Action 1
– Action 2
– Action 3
60 days
– Action 1
– Action 2
– Action 3
90 days
– Action 1
– Action 2
– Action 3
Personal goals
30 days
– Goal 1
– Goal 2
– Goal 3
60 days
– Goal 1
– Goal 2
– Goal 3
90 days
– Goal 1
– Goal 2
– Goal 3
Personal actions
30 days
– Action 1
– Action 2
– Action 3
60 days
– Action 1
– Action 2
– Action 3
90 days
– Action 1
– Action 2
– Action 3
Wrap Up
1. Review how you went against your KPI’s and your overall goals.
2. Start a new plan?