Our new PMM started Monday. I handed her access to our tools, pointed her to our Notion workspace, and said "Let me know if you have questions."
Sixteen weeks later, she still wasn't fully productive.
She'd shadowed team members. Attended product demos. Read documentation. Sat in on customer calls. But she was still asking basic questions, missing context on key decisions, and not confident enough to own work independently.
The problem wasn't her—she was experienced and capable. The problem was our onboarding was reactive instead of structured.
We expected people to "figure it out" through osmosis. Read all the docs, attend all the meetings, absorb company knowledge through exposure. No clear milestones. No defined learning objectives. No accountability for ramp time.
The result: New PMMs took 16-20 weeks to become fully productive. That's 4-5 months of paying someone to learn instead of deliver.
I built a structured 30/60/90 day onboarding program. Clear milestones at each stage. Specific deliverables. Defined learning objectives. Accountability for both the new hire and the team.
The next PMM hire ramped in 8 weeks instead of 16.
Here's the onboarding program that actually worked—and why most PMM teams take too long to onboard new hires.
Why Most PMM Onboarding Fails
The typical approach:
Week 1: Meet everyone, get tool access, read documentation Week 2-4: Shadow team members, attend meetings Week 5-8: Start doing real work with heavy supervision Week 9-16: Gradually become independent
Total ramp time: 16-20 weeks
Why this fails:
No clear milestones: "Shadow and learn" is vague. New hires don't know what "good" looks like or when they should be self-sufficient.
Too much passive learning: Reading docs and sitting in meetings doesn't build skills. Doing the work builds skills.
No forcing function for knowledge transfer: Existing team members stay busy with their work. Onboarding becomes "ask me if you need help" instead of structured knowledge transfer.
Too long before real work: 8 weeks of watching before doing means new hires aren't adding value for 2 months.
The better approach: Active learning from day one. Clear milestones every 30 days. Deliverables that force knowledge building while adding value.
The 30/60/90 Framework (What Each Phase Builds)
Days 1-30: Foundation (Learning the landscape)
Goal: Understand market, product, customers, and internal stakeholders
Success metric: Can articulate our positioning and target customers with 80% accuracy
Days 31-60: Contribution (Doing real work with support)
Goal: Complete real PMM projects with guidance, building functional skills
Success metric: Owns and ships meaningful project (launch, battle card, research)
Days 61-90: Ownership (Working independently)
Goal: Own workflows end-to-end without constant supervision
Success metric: Leading projects independently, contributing to team strategy
This structure creates clear progression: Learn → Contribute → Own.
Days 1-30: Foundation Phase
Week 1: Market and Product Immersion
Deliverable: Market landscape memo (3-4 pages)
New hire spends Week 1 researching and writes memo covering:
- Who are our target customers? (ICPs and personas)
- What problems do we solve? (Jobs to be done)
- Who are our main competitors? (Positioning map)
- How do we differentiate? (Value props)
Why this works: Forces active learning. Can't write this memo without deeply understanding the market.
Resources provided:
- Customer interview recordings (10-15 calls)
- Win/loss analysis data (last 20 deals)
- Competitive battle cards
- Messaging docs and website
Review session: End of Week 1, present memo to team. Team provides feedback on gaps and corrections.
Example feedback: "You said our main differentiation is 'ease of use' but that's not how we position. Our differentiation is 'enterprise scalability without enterprise complexity.' Ease of use is a feature, not positioning."
This catches misunderstandings early.
Week 2: Stakeholder Relationships
Deliverable: Stakeholder map and key insights
New hire schedules 30-minute 1:1s with:
- 3 product managers (understand roadmap and priorities)
- 3 sales reps (understand selling motion and objections)
- 2 customer success managers (understand adoption and churn patterns)
- 1 demand gen marketer (understand campaign strategy)
After each conversation, document:
- What does this stakeholder need from PMM?
- What are their current pain points?
- How can PMM add value to their work?
Why this works: Builds relationships and surfaces real needs before assuming what PMM should do.
Week 3-4: Functional Skills Building
Deliverable: Create one real asset (choice of battle card, launch brief, or customer research summary)
New hire picks one functional area to dive deep:
Option A: Competitive battle card
- Research competitor X
- Interview 3 sales reps about how we compete
- Create battle card using template
- Present to sales team for feedback
Option B: Launch brief
- Shadow upcoming product launch
- Write positioning and messaging brief
- Review with product manager and PMM team
- Incorporate feedback and finalize
Option C: Customer research synthesis
- Listen to 10 customer interviews
- Identify top 3 themes and patterns
- Write research summary with insights
- Present to product team
Why this works: Real deliverable with real feedback. Forces functional skill development while adding value.
End of Day 30 Checkpoint:
New hire and manager review:
- Market landscape memo (Do they understand our market?)
- Stakeholder insights (Do they know who we work with?)
- First deliverable (Can they create quality work?)
Pass/No pass decision: Ready for Phase 2 or need more foundation time?
Days 31-60: Contribution Phase
Goal shift: From learning to contributing. New hire now owns real work with support.
Week 5-6: Lead a Small Project
Deliverable: Own a T3 launch or battle card refresh
New hire gets their first owned project:
- Plan the work (timeline, stakeholders, deliverables)
- Execute (create materials, coordinate with teams)
- Ship (deliver to stakeholders, gather feedback)
Support provided:
- Weekly check-ins with manager
- Peer review before delivery
- Template and examples to follow
Why this works: Ownership creates accountability. Smaller project (T3 launch) has manageable scope.
Week 7-8: Contribute to Major Project
Deliverable: Meaningful contribution to T1/T2 launch or major initiative
New hire doesn't lead this project—they contribute meaningfully:
Example: Supporting T1 launch
- Owns competitive positioning section
- Creates sales enablement FAQ
- Runs sales training session
- Gathers post-launch feedback
Why this works: Sees how complex projects work. Contributes real value without pressure of leading.
End of Day 60 Checkpoint:
Review:
- Small project delivery (Did they plan and execute well?)
- Major project contribution (Did they add value to team effort?)
- Stakeholder feedback (Are product/sales/marketing happy with their work?)
Ready for Phase 3? Can they work more independently?
Days 61-90: Ownership Phase
Goal shift: From supported contribution to independent ownership.
Week 9-10: Own Medium Project End-to-End
Deliverable: Lead T2 launch or significant competitive program
New hire now owns a meaningful project:
- Plan independently (manager reviews but doesn't dictate)
- Execute with minimal supervision
- Coordinate cross-functional stakeholders
- Ship quality work on timeline
Support provided:
- Manager available for questions but not directing
- Async reviews (not real-time oversight)
- Retrospective after delivery
Week 11-12: Strategic Contribution
Deliverable: Propose improvement to PMM program or process
New hire is now positioned to see gaps. Ask them to propose an improvement:
Examples:
- "Our battle card refresh process is reactive. Here's a proactive framework."
- "Sales reps struggle to find enablement materials. Here's a reorganization plan."
- "We don't measure launch success consistently. Here's a metrics framework."
Why this works: Shows they understand how PMM works well enough to make it better.
End of Day 90: Final Review
Assessment:
- Can they own projects independently? (Yes/No)
- Do stakeholders trust their work? (Feedback from product/sales)
- Are they contributing to strategy? (Beyond execution)
Outcome: Fully ramped and productive team member.
The Supporting Infrastructure That Made It Work
The 30/60/90 framework only works if you build the infrastructure to support it.
Infrastructure 1: Onboarding Notion workspace
Dedicated Notion space with:
- Week-by-week checklist of what to do
- Templates for deliverables (market memo, stakeholder map, etc.)
- Links to key resources (recordings, docs, tools)
- Examples from past hires
New hire knows exactly what to do each week without asking.
Infrastructure 2: Shadowing schedule
Week 1-2 shadowing plan set up before Day 1:
- Customer call recordings queued up
- Stakeholder 1:1s pre-scheduled
- Team meetings marked as "required for new hire"
No scrambling to figure out what they should attend.
Infrastructure 3: First project assigned before Day 1
Manager identifies a good first project during Week 3-4:
- T3 launch happening in Week 5
- Battle card that needs refresh
- Research project ready to start
New hire has a clear project to work toward from day one.
Infrastructure 4: Weekly check-ins
Week 1-4: Daily 15-min check-ins (answer questions, remove blockers) Week 5-8: 2x weekly 30-min check-ins (project reviews, feedback) Week 9-12: Weekly 30-min check-ins (strategic discussion, coaching)
Check-in frequency decreases as autonomy increases.
Infrastructure 5: Peer buddy system
Assign experienced PMM as "buddy" for first 90 days:
- Informal questions and context ("Why do we do it this way?")
- Second reviewer of deliverables
- Cultural onboarding (unwritten norms)
Manager provides structure. Buddy provides day-to-day support.
The Deliverables That Accelerated Learning
The key insight: Deliverables force active learning better than reading docs.
Traditional onboarding: "Read our messaging framework doc."
Result: New hire skims it, doesn't retain much.
Deliverable-driven onboarding: "Write a 1-page positioning summary based on our messaging framework."
Result: New hire has to deeply understand framework to write summary. They find gaps and ask clarifying questions.
The best onboarding deliverables:
Week 1: Market landscape memo
- Can't write it without understanding the market
- Surfaces misunderstandings immediately
- Creates artifact for future reference
Week 2: Stakeholder insight doc
- Forces relationship building
- Identifies what each team needs from PMM
- Creates foundation for collaboration
Week 4: First real asset (battle card, brief, or research)
- Proves functional capability
- Adds real value (not fake work)
- Builds confidence
Week 6: Owned small project
- End-to-end experience
- Accountability for outcomes
- Real stakeholder feedback
Week 10: Owned medium project
- Proves independence
- Shows readiness for full workload
What Changed: Before and After Metrics
Before structured onboarding:
- Time to first real deliverable: 8 weeks
- Time to independent work: 16-20 weeks
- New hire satisfaction: Mixed (lots of "I don't know what I should be doing")
- Manager time investment: 10+ hours/week for 16 weeks (160 hours)
After 30/60/90 program:
- Time to first real deliverable: 3 weeks
- Time to independent work: 8-10 weeks
- New hire satisfaction: High (clear expectations and milestones)
- Manager time investment: 12 hours/week for 6 weeks, 4 hours/week for 6 weeks (96 hours)
Impact:
- 50% faster ramp time (16 weeks → 8 weeks)
- 40% less manager time required (160 hours → 96 hours)
- Higher quality onboarding (structured vs. ad-hoc)
The upfront effort to build the program paid back on the first hire.
The Adjustments for Different Experience Levels
The 30/60/90 framework works for different experience levels with adjustments:
For Senior PMM hires (7+ years experience):
Accelerate the timeline:
- Days 1-20: Foundation (they'll pick up market context faster)
- Days 21-45: Contribution (jump to medium projects sooner)
- Days 46-60: Ownership (fully independent by Day 60)
Focus on strategic thinking:
- Less "how to create battle card" (they know)
- More "why we position this way" and "how we prioritize"
For Junior PMM hires (0-2 years experience):
Extend foundation phase:
- Days 1-45: Foundation (more time learning market and functions)
- Days 46-75: Contribution (more supported projects)
- Days 76-120: Ownership (gradual independence)
Add skill-building:
- Training on PMM fundamentals
- More templates and examples
- Heavier peer review and coaching
For Teams Scaling PMM Operations
As PMM teams grow, maintaining consistent onboarding quality across multiple hires becomes challenging. Some teams find value in consolidating onboarding materials, templates, and workflows into integrated platforms rather than scattered across docs, wikis, and tools. Solutions like Segment8 demonstrate how centralized PMM systems can streamline knowledge transfer for new hires—providing single-source access to competitive intelligence, launch frameworks, and messaging guidelines that traditionally live in disconnected systems.
The Common Onboarding Mistakes We Fixed
Mistake 1: Too much passive learning, not enough doing
Old approach: "Spend first month reading docs and shadowing."
Problem: People learn by doing, not watching.
Fix: First deliverable in Week 1. Real project by Week 4.
Mistake 2: No clear milestones or success criteria
Old approach: "Just learn the business."
Problem: New hire doesn't know if they're on track.
Fix: Clear checkpoints at Day 30, 60, 90 with defined success criteria.
Mistake 3: Onboarding is the new hire's job alone
Old approach: "Here are the resources, let me know if you need help."
Problem: Existing team doesn't prioritize onboarding.
Fix: Manager accountable for check-ins. Buddy assigned. Team presents to new hire.
Mistake 4: Generic onboarding regardless of experience
Old approach: Same program for junior and senior hires.
Problem: Senior hires get bored. Junior hires get overwhelmed.
Fix: Adjust timeline and depth based on experience level.
Mistake 5: No measurement of onboarding effectiveness
Old approach: Hope people ramp eventually.
Problem: Can't improve what you don't measure.
Fix: Track time to first deliverable, time to independence, new hire satisfaction.
The Uncomfortable Truth About PMM Onboarding
Most PMM teams have no formal onboarding because "PMM is too context-dependent to standardize."
That's an excuse for laziness.
Yes, every company's market and product is different. But the skills PMMs need are consistent:
- Understanding the market and competitive landscape
- Building stakeholder relationships
- Creating positioning and messaging
- Executing launches
- Enabling sales
These can be taught systematically.
The teams that onboard PMMs in 8 weeks:
- Build structured 30/60/90 programs
- Use deliverables to force active learning
- Provide templates, examples, and frameworks
- Assign ownership progressively (learn → contribute → own)
- Measure ramp time and iterate on program
The teams that take 16+ weeks:
- "Figure it out" approach with no structure
- Passive learning (read docs, shadow, attend meetings)
- No clear milestones or success criteria
- Random project assignment with no progression
- Don't measure or improve onboarding
The difference is 8 weeks of productivity. For a $150K PMM, that's $23K in lost value per hire.
If you hire 2 PMMs per year, poor onboarding costs $46K annually in lost productivity.
Building a structured onboarding program takes 20-30 hours upfront. It pays back on the first hire.
Build the 30/60/90 framework. Create the deliverables. Set up the infrastructure. Measure the results.
Your new hires will ramp faster. Your team will be more productive. Your CFO will notice the ROI.
Stop winging it. Build real onboarding.