The first 12 weeks
The first weeks in a bigger role are full of welcome meetings, inherited problems and people watching to see what you will do. It is easy to spend them reacting.
The plan gives those weeks a shape: what to learn, who to know, which early results to go after, what to hand over, and who supports you. It takes about an hour to draft and 15 minutes a week to keep alive.
What is in it
- A short introduction. Why the first 3 months matter, and what the plan does not replace.
- Template A, the people. Your stakeholders, what each needs from you, and when you will meet.
- Template B, the 90-day plan. 5 areas across 3 months, with a maximum of 3 items in each box.
- The user guide. 8 steps, from agreeing expectations to the review at day 90.
Step 1 is a conversation with your manager or board about what success looks like.
Who is it for
Three readers with a change they want and have not yet made.
The newly promoted
From doing the work to leading it. The plan shows what to let go of.
The external hire
A new organisation, new people and no history. The plan sets your first conversations.
The founder
Handing a part of the business to someone else, or taking on a new one yourself.
Starting a new role?
Most transition plans are good on day 1 and forgotten by week 4. The difference is usually whether someone asks about it every week.