individual development plan examples for business professionals

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Blog Training and Development

Individual Development Plans: 14 IDP Templates & Examples that Motivate

By Michelle Martin , Feb 15, 2023

The terms Individual Development Plan and Employee Development Plan are often used interchangeably, but the outcome is the same: a document outlining a person’s professional and career goals with an action plan to get there.

Does every employee in your organization have an IDP? Or if you’re here to make one, has your manager discussed a plan for your professional development?

If your answer is “no” to either, you can’t afford to ignore individual development plans any longer. Companies that invest in employee development earn, on average, 11% higher profits than those that don’t. You’re also risking your workforce as  86% of professionals  would switch jobs if the new one offered more growth and development opportunities.

Not to fear: Here’s everything you need to know about creating useful individual development plans to boost your profits and attract and retain top talent.

Click to jump ahead:

What is an individual development plan, why do you need an individual development plan, 13 individual development plan examples and tips, how to make an individual development plan, individual development plan faqs.

An individual development plan (IDP) is a collaborative document between a manager and an employee to define career goals and map out how to learn new skills or improve current ones. It matches an employee’s strengths and interests to key business objectives.

Usually, individual development plans are part of the annual performance review and general  employee development  discussion. But you can make or update one anytime.

You can also create an individual development plan for yourself to pursue career or personal learning goals.

IDPs usually include:

• Short and long-term career goals the employee wants to achieve.
• Current skills the employee wants to improve, or new ones to learn.
• Skills the manager wants the employee to further develop.
• Specific action steps to achieve the goals (e.g. taking a course, attending a workshop, finding a mentor, etc).

Many different formats work well for individual development plans, from plain text documents to elaborate tables and timelines. Mix and match blocks, tables, and more with this flexible IDP template to customize it to your needs.

Return to Table of Contents

Individual development plans are beneficial to everyone, including the company. IDPs encourage your employees to voice their career goals and co-create a plan to get there. Even if they end up leaving for another company in the future, you benefit from their new skills until then.

Your employee will likely also be grateful for their growth with you and happily refer others to open roles. Since we’re in one of the  tightest labor markets ever , referrals and word of mouth can mean the difference between filling your open positions or not.

Individual development plans also address a real business need:  56% of businesses  surveyed by Statistics Canada in 2022 said most of their employees weren’t “fully proficient” at their jobs. If your company has over 100 employees, that most certainly applies to you as 93% of large companies responded that way, whereas only 33% of companies with less than four employees did.

IDPs help your employees learn the skills they need to achieve their own goals, but they’re also key to ensuring your business needs are met.

A stylish table format is effective for communicating goals and action steps which are both important parts of an IDP. List the goal category on the left, the action step in the middle, and a target due date on the right.

For example, a goal category could be “improving public speaking skills.” An action step could be joining a local Toastmasters group or hosting a Lunch and Learn for the office.

Give this worksheet-style template to your employee before your IDP meeting to find out their goals and how they view their progress so far. By getting their ideas on paper first, you’ll make better use of meeting time to discuss actions and solutions.

Are you (or your employee) a visual person? Just because most individual development plans look like traditional documents doesn’t mean yours has to. Try out this creative and colorful quadrant template to prioritize goals and actions by their importance, due date, or any other criteria that make sense to you.

This template is structured as a corrective action plan but could also work well for an IDP. As a reminder, IDPs aren’t a disciplinary tool or for underperforming employees. Everyone should have an individual development plan focusing on their strengths, while also acknowledging weaknesses that may impact the achievement of career goals.

Another great template for visual folks, this serves well as a progress tracker for the action steps in your IDP. The simple, one-page format is quick to update and makes it easy to see progress toward your goals.

This template could be another self-evaluation tool for your employee to fill out prior to your IDP meeting to rank the importance or priority level of specific actions or goals. Or, use it as a progress tracker by listing out the actions and ranking them from “Not Started” to “Complete.”

Often, an IDP has a big goal in mind, like being the head of a division or something else several steps ahead of you. In order to get there, you need to break it down into smaller goals along the way.

Growing into a C-suite position could mean first managing an important project, then a small team, and then a larger team, and so on. By visually planning the smaller goals along the way, you (or your employee) have realistic expectations of what’s needed to get to the ultimate goal and a focused approach to get there.

An individual development plan is a lot like a product roadmap, except with your goals instead of new features. This simple timeline template is a good way to work through the order you’ll need to accomplish action items in and set target deadlines.

It’s also useful for visual thinkers to see a simplistic overview of their trajectory on one page. You can detail each goal or step in subsequent pages.

Using a 30, 60, and 90 day timeline is an effective way to break down large goals into achievable steps per quarter. This can also work as a one-page quarterly plan — just add an extra column — or a multi-year plan.

This template serves as a compact yet detailed action plan that’s perfect for goal tracking in your individual development plan.

This multi-page template is highly flexible so every page of your IDP will look professional and on-brand. Easily add tables, lists, and more to the content pages as needed to create a detailed and aesthetic development plan.

While this is set up as an orientation plan, you could easily customize it as an individual development plan.

If you like a quarterly planning approach, this template is helpful to detail the action steps you need to take for the rest of the year.

Any of the templates above can be your starting point for creating your organization’s IDP template, or choose from all our  business templates . Some templates are available only to our paid subscribers, but all the options above are free for everyone to use.

Starting with a template saves time and ensures your finished IDP looks polished and professional. It’s easy to customize any of these with our free online editor in just a few clicks.

Step 1: Sign up for a free Venngage account

All you need is an email address to  sign up for a free Venngage account .

No free trials, credit card numbers, or any of that. You can edit any of our free templates with your free account… for  free , okay?

Step 2: Choose an individual development plan template to customize

Pick one of the templates mentioned above or browse our full database of  Human Resources templates , including  letters ,  plans ,  presentations , and more.

Step 3: Edit the template for your IDP

Once you’ve picked a template, the fun part begins: Making it your own. Click  Create  on any template to enter the editor where you can change colors, text, graphics, and more.

I’m using this IDP checklist template as an example:

I like to match a new template to my brand first as this saves a lot of time if you want to duplicate the page to add more content later.

Our Business and Premium subscriptions offer  My Brand Kit  to store your colors, fonts, and logos for easy template customization anywhere for your entire team. But no worries for our free account holders: Editing is just as easy.

Click on any text area or graphic to edit it. Type new text, or use the top menu to change color, font, size, spacing, and more.

You can replace existing graphics with one of our  3 million+ free stock photos , over 40,000 illustrations and icons, or upload your own.

Explore the left side menu to add a background or a new layout, like a graph or table. You can also click and drag objects around the page to your liking. Use the right side menu to duplicate the current page or add a new blank one to your document.

Step 4: Share or save your new IDP

Once you’re happy with your new individual development plan template, click on the  Share  icon or  Download  button to save it to your computer (Business or Premium accounts).

So easy, right?

What are good IDP goals?

There aren’t “good” or “bad” goals as each IDP is as unique as the individual it’s for. However, effective IDP goals have a few things in common, like being:

• Related to the employee’s career path.
• Achievable in the specified timeframe. (You can list out big goals but ensure the action steps to start with are reasonable to accomplish, or at least start, within the next year.)
• Collaboratively planned between manager and employee, with both having input.

If your employee wants to lead their department one day but hasn’t managed anyone before, some good IDP goals to set for the upcoming year could be:

• Taking a leadership course or program from a nearby or online business school.
• Leading a big project, including supervising their peers and providing feedback.
• Finding a leadership mentor within the company and regularly checking in with them.

How can I support my employee’s IDP goals?

This depends what your employee’s goals are, but a few general ideas are to:

• Offer time to try new roles and responsibilities to learn new skills.
• Reimburse or partially cover courses, seminars, and other educational tools.
• Encourage your employee to start a side hustle or passion project to learn from.
• Offer professional development days, separate from vacation time.
• Create a mentorship program to connect junior and senior staff.

Unsure what would be most effective? Ask your employees what would help them the most, and check our guide to employee development for more ideas .

What should I put for areas of improvement?

Individual development plans encourage and motivate your employees to achieve their dreams. However, as their manager, you may have some insights they don’t about skills they’re lacking to get them to the next step.

It’s best to bring these up during the planning meeting, so your employee can hear why you think these skills are important and how you’d suggest working on them. Together you can add action items to address them in the IDP.

It’s key to frame these developing areas in a positive and constructive light. You don’t want your employee to feel like they’re doing badly at these things, or their job. After all, no one’s perfect! Be open and honest and chances are, they’ll be grateful for the feedback and eager to improve the skills you’ve identified.

Create a professional IDP today with a customizable Venngage template

Whether you’re preparing for an employee’s annual review or creating an individual development plan for yourself, we’ve got the free templates you need to knock it out of the park.

Get started now and have your new IDP finished by the end of the hour. While you’re at it, why not also create a branded  offer letter  or  onboarding guide ?

For everything in your business, we’ve got a template for that.

How to Create Strong Individual Development Plans (With Examples)

Introduction to individual development plans, why do your team members need individual development plans, components of a strong individual development plan, how to write a strong individual development plan, examples of individual development plans, individual development plan template (free), wrapping up.

Other Related Blogs

What is an Individual Development Plan?

• Personal and Professional Growth: Individual development plans are crucial for both team members and managers because they facilitate personal and professional growth. They allow individuals to identify their strengths and areas in need of improvement, which is the foundation for continuous development.
• Concrete Goal Setting: IDPs enable team members to set specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) goals . This level of goal specificity provides a clear direction for improvement and helps individuals stay focused on their development objectives.
• Performance Improvement: IDPs are instrumental in improving performance. By addressing areas that need development, team members can enhance their skills, knowledge, and capabilities, ultimately contributing to the overall success of the team and organization.
• Alignment with Organizational Goals: Individual development plans help align personal aspirations with the team’s mission and objectives. This alignment ensures that team members are actively contributing to the team’s success while pursuing their own professional growth.
• Feedback and Progress Tracking: IDPs establish a framework for continuous feedback and progress evaluation. They help team members and managers assess how well individuals are advancing toward their goals, providing a structured means of tracking growth over time and promoting accountability.

• The individual development plan should include a skills assessment that identifies areas for improvement and potential learning opportunities.
• Creating a step-by-step action plan with timelines can help you progress toward your goals while providing a framework for ongoing feedback and evaluation of progress.
• Regular assessment of the plan is crucial to ensure success and adjust as needed.

Professional Goals and Aspirations

Strengths and talents, development opportunities, action plans.

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Review the Past Performance

Set realistic goals, create an action plan, define a timeline, evaluate regularly.

IDP Example #1: Team Manager Sarah

• Improve team management skills: Develop skills to manage and  motivate team members effectively.  Implement a new system for tracking and measuring team performance.
• Develop project management skills: Implement a new system to improve project execution and delivery.
• Enhance communication and collaboration skills: Practice these skills in team meetings and one-on-one conversations with team members to ensure smoother operations.
• Develop strategic thinking skills: Practice developing and implementing a strategic plan for the team.
• Find relevant courses or workshops: Select a team management course or workshop to attend within the next three months. Similarly, look for courses on communication and collaboration skills that can help overcome hurdles.
• Implement a new team performance tracking system: Find a new method for tracking and measuring team performance. Implement the new system within the next six months and monitor progress.
• Implement new project management system: Research and select a new one to implement within the next six months. Train team members on the new system and monitor progress.
• Develop and implement a strategic plan for the team: Meet with team members to gather input and ideas for a strategic plan. Develop a plan and present it to the supervisor for approval within the next six months.
• Monitor progress and adjust goals as needed: Monitor progress regularly and adjust plans as needed. Seek feedback from team members to ensure goals are aligned with team needs and expectations.

IDP Example #2: Team Manager John

• Enhance technical leadership skills: Effectively provide technical guidance and support to the team.
• Improve project management skills: For leading projects and ensuring successful delivery within budget and timelines.
• Foster a culture of continuous learning:  Encourage team members to engage in ongoing learning and skill development. 
• Attend leadership workshops/conferences: Identify relevant leadership workshops or seminars in the software development industry. Register and attend at least two events within the next year to gain insights into effective technical leadership.
• Mentor junior team members:   Assign mentorship roles  to experienced team members and guide junior developers. Regularly meet with mentees to discuss their progress, challenges, and career aspirations.
• Lead a complex project: Take on a difficult task to demonstrate technical leadership. Coordinate with team members, facilitate effective communication, and ensure the project’s successful execution.
• Implement a learning and recognition system: Research and introduce a learning management system that enables team members to access relevant learning resources. Establish a recognition program to acknowledge and reward individual and team achievements.
• Follow the process: Start by conversing with your team members to understand challenges from their perspectives and share from your own. List the common areas of improvement that you want to work together on for the next period.
• Initiate a realistic plan: Based on the discussions, create a set of goals for your team members. Ensure the goals are SMART and practical , and supplement them with the resources and support required to achieve them within the set timeline.
• Talk of reviews: The best way to use IDPs with your team includes making them holistic and relevant to the team members. Thus, as a manager, you should provide support through reviews and checks to resolve queries and concerns as they come. You can integrate IDPs into your performance management system to improve it!
• Remember that IDPs are not one-size-fits-all: Individual needs and growth pathways are different. While a template can help you start, be ready to accommodate your team’s and individual members’ varied needs. It will show care toward their growth – enabling a relationship based on mutual trust.

Deeksha, with a solid educational background in human resources, bridges the gap between your goals and you with valuable insights and strategies within leadership development. Her unique perspectives, powered by voracious reading, lead to thoughtful pieces that tie conventional know-how and innovative approaches together to enable success for management professionals.

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What are some examples of individual development plan?

How do you write an individual development plan, how do you write a good idp.

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Individual development plan template + examples for leaders

Many business leaders are quickly realizing that providing professional growth opportunities to employees can increase retention rates  and satisfaction levels. And one way of helping employees achieve career goals is to use what’s called an individual development plan.

According to a McKinsey study , 41% of participants cited the reason why they quit their jobs between April 2021 and 2021 as due to a lack of opportunities for career development . Making it the top factor leading to attrition, even more so than inadequate compensation and uncaring leaders.

In this article, we’ll first explain what is an individual development plan (IDP). Then, we’ll go over the process of creating an individual development plan step-by-step. Lastly, we’ll include an individual development plan template and examples for you to adapt for your team.

Table of Contents

What is an individual development plan (IDP)?

An individual development plan or “IDP” is a framework that helps individuals evaluate their strengths, weaknesses, career goals, and short-term objectives. It is often completed during performance reviews, self-appraisals , or one-on-one meetings and allows employees to self-reflect on their professional growth. 

Aside from being helpful for employees, individual development plans can be a useful tool to help company leaders with succession planning and restructuring. It is a great way to support leadership development initiatives, assess skill gaps , and embed better, more transparent communication practices between managers and direct reports . Ultimately, it can help to align individual ambitions with company growth objectives.

How to create an individual development plan

Although used for different purposes, creating an individual development plan is similar to the process of creating a performance improvement plan (PIP) . You need to create objectives and a realistic timeframe in which individuals should achieve those objectives. Here, we’ll explain every step in depth.

Set a timeframe

Like living organisms, companies are continually growing and changing. And, logically, the individuals that make up these teams have goals that are continually changing as well. While creating an Individual development plan, you’ll want to make sure that employees revisit and adapt their plans after set periods.

The first step is deciding how often you want for employees to self-assess and complete the individual development plan. Should it be on a quarterly, biannually, or yearly basis? As a general rule of thumb, it’s best to coincide IDPs with the employee’s regular performance reviews. That way, there’s less confusion and you can ensure that it’s incorporated into their evaluation routine.

Include the employee’s skillsets and performance

Next, you’ll want to create the individual plan itself. Or, if you’d prefer, simply use the individual development plan template that we’ve already created in the next section of this article. For the first portion of the plan, you should include a space in which the employee and their manager can collaboratively evaluate strengths, weaknesses, and overall performance. There should also be room for them to compare the employee’s performance with the expectations of the position. 

For this section, be sure to have past performance reviews, skills evaluations, and any other employee feedback records on hand and accessible. You’ll want managers and employees to have a complete picture and reference points to discuss employee progress.

Look at growth possibilities

The following space should be designated for the employee’s career growth interests and possibilities. Note, there might be more than one area that captures the employee’s attention. For employers, this can be advantageous because it’s more probable that employees can fill in-demand roles and skill sets through their career growth. 

On the other hand, perhaps the employee has a very clear vision of their career goals and ideal position. If that’s the case, employees should think about the skills and qualities that they need to cultivate. For example, if an employee would like to one day manage their team, perhaps they would need to develop delegation and resource management skills.

Set short and long-term goals

Next, it’s about making these ambitions concrete through short and long-term goals. Ideally, you want to clearly map out how employees get from point A to point B through measurable targets and focused areas of improvement.

Ideally, long-term goals should be set for the employee’s next 3-5 years in their position, while short-term goals can be set for the next 1-2 years (or even shorter). Keep in mind here that there’s no guarantee that a plan will go 100% unchanged. It’s not always possible to see what is coming next, and sometimes a little bit of flexibility can pay off.

While setting goals, it’s important for employees to consider factors that drive them to succeed. Do they like working on a specific set of tasks or feel especially competent with a certain skill set? If so, it might be wise to have goals that allow them to expand their knowledge of this specific area. The idea is to create goals that are cohesive with their interests and ambitions. 

Measure employee progress

After going through the process of creating an individual development plan, it’s important to measure employee progress toward completing their objectives. If you don’t already have software to keep track of employee goals, be sure to keep individual development plans stored and organized in a shared drive. Both managers and employees should be able to access this document at any time for their own use.

If you’re looking for a more efficient and streamlined alternative, the best option is to invest in OKR software to keep track of employee goals. With OKR software like Factorial, employees and managers alike can visualize progress toward goals through a user-friendly interface. More on this later. 

Individual development plan template

Creating an individual development plan template should be a simple process. Here’s an example template that you can use for your own reference:

Individual development plan example

Drive performance with okr software.

No two employees are the same and neither should be the way that you measure their individual development. With Factorial, you can customize and define OKRs and KPIs for every employee on your team. Don’t hesitate, try Factorial today .

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Your guide to individual development plans (with examples)

Understand Yourself Better:

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It’s often said that any organization’s most valuable asset is its people. If you prioritize retention (a top area of focus in today’s labor market ), it’s not enough to focus on just getting people in the door. Researchers are consistently finding that a strong career development program is one of the top benefits employees are looking for . If you’re looking for a meaningful way to begin emphasizing employee growth, individual development plans (or IDPs) are a strong place to start.

IDPs were traditionally used to coach poor performance, but they’re becoming increasingly more common in the workplace. It’s a good idea to offer them to everyone at your company. You can integrate IDPs into your performance review process or one-on-ones . 

What is an individual development plan?

Giving your employees feedback is a multi-part process — but not everyone follows through on all the stages. First, the area for growth needs to be identified. Secondly, it has to be brought to the employee’s attention. Then the need for change should be made clear, along with the benefits of it. An action plan should come next, followed by consistent review and adjustment.

An individual development plan, or IDP, outlines an employee’s development needs and career goals. While typically used to coach underperforming employees, IDPs are excellent tools for career planning and tracking skill development.

An IDP measures an employee’s current job performance against the expectations of their role. It highlights their current skills, as well as development opportunities. If they’re interested in moving (either up or sideways) into a new position, an IDP can help them chart the core competencies needed to get there.

How do individual development plans support employee growth?

In many ways, IDPs take the best parts of a performance review and a career conversation and put them into one action plan. 

Giving feedback has many benefits — among them increased productivity, engagement, and job satisfaction. But a key part of making the most of feedback is having a plan in place to implement it and follow up. IDPs aren’t meant to be punitive, and companies that only use them in that way are missing out on huge growth opportunities.

A thoughtful IDP can:

• Support professional development
• Increase productivity 
• Lay a clear path toward long-term goals
• Build trust between managers and employees
• Improve retention

What goes into an individual development plan?

At a minimum, IDPs should be a list of personal and professional development goals. However, if you’re creating an IDP template (for yourself or your organization) it’s a good idea to include the following components:

• Key milestones to date
• Any area for development
• Self-assessment
• New skills to focus on

Steps to write an individual development plan

Your organization should have a formalized individual development plan template in place. If they don’t, it’s a good idea to create one to standardize the growth and feedback process. Because people tend to associate feedback with deficiency, singling out a person or team to complete one can feel like implicit criticism.

A good practice is to follow every performance review by revisiting the IDP. While you don’t have to spend the bulk of your time going over every line, it should serve as a place to record areas for improvement and short-term goals. Here are 3 steps to take for every performance development plan should have:

1. Note the date and review period

This may seem simple, but SMART goals are highly dependent on the time frame available. Make a note of the date that you’re implementing the plan and set a time to revisit it. What kind of growth do you expect to see within the next week? Month? Quarter? Year? If the time frame is longer than a month, set interim action steps to keep you on track.

2. Current expectations and performance

In order to get someone on track for their professional goals, you need to have an understanding of where they currently are. While this isn’t a full performance review , you should make a high-level note of the expectations for their role and how they currently measure against them. This is true even if they’re exceeding expectations. Remember, an individual development plan tracks action steps needed to go to the next level. And even if you’re doing well, there’s always a next level to go to.

3. Set goals 

Together, the employee and manager should brainstorm goals for the next period (likely a month or quarter). These should be SMART goals: specific, measurable, actionable, realistic, and timely. You might include a certain number of finished tasks, projects, presentations, or sales calls. You may also want to focus on results, like increasing sales by a given percentage.

There are an endless number of goals that could go in this blank, but the important thing is that they address the specific area of improvement. To be effective, goals need to be anchored in feedback at one end and an objective at the other. Put another way, if you don’t know where point A and point B are, you have no idea if you’re on the right road.

Individual Development Plan for [Employee Name Here]

Date: October 2022

Growth Period: Q4 (October 2022 - December 2022)

Current performance:

[Employee] is an associate account manager with the goal of soon becoming an account executive. They are performing well in their role, with ratings of ‘meets expectations’ in the last three performance reviews. [Employee] has exceeded revenue goals this quarter. However, the employee’s customer response rate is below average.

In order to become an account executive, [Employee] needs to gain more experience with identifying new business opportunities. Here are the steps we will take over the next quarter:

• Increase revenue goal by 5%
• Increase customer response rate to 100%
• Assign and meet with a mentor on the account executive team
• Enroll in and complete sales coaching program
• Identify one potential business opportunity and create a plan for approaching them

Measuring the success of an individual development plan

When the goals are clear, it should be easy to review the success of an IDP. That’s why it’s critical to start with measurable objectives and expectations. Both managers and employees should work together to create the IDP. This kind of buy-in at the start reinforces it as a developmental (rather than a punitive) process. 

The IDP process is an important tool for performance management , but it’s an equally valuable part of leadership development . These types of initiatives help employees feel valued and supported in their growth. Ultimately, it’s an investment in building the individuals who can move the organization forward.

Allaya Cooks-Campbell

BetterUp Associate Learning Experience Designer

8 examples for setting professional development goals at work

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Top 10 Individual Development Plan Templates To Help Employees Grow!

Naveen Kumar

Over time, people change and grow. Positive change is necessary to become skillful, productive, happy, prosperous, and stay on the top. However, growth is like a dream. To actualize it, you need planning. World-renowned organizations & global leaders emphasize and use development plans to develop the 3Ps - Products, Processes, and People in business. At the base level of this hierarchy stands the  Individual Development Plan (IDP)  or Employee Development Plan (EDP), which supports employees and helps them grow and learn.

The Nitty-gritty of Individual Development Plans

In essence, IDPs are growth strategies that outline how employees will strengthen existing abilities and learn new skills without affecting their current value for the organization. The employees themselves (with the help of their mentor), managers, trainers, or special consultants, design these plans after a thorough analysis of their own capabilities, strengths, and opportunities to grow.

The purpose of an IDP is to guide individuals toward long-term career goals by helping them fulfill their short-term business objectives. It allows supervisors to understand better employees’ capabilities, strengths, career goals, and development needs. Using this data, managers will be able to assess the employees more objectively and design effective action plans.

Effective communication between mentors and mentees (or both parties) is necessary for the success of the business. Master the art of presenting your thoughts/ideas and deliver development/business plans in an impactful manner with the help of these communication plan templates .

Components of the Individual Development Plan

IDPs are customized development plans for individuals. The structure of the IDP varies from organization to organization. There is no  one-size-fits-all , which makes this document unique and valuable but also complex. For simplicity, an individual development plan has four fundamental components/sections. These are: 

1. Employee profiling: It includes basic information about the employee like name, position, key responsibilities (KRA), salary, professional history, etc.

2. Career goals and objectives:  Includes the employee’s current job goals, target, and achievement dates. It also enlists future long-term and short-term objectives of the employee.

3. Employee assessment/analysis:  What are employee strengths and weaknesses? What specific knowledge and skills do they possess? Use employees’ previous performance reviews, feedback forms, and training analysis. Be detailed here. 

Monthly work reports have a significant role in drafting an effective development/training plan. Create concise and easy-to-understand work reports with the help of these pre-designed monthly work report templates and use them when writing an IDP.

4. Development opportunities and objectives:  Enlist opportunities (especially short-term) where the individual shows promising growth potential. Set a goal for each opportunity to measure the success/growth of the employee.

5. Action plan:  Pen down activities or programs the person should undertake to reach their development goal, like on-the-job training, employee shadowing, e-learning course, assignments, etc.

Maintaining a perfect mix of all these components in an IDP is necessary to make it effective and efficient without affecting the employee’s current routine.

Individual Development Plan Templates

Drafting an IDP is a delicate task, especially when employees do it themselves. It needs a lot of effort and time to design a comprehensive IDP plan, and it will affect the employee’s work and business. Besides, this document needs to be reviewed at least once a year for continuous improvement and development in employee performance. Our pre-designed and 100% customizable individual development plan templates will help you draft this document with ease. You will be able to use these PPTs (with minor changes) to draft/design many unique IDPs in no time.

1. Individual Development Plan Training Plan Presentation Deck

This presentation deck will help you design a comprehensive individual development plan to train and support your mentees’ growth. It has 12 slides covering all essential elements of an effective employee development plan. This PPT set includes:

• Steps for creating IDP.
• Sample individual development plan template.
• Development plan process/action plan.
• Development opportunities with goals template
• IDP strategies.
• Types of the individual development plan.

Download it and start your team’s journey toward new skills & growth today!

Download this template

2. Individual Development Plan PowerPoint Presentation Deck

Individual development plans help you move faster towards your aim, set & achieve new goals, increase self-esteem and confidence, and boost employability prospects. Hone your professional skills and personality with the help of these individual development plan presentation templates and become a better version of yourself. These sample designs have been created to help employees with self-development. It includes PPT slides for drafting an IDP, like career goals, identifying development needs, learning opportunities, action plans, undertaking the development, evaluating and reviewing outcomes, etc. Get it now!

3. Individual Development Plan and Career Coaching PowerPoint Template

Writing an individual development plan is drawing a blueprint. It seems simple, but it needs to be precise to get the right results. IDPs are blueprints for your own/your employee’s success. This PPT layout will help you draft an IDP with little or no room for mistakes. It highlights the process for developing an individual development plan, especially for career coaching, with components like career review exercises, self-awareness assessments, goal setting, personal brand development & presentation, succession realization, etc. Grab it today!

4. Individual Development Training Plan Implementation Process Template

After you pen down an actionable IDP, its implementation is the next big challenge. Letting it go by flow will make the efforts in vain. This presentation template will help you plan and time the implementation of IDP to perfection. It divides the process into understandable steps like assessing team requirements, creating a plan, delivering the training, and evaluating results. Download it now!

5. Individual Training and Development Plan Process Presentation Template

When a storm comes to the sea, it is unrested before and after for days. It is also true for drafting an individual training plan. There are many things to take care of before drawing and implementing it. This PowerPoint template will help you cover all events of the creation and execution of an IDP. It divides the process into five easy-to-notice and remembered milestones — competency framework, Training Need Analysis (TNA), development plan creation, training delivery (execution), and training evaluation. Download it today!

6. Individual Development Plan Framework and Timeline PPT Template

This is a sample individual development plan template you can easily customize and use to meet your employee training needs. It has pre-designed sections to record employee data and progress during the development program. It includes columns for:

• Employee Info like name, designation, employee ID, and reviewer details.
• Last review date.
• Performance assessment.
• Action Plan /steps.
• Plan progress over a specified period (1-2 years, 2-3 years, etc.)

This individual development plan sample template will help you accumulate and review the critical data in a concise manner. Get hold of it now!

7. Individual Development Program Framework Presentation Template

IDPs help individuals in professional & personal development and in achieving career goals. It highlights the development opportunities, including communication, analytical and research skills, flexibility/adaptability, etc. Take the help of this ready-to-use individual development plan framework and a sample template to create a compact yet effective IDP program. Share some examples and uses of IDPs with your mentees to give them a better understanding of this growth-hacking tool. Discuss their performance objectives, action plan, success criteria, etc., with the help of this PPT layout. Grab it today!

8. Individual Development Plan and Career Coaching PPT Template

IDPs are recurring documents you must review and revise at least once a year to stay on the growth track and reach your full potential. Designing this document again and again from scratch might feel annoying and time-consuming. This plug-and-play template will relieve you from this stress and give you a head start with the preparation of individual development plans. It highlights the elements of IDP, like employee details, development goals, skills, resources, activities, and status. Get it now!

9. Individual Development Plan For Employee Training PPT Template

Drafting an individual development plan seems exciting and overwhelming; however, it comes with the great responsibility of guiding the employee. A wrong analysis or interpretation of employee capabilities and skills will lead them to an unwanted career or growth path. This sample template will be your guide in this high-responsibility task. It will help you set objectives and write an extended action plan to ensure you don’t miss out on crucial details. Download it now!

10. Individual Training and Development Plan PowerPoint Template

The final objective of an individual growth plan is to make the person understand consideration better than before by acquiring new skills and knowledge. This template will help you highlight the skills you want to develop with the help of the IDP. It will assist you in setting the training intensity and describe the sub-skills, their uses, or benefits in the professional career ahead. Get this PPT design from the download link below! 

Individual development plans strengthen the organization from its roots as it plays a critical role in employees’ growth and development. Successful implementation of IDPs provides managers with valuable insights into employee competencies, skills, and knowledge. It helps them assign the right tasks to their employees and develop team-building strategies . At a broad level, IDPs help businesses, from employees to management. We offer our extensive collection of individual development plan templates so that you don’t miss out on this growth-hacking tool and help your employees grow exponentially. 

Grab these customizable individual growth plan templates today, and win your employees’ trust by helping them grow. This is your chance to turn them from associates into valuable and loyal business assets!

FAQs on Individual Development Plan

1. what are some examples of individual development plans.

An individual development plan (IDP) comprises skill analysis, growth strategy, and learning activities. Some examples of skills development activities included in an IDP are:

• On-the-job training.
• Employee Shadowing.
• Professional internship.
• Probation/training in a new job role.
• Cross-training.
• Online learning courses and activities.
• Attending professional seminars and conferences.
• Certification programs.

2. How do you write an individual development plan?

Employees themselves, managers, mentors, trainers, or consultants devise IDPs to set the growth path for employees and help them learn new skills. The process of writing the individual development plan can be simplified into the following steps:

• Employee skill analysis or competency framework.
• Training needs analysis or marking development opportunities.
• Setting long-term and short-term career objectives.
• Developing an action plan with learning activities and goals.
• Setting success criteria for learning activities.
• Result evaluation and evolving the IDP for further development.

3. What are some good IDP goals?

Goals set to achieve through IDPs depend on your career and professional needs. You can set long-term goals like getting the designation of supervisor in the upcoming five years or short-term goals like learning new skills to improve your current job role. The basic three types of goals for an IDP are:

• Learning and development into a new job role.
• Developing your existing skills and learning new skills for mastering current job roles.
• Learning new skills for getting promoted/preparing for a potential job role.

4. What are the 3 steps of a personal development plan?

Three critical steps of creating and mastering a personal development plan are:

1. Analysis - current skills & knowledge, career objectives, and development opportunities.

2. Goal setting - short and long-term career/skill/growth objectives.

3. Strategy mapping - Developing action plan, activities, and learning objectives.

The most important part is to measure your growth and restart the cycle for continuous development.

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A guide to creating a successful individual development plan

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Writer, Culture Amp

Employee development is most helpful to your employees when it’s intentional and carefully planned. In fact, Culture Amp research found that employees who don’t feel they have access to clear development opportunities are 41% more likely to leave their current company.

This is where individual development plans (IDPs) are especially valuable. These detailed plans clearly outline an employee’s career goals along with the tangible steps the employee can take to achieve their goals.

In this blog, we explain what an individual development plan is, why they’re important, and how to create one. We’ll also give you individual development plan examples and a template so you can build your own and start prioritizing employee growth today.

What is an individual development plan?

An individual development plan, also known as a personal development plan , is an actionable document used to guide employee development. It defines an individual’s long-term career goals, highlights their current strengths, lists areas of improvement, and shares an action plan detailing how the employee can invest in their skills and make their career aspirations a reality.

An IDP is typically a collaborative document created by an employee and their manager. These plans are often put together following professional development conversations, which are typically held complementary to, yet separate from, a company’s formal performance management process .

Why are individual development plans important?

IDPs are a crucial part of employee development. Aside from helping employees define the next steps in their careers, individual development plans also:

• Guide employee growth: IDPs outline the steps employees can take today to reach their larger career goals tomorrow. They provide clarity and direction while breaking larger goals into attainable tasks. They also empower employees to take ownership of their growth and development.
• Inform managers: Managers that know their direct reports’ long- and short-term career aspirations are equipped to be better coaches and advocates. IDPs give each manager a detailed account of employee strengths, goals, and action plans to support direct reports throughout their career journey.
• Boost loyalty : Showing employees that your business is invested in their development can inspire loyalty and trust.
• Increase productivity: Working towards a tangible goal can keep employees motivated and productive.
• Improve retention: When employees can imagine a future with your business, they are likelier to pursue their career goals within your company.

A step-by-step guide to making an IDP

While an IDP has a few different components, these plans aren’t difficult to make. You can help an employee create an individual development plan in just four steps. Here’s how:

1. Complete a self-reflection

To start, have the employee fill out a self-reflection . The reflection should touch on three key areas – the employee’s:

• Motivation and strengths
• Long-term career vision
• Short-term objectives

Together, these criteria give employees a better understanding of their career goals and the skills and experience they will need to achieve this level of success. An honest and open self-reflection will guide the rest of the IDP process.

2. Build an actionable individual development plan

With the information from the self-reflection in hand, your employee is ready to start building their individual development plan. Walk them through these three steps:

• Review your plan objective: This will most likely be the short-term objective from the self-reflection or what the employee will work towards following the creation of their individual development plan.
• Identify growth areas: Work with the employee to determine the skills and behaviors they need to learn or strengthen to achieve their objective.
• Build development goals: Lastly, encourage employees to set realistic, measurable goals that will help them improve the identified growth areas and bring them closer to their overall objective.

Let’s see what this looks like in practice. Here’s an individual development plan example for a sales account executive aspiring to become a regional sales manager:

Objective: To be promoted to a regional sales manager next review cycle

Growth areas:

• Product knowledge
• Leadership and coaching
• Sales forecasting

Development goals:

• Hit or exceed quota for the next three quarters
• Receive a manager net promoter score of >70 during the following engagement survey
• Improve internal awareness of my team’s performance by sharing a monthly recap email with senior department leaders

Using this detailed IDP, the employee will clearly understand the actions they need to take today to work towards their promotion.

3. Review the plan together

This step can go before or after step two, depending on your organization or employee preferences. Wherever you choose to place this step, just know that each employee and their manager must meet to discuss their self-assessment and proposed IDP. This ensures both parties agree about the employee’s strengths, areas for improvement, interests, goals, and organizational requirements.

During these conversations, encourage managers to ask lots of questions and work to understand each employee’s career aspirations. Managers can provide a business perspective and shed light on how they see business priorities evolving in the coming months. This will help employees envision how their career aspirations can align with changing business needs.

4. Implement the plan and evaluate outcomes

Now it’s time to get to work. While the employee pursues the training and development identified in the plan, meet with them frequently to help track progress, share feedback , and evaluate their performance. These continuous manager check-ins, or 1-on-1s , provide an external perspective, remove obstacles and barriers, and help employees reach their goals more efficiently.

Individual development plan template

Here’s a closer look at what to include in your IDPs as well as an individual development plan example to guide your creation.

1. Employee details

At the top of your plan, start with the key details – who the plan is for (employee name), their position/job title, their manager, and the creation date. This will help you keep track of the IDP and remember when it was made.

In the following examples, we’ll be creating an IDP for a content marketing specialist. Here are her employee details:

• Employee Name: Jane Doe
• Job Title: Content Marketing Specialist
• Manager: John Smith
• IDP Creation Date: January 15, 2023

2. Career goals

Next, document the individual’s specific job-related developmental goals, both immediate and long-term. In this example, our content marketing specialist wants to pivot her career to event planning. Her overarching goals might be:

• Be an integral part of the company’s conference planning team
• Advance into a role specializing in event planning

These goals will act as her North Star for the rest of the IDP creation process and influence what skills and experience she needs to develop to successfully complete her career pivot.

3. Strengths and development areas

Pulling from the employee’s self-assessment, jot down any skills, strengths, and developmental areas. For the aspiring event planner in our example, this might look like:

• Organizational skills
• Time management skills
• Communication skills
• Building strong interpersonal relationships

Development areas:

• General event planning knowledge and skills
• Familiarity with negotiation and budgeting
• Learning how to use the company’s event software
• Creative problem-solving

Now the employee has a clear picture of the strengths she can lean on as well as areas she needs to focus on in order to grow professionally and achieve her goal of becoming an amazing event planner.

4. Action plan

This section describes how the employee plans to acquire the knowledge and skills outlined above. At this stage, try to be creative by using various learning strategies and activities. Employees can learn and grow in many ways , including:

• Classroom or online training programs
• On-the-job training
• Stretch assignments
• Conferences
• Professional certifications
• Job shadowing
• Mentorship programs

However your employee decides to improve their development areas, work with them to create a detailed, measurable action plan. Break down their overarching career goal into attainable steps they can start taking today. Include specific KPIs you and your employee can use to track progress and understand the impact.

To revisit our content marketing specialist example, her action plan could be:

• Assist with the planning and execution of the company’s annual user conference (stretch assignment)
• Work closely with the Event Manager to better understand her role and expertise (mentorship)
• Complete “Event Planning 101” and earn a certification (online training/certification)

While these steps may be detailed enough for some individuals, it never hurts to tie specific KPIs to action plans to help assess progress and evaluate success. Our employee might decide to use feedback from the event planning team post-conference to assess her contributions to the event. She could also set up a recurring 1-on-1 with the Event Manager and track meeting occurrences to measure the effectiveness of her mentorship. Her last action is more cut and dry – if she completes the class and earns her certification, this can be regarded as a success.

5. Time frame

You’ll also need to define the timeline the employee has to execute this action plan. Is it a week? Month? Quarter? Year? Be sure to document how long the employee has to complete the action plan, so you can hold them accountable and help track progress along the way. Managers and employees should meet regularly throughout the time frame to share feedback, discuss roadblocks, and touch base on how things are going.

Lastly, leave space for your results. After the specified time frame elapses, complete this section with the employee as a way to reflect on performance and assess success.

Inspire and motivate your employees to grow

Make it easy for your people to define clear growth plans that balance business needs with their personal aspirations. By building individual development plans into your wider strategy, you can inspire and motivate your people to develop and grow with an actionable path to reaching their goals.

Give employees ownership over their development

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What Is a Professional Development Plan, and How Do You Create Your Own?

If you're hoping to pursue a new career or advance in your current one, creating a professional development plan can be helpful. Use this guide to learn what a professional development plan is, its usefulness, and how to create one.

A professional development plan (PDP) is a document or visual aid that maps out your career goals. To help you attain your PDP goals , you'll specify what strategies you'll use, resources you might need, and target dates.

Why is it helpful to have a professional development plan?

Creating a PDP is the first step toward a commitment to following it. A professional development plan encourages you to think about what you want and helps you figure out how to get there. Having a PDP and regularly checking it helps keep you focused on your goals, which improves your chances of achieving them.

Questions to ask before creating a professional development plan

Before you begin developing a PDP, take some time to self-reflect to make sure you're on the right track. Ask yourself questions like these:

Where am I professionally right now?

Where do I want to be?

What skills and experience do I possess?

What skills and experience do I want or need?

What resources can I use to achieve my goals?

What is a realistic timeline for achievement?

How much time am I willing to commit to my goals?

Where can I turn for advice and support?

Steps for creating your professional development plan

Going through a few steps when creating a PDP can help guide your thinking and ensure accuracy. Everyone is different, so while this plan includes three steps, yours may consist of more.

Step one: Think about the goals you want to achieve and list them on paper.

Make them SMART goals, which means they should follow these guidelines:

S pecific instead of broad

M eaningful so that your goals align with your core values

A chievable and realistic

R elevant to your particular career plan

T ime-bound, so you have a timeframe and deadline to complete your goals

Step two: Write down your strengths and weaknesses.

Honest self-assessment is critical when creating a PDP. Some examples of strengths and weaknesses might include the following:

Strengths : good leadership skills, knowledge of accounting, creativity

Weaknesses : self-critical, fear of public speaking, procrastination

Step three: Create your professional development plan.

Make it legible and large enough to read it. Post your plan on a bulletin board, refrigerator, or cupboard, and refer to it regularly.

Professional development plan sample

Consider using a chart or table format when designing your professional development plan. Here is a sample of a professional development plan for someone who has decided to start a business. The main goal of preparing to start a business is breaking the plan down into smaller, more achievable goals.

Overall goal and mission statement: I want to start my own business . I need to develop a good skill set and be mentally and emotionally prepared to accomplish my overall goal. 

The importance of visual goal-setting

Posting your professional development plan where you can see it regularly might help ensure success in goal achievement. For extra fun, consider supplementing your PDP with a vision board, which is a poster board covered with images representing your vision for your career. According to a study conducted in 2016, vision boards can help people flesh out, define, and focus on personal and professional goals [ 1 ].

Additional tips for setting and achieving goals

For additional help with goal setting and achievement, take advantage of a few extra tips:

Make yourself more accountable for your goals by sharing them with one or two people you're close to.

Avoid becoming overwhelmed by focusing on one goal at a time.

When discouraged, remind yourself why you set these goals in the first place. 

When you achieve a goal, practice positive reinforcement by rewarding yourself. If you need reward ideas, consider treating yourself to a massage, a new hairstyle, or dinner on the town.

A few final points to remember

Once you've created a professional development plan, it's important to remember a few key points:

Your plan is flexible. Just because you've created a visual plan doesn't mean you can’t change it. If unexpected opportunities or challenges pop up, you can always adjust your timelines, return to the drawing board, and start again with a new PDP.

Your plan is for you. Even though others may occasionally influence your decisions, put yourself first when designing your PDP—not your partner, boss, coworkers, friends, or parents.

If you're looking for a valuable specialization to add to your professional development plan, consider enrolling in the Adapting: Career Development Specialization offered by Macquarie University on Coursera. This specialization includes a series of courses: Improve Yourself Always, Build Personal Resilience, Your Career Your Life, and Become a Global Citizen. With a two-month projected completion period, these courses enhance personal and professional skills, and you will earn a shareable certificate.

Article sources

Burton, Lisa M. and Lent, Jonathan. " The Use of Vision Boards as a Therapeutic Intervention ,.https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/The-Use-of-Vision-Boards-as-a-Therapeutic-Burton-Lent/b3cdb31fd8d694e0bd6f5a73416290f7ed2681dc.” Accessed October 25, 2023.

This content has been made available for informational purposes only. Learners are advised to conduct additional research to ensure that courses and other credentials pursued meet their personal, professional, and financial goals.

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How to Craft Your Professional Development Plan in Just 5 Steps

Whether you want to learn new technical skills, are hoping to expand your role in your company or are looking to move to a new job, creating a professional development plan can help you level up. But how can you create one that works? Let’s take a look at what goes into creating one, along with a professional development plan template.

What is a professional development plan?

A professional development plan provides a structured framework that outlines your career goals and the steps you must take to achieve them. In that process, you create a strategic action plan that addresses both your short- and long-term professional development goals . It serves as a road map for your desired career path.

In its initial phase, the plan takes into account your current skills and knowledge while defining your purpose. It then assists you in bridging the gap between your current position and the goals you wish to achieve by providing actionable steps. These may include learning new skills through professional development courses or outlining steps to expand your professional network.

As with any major project, your goals should be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound. This SMART goal-setting strategy provides the structure needed to remain motivated so you can reach your goals.

Why is a professional development plan important?

Creating a plan serves as your first step toward professional development, career empowerment and lasting success.

First, it provides an opportunity for meaningful self-assessment. Too often, we allow life to sweep us along like a leaf caught in a rapid stream. Disciplined reflection of where we are now, what we truly want to achieve and the steps needed to get there provide a rudder. Personal reflection helps you take a more empowered approach to both your life and your career. The loss of ambiguity helps you manage stress that leaves you powerless and replaces it with the kind of stress that guides your career with discipline and calm.

But that’s just the beginning. From there, a professional development plan provides a clear understanding of the tools you need to achieve your goals. You identify your skill gaps and the means by which to address them. As you acquire new knowledge, you become a more valuable asset to your company. Your job performance and satisfaction will increase. Whether you are an employee or an entrepreneur, your new skills will contribute to organizational growth.

Additionally, others will see your commitment to a growth mindset and continual learning and hold it in high regard. Strong, accurate knowledge in your field will make you stand out as a person to turn to when challenges arise. In return, your confidence will grow along with fresh opportunities to achieve long-term goals.

Try this professional development plan template

Creating a professional development plan template requires just a few easy steps. Taking time to invest in yourself will pay large dividends. Creating a development template does more than solidify abstract ideas into actionable steps; it provides a blueprint to guide you through your ever-changing career.

1. Self-assessment

Begin with a deep self-assessment to identify your career goals. Then, perform a SWOT analysis to determine your personal strengths and weaknesses in achieving that goal as well as the opportunities and threats you currently face. By acknowledging your existing assets and areas in need of improvement, you can better tailor your plan to align with your career goals.

• Self-awareness: Gain knowledge of what you truly want from yourself and your career.
• Focused growth: By knowing what you want and what you bring to the table, you can better tailor your plan for efficient skill development.
• Overall alignment: Self-assessment provides the long-term motivational aspect of knowing that you strive for something you truly desire.

Your action plan:

• Define your long-term career aspirations, and identify specific and measurable objectives.
• Conduct a comprehensive skills audit to identify areas of strength and weakness.
• Evaluate your current role, noting the skills and qualifications required for advancement.

2. Goal-setting

Now that you have goals in mind, begin to outline your professional development plan. Each goal should build upon the last, making you more capable for the role you desire. By setting clear objectives, you develop a road map that both motivates and empowers you on your journey while also providing future opportunities to measure your achievement.

• Clarity and direction: Specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound goals provide clear targets and motivate consistent progress.
• Enhanced focus: Setting goals provides a sense of direction and purpose, motivating you to take the steps needed for professional growth.
• Deeper focus: Gain an ability to break larger objectives into manageable, measurable milestones to help you stay on track.
• Define your SMART goals .
• Identify short-term and long-term objectives, each measurable and obtainable within a timeline.
• Ensure goals align with your overall career path.

3. Skill development

Developing new skills allows you to build upon your existing competencies while developing new ones. On the other hand, expanding your skills outside of your immediate field through cross-departmental training opens opportunities to build strategic partnerships.

• Enhanced competence: Gaining new skills and knowledge boosts your qualifications and job performance.
• Increased career prospects: Whether seeking a new career or advancement, skills development creates new professional opportunities.
• Greater creativity: Mastering new skills provides greater awareness of challenges and opportunities, allowing for innovative approaches to problem-solving.
• Identify specific skill gaps and prioritize development in those areas.
• Seek out relevant career development courses, workshops or other programs that provide the hard skills you need to achieve your goals.
• Likewise, explore personal development programs to enhance your soft skills for the emotional intelligence required in today’s workforce.

4. Networking

Networking is a vital element in any professional development plan. By building and nurturing relationships, you expose yourself to diverse ideas while opening doors to future business connections. It can also provide the moral support and insight you need when faced with unexpected challenges.

• Broader perspectives: Networking exposes you to challenges and innovative resolutions you may never have considered.
• Mentorship and support opportunities: Meeting like-minded people at various points in their careers opens a new world of support as you advance in your career.
• Partnership development: Meeting the right individual creates a dynamic opportunity for advanced collaboration.
• Attend industry events and conferences, and join professional organizations.
• Engage in online networking on platforms such as LinkedIn.
• Seek opportunities to offer your own support to others in your network.

5. Self-evaluation and feedback

Self-evaluation is an ongoing process within any professional development plan. It involves honestly assessing your achievements, the time required to reach your goals and the areas that need improvement. It also provides an opportunity to ask others for feedback so you can adjust your plan to meet evolving workplace demands.

• Continual improvement: Regular feedback and evaluation help refine your plan to ensure you stay on track.
• Targeted adaptability: Remain flexible to arising demands that may not have existed to stay on course in achieving your goals.
• Personal accountability: Self-evaluation provides an opportunity to ensure that you are meeting your deadlines in acquiring the skills you need.

Your Action Plan

• Embrace feedback from mentors, associates or supervisors.
• Conduct periodic self-assessments to measure achievements and identify areas for improvement.
• Adjust goals and strategies as needed to align with emerging challenges and opportunities.

Photo by Ground Picture/Shutterstock.com

Bryan Lindenberger

Bryan enjoys the digital space where arts and technology meet. As a writer, he has worked in education, health and wellbeing, and manufacturing. He also assists smaller businesses in web development including accessibility and content development. In his free time, he hikes trails in central Florida.

• Bryan Lindenberger https://www.success.com/author/bryan-lindenberger/ What Are Soft Skills? 12 Examples to Benefit You Personally & Professionally
• Bryan Lindenberger https://www.success.com/author/bryan-lindenberger/ How to Establish Professional Development Goals to Help Build Your Dream Career
• Bryan Lindenberger https://www.success.com/author/bryan-lindenberger/ What Is Professional Development? We Unpack the Essentials
• Bryan Lindenberger https://www.success.com/author/bryan-lindenberger/ Maximize Your Potential With a Personal Development Plan
• Bryan Lindenberger https://www.success.com/author/bryan-lindenberger/ Meeting Your True Potential: What Is Personal Development?

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What is an individual development plan: Complete guide with examples

Navigating the intricate landscape of personal and professional growth, an individual development plan template (IDP) emerges as a strategic compass for individuals across various industries.

This comprehensive guide unveils the essence of individual development plan , transcending industries, by delving into their significance, crafting personalized examples, and illuminating their impact.

From hospitality to engineering, this guide offers a roadmap for individuals to chart their unique journeys toward mastery, a leadership position, and fulfillment. With a wealth of examples tailored to different sectors, this guide unlocks the door to transformative growth and success.

What is an individual development plan?

An Individual Development Plan (IDP) is a comprehensive document that outlines an individual's professional goals, strengths, areas for improvement, and the strategies they will undertake to achieve career growth and skill enhancement .

It serves as a roadmap for personal and professional development, helping individuals align their aspirations with the organization's goals. IDPs typically include a self-assessment, a list of short-term and long-term goals, action steps, timelines, resources required, and methods for tracking progress.

These plans are often created collaboratively between employees and their managers , ensuring that both parties are invested in the individual's growth journey. IDPs are essential tools for fostering continuous learning, skill development, and career advancement within the organization.

Benefits of creating an individual development plan

Creating an individual development plan (IDP) offers a range of benefits that contribute to an individual's personal and professional growth, as well as the overall success of the organization. These benefits include:

• Clear goals and direction : An IDP helps individuals define clear goals and objectives, providing a roadmap for their career and personal development journey .
• Focused skill development: IDPs identify areas for improvement, enabling individuals to focus on developing specific skills and competencies.
• Alignment with organizational goals: When IDPs are aligned with organizational objectives, employees' growth contributes to the company's success , fostering a win-win scenario.
• Enhanced performance: As individuals develop skills and knowledge, their performance improves, leading to increased productivity and contributions to the organization.
• Increased motivation: Setting and achieving goals outlined in an IDP boosts individuals' motivation, job satisfaction, and overall engagement .
• Support for learning: IDPs encourage continuous learning and self-directed development, empowering individuals to seek out relevant training and education .
• Effective career planning: IDPs provide a structured approach to career advancement, helping employees envision their desired career trajectory and plan accordingly.
• Structured feedback: Regularly reviewing and updating IDPs facilitates ongoing conversations between employees and managers, fostering open communication .
• Talent retention: Organizations that invest in employees' growth through IDPs are more likely to retain top talent , reducing turnover rates.
• Succession planning: IDPs identify potential future leaders , aiding succession planning by grooming employees for higher responsibilities.
• Personal fulfillment: Accomplishing goals outlined in an IDP goals contribute to personal fulfillment, as individuals see tangible progress in their development.
• Customized development: IDPs are tailored to each individual's strengths, aspirations, and learning styles, promoting personalized growth strategies.
• Organizational agility: Employees with diverse skills acquired through IDPs contribute to an agile organization prepared for dynamic challenges .

Individual development plans offer a structured and strategic approach to personal and professional growth. They empower individuals to take ownership of their development while benefiting the organization by fostering a skilled, motivated, and engaged workforce .

What are the 5 areas of a personal development plan?

A comprehensive personal development plan encompasses various areas that contribute to an individual's holistic growth. While the specific areas may vary based on individual goals and circumstances, the following five key areas are commonly addressed in a personal development plan:

Professional skills

This area focuses on enhancing job-specific skills and competencies required for current and future roles. It includes technical expertise, industry knowledge, and certifications. These skills form the foundation on which your career growth stands, ensuring you remain not just relevant but indispensable in your field.

Personal skills

Personal skills encompass soft skills like communication , time management, problem-solving, and adaptability, which are crucial for effective interpersonal interactions and career success. These skills are the adhesive that holds your career together, fostering meaningful connections and paving the way for lasting success.

Leadership and management skills

Developing leadership qualities , such as decision-making, team management, and strategic thinking, prepares individuals for leadership roles and fosters their ability to guide others. Strategic thinking elevates your ability to see the bigger picture and plan for the long term. These skills not only prepare you for leadership roles but also shape you into a mentor and guide for your peers, propelling your career to new heights.

Personal well-being

This area emphasizes physical, mental, and emotional well-being. It includes practices like exercise, stress management, mindfulness, and maintaining a healthy work-life balance . Well-being isn't just a checkbox on your development plan; it's the fuel that keeps your career engine running smoothly, enabling you to thrive in all aspects of life.

Career development

This aspect involves setting clear career goals, identifying growth opportunities, networking , and planning steps to advance in one's chosen career path. This aspect of your personal development plan is your roadmap to success, ensuring you not only reach your desired career destination but also excel beyond your own expectations.

These areas collectively ensure a balanced approach to personal development, nurturing a well-rounded individual capable of excelling both professionally and personally.

What are the 6 components of personal development plan?

A well-structured personal development plan (PDP) is like a roadmap to self-improvement and success. To craft an effective PDP, you need to consider six key components:

• Clear goals: Start by defining your objectives. What do you want to achieve personally and professionally? Your goals should be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART). Clarity here is crucial; it's your destination on the map.
• Self-assessment: Take a good, honest look at yourself. What are your strengths and weaknesses? What skills or knowledge do you lack? Self-awareness is the compass that helps you navigate your development journey.
• Actionable plans: Once you know your goals and where you stand, outline the steps you need to take. Break down your goals into smaller, manageable tasks. These are the roads you'll travel to reach your destination.
• Resources: Identify the resources you'll need. This could include books, courses, workshops, mentors, or online tools. Resources are like the fuel that powers your journey; make sure you have enough to reach your goals.
• Timelines: Assign realistic timelines to your goals and action steps. A timeline acts as your schedule, ensuring you're on track and not wandering aimlessly.
• Monitoring and evaluation: Regularly review your progress. Are you moving in the right direction? Are you achieving your milestones? Adjust your plan as needed; it's like recalculating your route when you encounter roadblocks.

Individual development plan examples for managers

Individual development plans for managers are essential tools for nurturing leadership potential and ensuring that they continue to excel in their roles. Here are some tailored examples to guide managers on their development journey:

Enhancing leadership skills

A key goal for managers is to strengthen their leadership abilities. This might involve attending leadership workshops, seeking executive coaching, or participating in leadership development programs. The aim is to become an inspirational and effective leader who can guide and motivate their teams to success.

Strategic thinking

For managers responsible for decision-making and long-term planning, developing strategic thinking skills is paramount. They can achieve this by engaging in strategic planning sessions, collaborating with senior leadership , and studying industry trends to make informed decisions that drive the organization forward.

Team building and management

Fostering a high-performing team is a critical aspect of a manager's role. Managers can work on their team-building skills by attending team-building workshops, learning about effective communication, and studying team dynamics to create a cohesive and productive workforce.

Conflict resolution

Handling conflicts within a team is another important managerial skill. Managers can focus on conflict resolution through conflict management training, mediating disputes, and learning techniques to foster healthy workplace relationships.

Time management

Managers often juggle numerous responsibilities. Improving time management skills can help them become more efficient and effective. This can involve time management courses, using productivity tools, and setting clear priorities to meet deadlines and achieve goals.

Mentoring and coaching

Managers can develop their mentoring and coaching abilities by actively mentoring junior staff, providing constructive feedback, and staying updated on coaching techniques. This helps them nurture the growth of their team members.

Stakeholder engagement

Building strong relationships with stakeholders, both internal and external, is vital. Managers can enhance their stakeholder engagement skills by networking, attending industry conferences, and developing strategies for effective stakeholder communication.

Individual development plan examples for employees

Here are some practical examples to inspire and guide employees on their development journey:

Technical skill enhancement

Employees can focus on improving their technical skills relevant to their roles. This might involve attending specialized training sessions, enrolling in online courses, or seeking certification in specific software or tools. By becoming experts in their fields, they contribute more effectively to their teams and the organization.

Leadership aspirations

For employees aspiring to leadership roles, IDPs can include leadership development activities. They can participate in leadership workshops, join cross-functional projects to gain management experience , or take on mentorship roles to build their leadership skills.

Communication and presentation skills

Effective communication is essential in any job. Employees can work on their communication and presentation skills through courses, public speaking opportunities, or even joining a Toastmasters club. Strong communication skills enhance their ability to convey ideas and collaborate with others.

Time management and productivity

Many employees struggle with managing their time efficiently. An IDP can include time management training, using productivity apps, or learning organization techniques. Improved time management leads to increased productivity and reduced stress.

Project management mastery

Employees involved in project-based roles can focus on project management skills. They can attend project management courses, become certified in project management methodologies, and practice project planning and execution.

Cross-functional knowledge

Encouraging employees to broaden their understanding of other departments can be beneficial. This can involve cross-functional training, attending meetings in different departments, or collaborating on projects outside their usual scope.

Networking and relationship-building

Building a professional network is vital for career growth. Employees can set goals to attend industry events, join professional associations, and engage in networking opportunities. Strong professional relationships can open doors to new opportunities.

Work-life balance

Achieving a healthy work-life balance is crucial for employee well-being. IDPs can include actions such as setting boundaries, time management for personal life, and practicing self-care to ensure employees maintain a balance that prevents burnout.

Diversity and inclusion

In today's diverse workplaces, understanding and promoting diversity and inclusion is vital. Employees can seek out diversity training, participate in inclusion initiatives, and actively contribute to a more inclusive work environment.

How do you write an individual development plan for your employees?

Writing an effective individual development plan (IDP) for your employees involves a structured and collaborative approach. Follow these steps to create a well-crafted IDP:

• Identify development areas: Based on the employee's self-assessment and feedback from managers and peers, pinpoint the specific skills, knowledge, and competencies to be developed.
• Outline action steps: Break down each goal into actionable steps or tasks that will lead to its achievement. These steps should be specific, tangible, and sequential.
• Allocate resources: Determine the resources required for development, such as training programs, workshops, courses, mentoring , or job rotations.
• Create a development plan: Summarize the goals, action steps, resources, and timelines in a structured document. Use a format that's easy to understand and refer back to.
• Identify support: Specify who will provide support or mentorship during the development process. This could include managers, colleagues, or external mentors.
• Measure and evaluate: Regularly assess the employee's progress and the impact of the development plan on their performance and growth.
• Celebrate achievements: Celebrate milestones and achievements to keep the employee motivated and reinforce the value of their efforts.
• Adaptability: Be open to adjusting the plan based on changing circumstances, new opportunities, or evolving goals.
• Encourage self-reflection: Encourage employees to reflect on their learning journey, noting what worked well, the challenges faced, and how they've grown.
• Document growth: Maintain records of completed training, achieved milestones, and new skills acquired, which can be valuable for performance evaluations and career discussions.
• Continual improvement: Use the feedback from the employee and their experiences to improve the IDP process for future iterations.

Remember, an effective IDP should be flexible, adaptive, and supportive of the employee's growth journey within the organization.

Why implementing an individual plan is both a manager's and HRs responsibility?

Implementing an individual development plan (IDP) is a shared responsibility between managers and the HR department due to its comprehensive impact on employee growth and organizational success. Here's why both parties play crucial roles in this process:

Manager's Responsibility:

Direct supervision.

Managers have direct insight into their team members' strengths, weaknesses, and performance. This knowledge helps tailor IDPs to individual needs.

Goal alignment

Managers align IDPs with the organization's goals and the team's objectives, ensuring that employees' development contributes to the team's success.

Guidance and support

Managers provide guidance on setting realistic goals, suggest suitable development opportunities, and offer feedback as employees progress .

They offer constructive feedback to employees , helping them understand areas for improvement and offering insights for skill enhancement.

Accountability

Managers monitor employees' progress , ensuring that action steps are being followed and milestones are achieved as outlined in the IDP.

Managers recognize and celebrate employees' achievements and growth, motivating them to continue their development journey.

Individualized coaching

Managers take on the role of coaches, providing one-on-one support tailored to each employee's needs. This involves regular check-ins and personalized development plans that consider an employee's unique aspirations and challenges.

Identifying stretch opportunities

Managers actively seek out opportunities for employees to stretch their capabilities and take on challenging assignments. Encouraging employees to step out of their comfort zones fosters growth and resilience.

Skill transfer and knowledge sharing

Managers promote a culture of knowledge sharing within their teams. They encourage employees to share their expertise and mentor each other, creating a collaborative learning environment.

Succession planning

Managers play a pivotal role in succession planning. They identify high-potential employees, groom them for leadership roles , and ensure a smooth transition when vacancies arise.

HR's Responsibility:

Framework creation.

HR establishes a structured framework for creating, tracking, and evaluating IDPs across the organization. This ensures consistency and fairness.

Resource provision

HR identifies and provides access to various development resources, including training programs, workshops, and mentoring opportunities .

Skill assessments

They facilitate skills assessments and competency evaluations that inform the development areas to be included in IDPs.

Development opportunities

HR identifies potential growth opportunities within the organization, allowing employees to explore diverse career paths.

Employee alignment

HR ensures that IDPs align with the company's overall talent management strategy, fostering a cohesive approach to employee growth .

Measurement and reporting

They measure the impact of IDPs on employee performance and the organization's success, offering insights for improvement.

Continuous improvement

HR gathers feedback from both managers and employees to refine the IDP process, ensuring its effectiveness over time.

Legal compliance

Ensuring that IDPs comply with relevant labor laws and regulations is a vital HR responsibility. They stay updated on legal requirements and ensure that IDPs don't inadvertently violate any employment laws.

HR takes a proactive role in promoting diversity and inclusion within IDPs. They work to ensure that development opportunities are equitable and accessible to employees from diverse backgrounds , fostering a more inclusive workplace culture.

Data security

As IDPs often contain sensitive employee information, HR is responsible for maintaining data security. They implement measures to protect employee privacy and data integrity, ensuring that confidential information remains confidential.

Technology integration

HR leverages technology to streamline the IDP process, making it more efficient and user-friendly. They ensure that digital tools for creating, tracking, and reporting on IDPs are integrated seamlessly into the organization's HR systems.

Collaboration between managers and HR is essential for successful IDP implementation. While managers provide personalized guidance and support, HR ensures a structured framework and availability of resources. This joint effort fosters a culture of development, engagement, and continuous improvement , benefiting both employees and the organization as a whole.

How to set goals for your individual development plan?

Setting goals for your individual development plan (IDP) involves a strategic and thoughtful approach. Follow these steps to establish effective and achievable goals:

• Self-assessment: Reflect on your current skills, strengths, weaknesses, and areas for improvement. Consider feedback from colleagues, managers, and any previous performance evaluations.
• Define clear objectives: Clearly define what you want to achieve through your IDP. Your goals should be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound ( SMART ).
• Prioritize: Determine which skills or areas need immediate attention and which ones can be developed over a longer period. Focus on a manageable number of goals to avoid overwhelm.
• Quantify measurable goals: Use metrics or criteria to measure progress . For example, if your goal is to improve public speaking, set a target number of presentations to give within a certain timeframe.
• Research and resources: Identify the resources needed to achieve each goal. This could include workshops, courses, books, mentors, or online resources.
• Flexibility: Keep your goals flexible. Circumstances change, and you may need to adjust your goals based on new opportunities or challenges.
• Balance: Ensure a balanced mix of short-term and long-term goals, as well as goals that focus on both professional and personal development.
• Feedback: Seek input from your manager, colleagues, or mentors when setting goals. They can provide valuable insights and help refine your objectives.
• Regular review: Regularly review and update your goals. This helps track progress, make adjustments as needed, and stay aligned with your evolving aspirations.
• Celebrate milestones: Acknowledge and celebrate your achievements along the way. Recognizing progress boosts motivation and keeps you engaged in the development process.
• Leverage SWOT analysis: Conduct a SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) analysis to gain deeper insights into your personal and professional landscape.
• Set long-term vision: While focusing on immediate goals, also establish a long-term vision for your personal development. Having a clear destination in mind can guide your short-term objectives and provide a sense of purpose.
• Incorporate learning styles: Consider your preferred learning style (visual, auditory, kinesthetic) when planning your development.
• Embrace adaptability: Embrace adaptability as a goal itself. The ability to adapt to new technologies, industries, or job roles is a valuable skill in today's rapidly changing world.
• Networking and collaboration: Include goals related to expanding your professional network and collaboration skills.

How to implement development plans?

Implementing professional and personal development plans in the workplace is crucial for fostering employee growth and achieving organizational goals. Here's a practical guide on how to make it happen:

• Needs assessment: Begin by identifying the specific development needs of your employees. Conduct regular performance reviews, gather feedback, and assess skills gaps. This will form the basis of your individual development planning.
• Set clear objectives: Once you've development identified the needs, set clear and measurable objectives. Ensure they align with the individual's career goals and the company's strategic objectives. These objectives should be SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound).
• Resource allocation: Allocate the necessary resources for development. This includes budgeting for training programs, workshops, mentoring, and access to relevant tools and technologies.
• Development activities: Encourage employees to engage in development activities. This may involve attending workshops, taking online courses, participating in cross-functional projects, or seeking mentorship from experienced colleagues.
• Regular feedback: Provide ongoing feedback and support. Regular check-ins with managers or mentors can help employees stay on track and make necessary adjustments to their development plans.
• Measure progress: Use key performance indicators (KPIs) to track progress. Monitor skill improvements, project outcomes, and the impact of development activities on individual and team performance.
• Recognition and rewards: Recognize and reward achievements along the way. Celebrate milestones and showcase success stories to motivate others and reinforce the importance of development.

How to craft individual development plan template for employees, managers, & senior leadership?

Crafting individual development plan (IDP) examples for employees, managers, and senior leadership requires a strategic approach that aligns with their unique responsibilities and career trajectories. Here's how to create effective IDP examples for this group:

• Needs assessment: Start by assessing the specific needs of managers and senior leaders. Consider their current roles, skills, and areas for growth.
• Alignment with organizational goals: Ensure that the IDP examples align with both the individual's career aspirations and the organization's strategic objectives.
• Leadership competencies: Focus on leadership competencies such as strategic thinking, decision-making, communication , and team development. Tailor goals to enhance these skills.
• 360-degree feedback: Gather feedback from colleagues, subordinates, and superiors to identify areas for improvement and strengths to leverage.
• Long-term vision: Help managers and senior leaders align their IDPs with long-term career visions, considering potential leadership roles and responsibilities.
• Executive coaching: Offer executive coaching or mentoring to support their development. Include goals related to improving coaching or mentoring skills if applicable.
• Change management: If their roles involve leading through change, incorporate goals related to change management strategies and techniques.
• Innovation and strategy: Focus on fostering innovation, creating strategic plans, and identifying opportunities for organizational growth.
• Cross-functional collaboration: Set goals that encourage collaboration across different departments or functions, enhancing their ability to lead multidisciplinary teams.
• Performance metrics: Quantify goals where possible. For example, increasing employee engagement scores or achieving specific revenue targets.
• Crisis management: Develop skills in crisis management and decision-making under pressure, considering their roles in guiding the organization during challenging times.
• Ethical leadership: Include goals related to promoting ethical conduct, fostering a positive organizational culture , and leading by example.

Remember, IDPs for managers and senior leaders should be forward-thinking, challenging them to expand their skill sets, embrace innovation, and navigate complex leadership scenarios .

Individual development plan examples for various industries

Explore diverse individual development plan (IDP) examples tailored to various industries. From tech to healthcare, these IDPs illustrate how professionals can enhance skills, achieve goals, and thrive in their specific fields.

Individual development plan examples for engineers

1. Technical skill advancement:

• Goal: Master [specific technology/tool] within [timeline].
• Action: Enroll in relevant courses, and apply skills to projects.

2. Leadership readiness:

• Goal: Develop leadership qualities.
• Action: Attend leadership workshops and mentor junior engineers.

3. Certification attainment:

• Goal: Obtain [industry certification].
• Action: Study, take preparation courses, and schedule exams.

4. Cross-functional exposure:

• Goal: Gain insight into [related domain].
• Action: Collaborate , attend cross-functional meetings.

5. Innovation contribution:

• Goal: Propose innovative solutions.
• Action: Engage in R&D projects, and submit patents.

Individual development plan examples for pharma employees

1. Regulatory compliance expertise:

• Goal: Master regulations like FDA guidelines within [timeline].
• Action: Attend regulatory workshops, analyze case studies , and contribute to compliance projects.

2. Clinical trial management:

• Goal: Develop proficiency in managing clinical trials.
• Action: Participate in trial coordination, learn data analysis tools, and collaborate with clinical teams.

3. Pharmacovigilance skills:

• Goal: Enhance adverse event reporting and monitoring capabilities.
• Action: Attend pharmacovigilance seminars, analyze real-world data, and contribute to safety assessments.

4. Cross-functional collaboration:

• Goal: Foster collaboration with R&D, production, and marketing teams.
• Action: Join cross-functional projects, engage in knowledge-sharing sessions, and attend inter-departmental meetings.

5. GMP and quality assurance:

• Goal: Become a quality assurance expert aligned with Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP).
• Action Steps: Attend GMP training, participate in quality audits, and contribute to process improvement initiatives.

Individual development plan examples for finance professionals

1. Financial modeling expertise:

• Goal: Enhance proficiency in financial modeling for more accurate forecasting.
• Action: Enroll in advanced Excel courses, practice modeling complex scenarios, and participate in case study workshops.

2. Strategic financial planning:

• Goal: Develop strategic planning skills to contribute to long-term financial strategies.
• Action: Attend strategic finance seminars, collaborate with strategy teams, and analyze industry trends for informed decision-making.
• Goal: Obtain [specific finance-related certification] to elevate professional credentials.
• Action: Study rigorously, attend certification review sessions, and schedule the exam within [timeline].

4. Risk management proficiency:

• Goal: Strengthen risk assessment skills to minimize financial vulnerabilities.
• Action: Attend risk management seminars, analyze historical data for risk patterns, and propose mitigation strategies.

5. Leadership in finance teams:

• Goal: Cultivate leadership qualities for effective management within the finance department .
• Action: Engage in leadership workshops, mentor junior team members, and initiate process improvement projects.

Individual development plan examples for supply chain employees

1. Supplier Relationship Management:

• Goal: Enhance supplier collaboration and negotiation skills.
• Action: Attend supplier management workshops , engage in cross-functional collaboration, and lead vendor evaluation projects.

2. Process Optimization:

• Goal: Streamline supply chain processes for efficiency.
• Action: Enroll in process improvement courses, map out current processes, and implement Lean principles.

3. Inventory Management Proficiency:

• Goal: Develop expertise in optimizing inventory levels.
• Action: Take advanced inventory management courses, analyze historical data, and implement demand forecasting techniques.

4. Global Supply Chain Understanding:

• Goal: Gain insights into global supply chain dynamics.
• Action: Participate in international trade seminars, collaborate with overseas teams, and understand regional regulations.

5. Supply Chain Analytics:

• Goal: Improve decision-making through data-driven insights.
• Action: Learn data analytics tools, work on supply chain data projects, and present findings to management.

Individual development plan examples for hospitality industry employees

1. Customer Service Excellence:

• Goal: Elevate customer satisfaction by mastering guest interactions and problem-solving.
• Action: Attend customer service workshops, role-play scenarios, and seek feedback from supervisors.

2. Multilingual Proficiency:

• Goal: Enhance guest experience by learning [specific language] to communicate with a diverse clientele.
• Action: Enroll in language classes, practice with colleagues, and interact with guests in the target language.

3. Upselling Skills:

• Goal: Boost revenue by becoming proficient in upselling techniques and personalized recommendations.
• Action: Attend upselling training, create upsell strategies, and track successful upsell transactions.

4. Leadership Readiness:

• Goal: Prepare for supervisory roles by developing leadership and team management skills.
• Action: Participate in leadership courses, mentor junior staff, and seek guidance from experienced managers .

5. Crisis Management:

• Goal: Enhance preparedness by training for effective crisis response and guest safety protocols.
• Action: Engage in crisis management drills, study emergency procedures, and participate in safety audits.
• Goal: Develop meaningful leadership qualities.
• Action: Collaborate, attend cross-functional meetings.
• Goal: Cultivate leadership qualities for effective management within the finance department.
• Action: Engage in leadership workshops, mentor junior team members, initiate process improvement projects .

1. Supplier relationship management:

• Action: Attend supplier management workshops, engage in cross-functional collaboration, lead vendor evaluation projects.

2. Process optimization:

• Action: Enroll in process improvement courses, map out current processes, implement Lean principles.

3. nventory management proficiency:

• Action: Take advanced inventory management courses, analyze historical data, implement demand forecasting techniques.

4. Global supply chain understanding:

• Action: Participate in international trade seminars, collaborate with overseas teams, understand regional regulations.

5. Supply chain analytics:

• Action: Learn data analytics tools, work on supply chain data projects, present findings to management.
• Action: Attend customer service workshops, role-play scenarios, seek feedback from supervisors.

2. Multilingual proficiency:

• Action: Enroll in language classes, practice with colleagues, interact with guests in the target language.

3. Upselling skills:

• Action: Attend upselling training, create upsell strategies, track successful upsell transactions.

4. Leadership readiness:

• Action: Participate in leadership courses, mentor junior staff, seek guidance from experienced managers.

5. Crisis management:

• Action: Engage in crisis management drills, study emergency procedures, participate in safety audits.

Role of an employee development program in implementing an individual development plan for your employees

An employee development program plays a pivotal role in successfully implementing individual development plans (IDPs). It provides a structured framework for employees to access resources, training, and opportunities aligned with their IDP goals. These programs offer tailored workshops, courses, and mentorship, fostering skill enhancement and career growth.

By aligning IDPs with the organization's development initiatives, employees receive the necessary support, ensuring their aspirations align with business objectives. Employee development programs create a culture of continuous learning, boosting engagement, job satisfaction, and overall organizational success.

In essence, an Individual Development Plan (IDP) serves as a personalized roadmap for growth, regardless of industry. With strategic goal-setting, tailored actions, and ongoing reflection, individuals can harness their potential, cultivating skills that enrich both their careers and their industries at large.

What are some individual development plan examples for managers?

Managers often focus on leadership development, strategic thinking, and team management. For example, a manager's individual development plan may include goals like enhancing leadership skills through workshops, participating in strategic planning sessions, and mentoring junior team members to foster leadership qualities. These plans aim to prepare managers for broader responsibilities within the organization.

Can you provide individual development plan examples for employees in the workplace?

Certainly! Employees can have diverse development goals. For instance, an employee may aim to improve technical skills by enrolling in relevant courses, enhance communication abilities through public speaking training, or build leadership qualities by joining cross-functional projects. These plans align individual aspirations with organizational objectives, fostering a motivated and skilled workforce.

What are the common components of an individual development plan in a professional setting?

A typical individual development plan includes clear goals, self-assessment, actionable plans, resource identification, timelines, and monitoring and evaluation. These components help individuals define their objectives, assess their current skills, outline steps to achieve their goals, identify the necessary resources, set realistic timelines, and regularly review and adapt their plans.

How do I create a personal development plan for my career?

To create a personal development plan, start by self-reflecting on your strengths, weaknesses, and career aspirations. Set clear, SMART goals that align with your vision. Create actionable plans, identify resources, establish timelines, and regularly review your progress. Adapt your plan as needed to stay on track and achieve your career objectives. Seek guidance and feedback from mentors.

What are some real-life individual development plan samples for career growth?

Real-life individual development plan samples vary based on career goals. For instance, a sample for career or personal growth may include goals like obtaining relevant certifications, attending leadership training, and joining cross-functional projects . Another sample for skill enhancement may involve taking technical courses, seeking mentorship, and participating in industry conferences.

Kailash Ganesh

Kailash is a Product Marketer with 5+ years of experience. He loves story-telling in the simplest way possible and he is an avid reader, movie buff, and likes to travel new places to meet new people.

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Individual Development Plans Examples for Managers – Crucial Goals to Include

Sreyashi Chatterjee

• by Sreyashi Chatterjee
• August 11, 2023

Recent studies have shown that organizations with effective individual development plans (IDPs) for their managers experience a significant boost in productivity and employee engagement. According to a survey, 94% of employees in companies with well-structured IDPs reported higher job satisfaction and a more substantial commitment to their organization. 

Having structured and targeted examples of IDP goals for managers can be a game changer. It can help you with the positive outcomes for your teams and the organization.

Let’s understand what IDP goals for managers are. We will also discuss individual development plan examples for managers that will help you implement and monitor tactics of managerial IDPs, and on how to overcome the challenges for the same.

Understanding Individual Development Plans (IDPs) for Managers

Individual Development Plans (IDPs) serve as personalized roadmaps that outline managers’ specific objectives and development areas, facilitating a well-structured path to success. 

Unlike regular performance evaluations that focus on short-term performance, IDPs extend beyond the scope of reviews and concentrate on long-term career aspirations and skill enhancement. This forward-thinking approach empowers managers to take charge of their professional development and align your growth with the organization’s strategic objectives.

According to McKinsey , organizations that actively support employee development experience higher retention rates and are more likely to attract top talent. 

By adopting IDPs, managers gain the tools and insights to nurture the potential of their team members effectively. 

The IDP process encourages managers to develop coaching and mentoring abilities, fostering a supportive and growth-oriented team environment. This not only enhances employee performance but also contributes to the overall productivity and success of the organization.

Individual Development Plan Goals for Managers

Setting individual development plan goals for managers is a pivotal step in their professional growth journey. These goals are the building blocks for enhancing managerial skills, fostering leadership qualities , and driving overall team success. 

Let’s dive into the key objectives 

1. Self-Assessment and Identifying Skill Gaps

Self-awareness is the foundation for a successful IDP. By conducting thorough self-assessments, managers can identify areas for improvement and skill gaps that might hinder their success. 

Addressing these gaps through targeted development plans , such as attending workshops or training sessions, can enhance their capabilities and transform them into more effective leaders.

2. Leadership and Communication Skills Enhancement

Strong leadership and communication skills are game-changers for managers in the business world. With enhanced leadership qualities, they can inspire and motivate their teams to achieve remarkable results. 

Effective communication skills enable them to build better relationships with clients and stakeholders, leading to improved collaboration and successful business deals.

3. Goal Setting and Time Management

Setting clear OKRs and achievable goals is instrumental in driving success. Using a goal-setting platform can streamline the process, helping them align their objectives with the organization’s and track progress efficiently. 

Effective time management ensures managers prioritize tasks, leading to better productivity and timely execution of projects, ultimately elevating business performance. 

Managers can learn to set OKRs with the best OKRs & strategy execution software like Peoplebox, they can build a truly goal-driven and time management culture to accelerate their business growth. 

4. Conflict Resolution and Problem-Solving

Conflict resolution and problem-solving skills are game-changers in handling challenging situations. 

For managers, navigating conflicts with clients or team members effectively can preserve relationships and strengthen partnerships. Additionally, adept problem-solving skills enable them to overcome obstacles swiftly, ensuring smooth project delivery and enhancing the organization’s reputation.

5. Coaching and Mentoring Abilities

Investing in coaching and mentoring team members transforms managers into an exceptional leader. 

By guiding their team’s growth and professional development, they foster a culture of continuous improvement and employee engagement. This approach can significantly impact team performance, leading to higher levels of productivity and innovation. 

P.S. – You can even track your employees’ engagement insights with our employee engagement software . 

6. Adaptability and Change Management

If managers embrace change and adjust their strategies quickly they can seize new opportunities and stay ahead of the competition. Their adeptness in change management ensures smoother transitions during organizational shifts, minimizing disruptions and maximizing productivity.

7. Delegation, Empowerment, and Succession Planning

Skillful delegation and empowerment empower managers to focus on strategic initiatives while building a capable and autonomous team. Effective succession planning ensures a seamless leadership transition, safeguarding the organization’s future. 

Managers who excel in these areas create a resilient and agile workforce that can respond to challenges and drive long-term success.

In general, collaboration between managers, HR, and higher management is crucial to implement and monitor IDPs effectively. This allows managers to track their development and make necessary adjustments.

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Implementation and monitoring of managerial idps.

Once managers have established their development goals, it is essential to have a well-structured approach to implement and track their progress. 

Let’s dive into the key implementation and monitoring 

1. Collaborative Approach with HR and Higher Management 

A successful implementation of managerial IDPs requires a collaborative approach with HR and higher management. Managers should actively involve HR professionals in the creation and implementation of IDPs. 

HR’s expertise can help tailor IDPs to meet individual managerial needs while ensuring they align with the organization’s overall objectives. This collaborative effort ensures that IDPs are well-integrated with the organization’s strategic priorities, contributing to long-term success.

When higher management is committed to managerial development, it sends a powerful message about the organization’s investment in its leaders’ growth. Support from higher management equips you with the necessary resources and opportunities to succeed in their development journey.

2. Regular Progress Assessments and Feedback 

Regular progress assessments are mandatory to monitor the effectiveness of managerial IDPs. They should conduct periodic reviews to track their development progress against set goals. 

These assessments help identify areas of improvement, reinforce successes, and keep IDPs on track. By measuring progress over time, they can gauge the impact of their efforts and make data-driven decisions.

Gathering feedback from peers, subordinates, and superiors adds valuable insights to the assessment process. Feedback from different perspectives provides a holistic view of a manager’s performance and development. It allows them to understand their strengths, identify blind spots, and uncover opportunities for growth.

Based on performance evaluations and feedback, they can make necessary adjustments to their IDPs. Flexibility in the development process enables managers to respond to changing circumstances and refine their goals as needed. They can use goal tracker apps that will help them with creating and tracking individual development goals. With a user-friendly interface and easy-to-use features, seamlessly set SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound) objectives and monitor their progress over time. 

By continuously improving and adapting their IDPs, they can ensure you remain on the path of growth and achieve long-term success.

Overcoming Challenges in Managerial Individual Development Plan

Challenges are inevitable in any development process, including managerial IDPs. 

To ensure successful implementation, managers must know potential obstacles and strategies to overcome them.

1. Constraints and Workload Management 

Managers’ days are often filled with various responsibilities and tasks, leaving limited time for their IDP. To address this challenge, managers can prioritize their development by allocating specific time each week for IDP activities. They can leverage performance management or goal setting software to help streamline their time and workload while staying focused on their development goals.

Delegate non-essential tasks to their team members and seek support from HR in creating realistic timelines for their growth. By involving their team in the process, they can collectively find solutions to manage their workload and create a supportive environment for their development.

2. Resistance to Change and Learning 

Change can be met with resistance, and managers may hesitate to embrace new development initiatives. They can overcome this challenge by fostering a growth mindset and recognizing that continuous learning is essential for their leadership growth. They can –

• Look out for training programs and resources aligned with their goals and interests. 
• Engage in conversations with mentors or peers who can provide support and guidance. 

By actively seeking learning opportunities and embracing change, they can accelerate their development.

3. Lack of Resources for Skill Development 

In some cases, access to formal training programs or resources may be limited due to budget constraints or other factors. 

To address this challenge, managers need to be resourceful and explore alternative learning opportunities. They should – 

• Look for free or affordable online courses, webinars, or workshops that cater to their needs. 
• Tap into their professional network for mentorship or skill-sharing opportunities. 

By leveraging their connections and seeking digital resources, they can continue their development journey without depending solely on formal training programs.

4. Lack of Clarity in Setting Goals

Setting meaningful and achievable goals is crucial for the success of your IDP. If managers find it challenging to define clear objectives, take a problem-solving approach.  They can – 

• Break down their larger aspirations into smaller, actionable steps
• Consult with their team or supervisor to align their goals with organizational objectives
• Ask for feedback and guidance to refine their goals and ensure they are realistic and relevant to your career progression

By taking a proactive problem-solving approach and leveraging strategy execution software like Peoplebox, managers can overcome challenges in their IDP and create a roadmap for their success. Remember, a growth journey is unique, and with the right strategies and resources, managers can achieve their personal and professional aspirations.

Fuel Your Individual Development Plan Goals with Peoplebox

Building a strong and sustainable future requires investing in skill enhancement through IDPs. To make this process seamless, consider leveraging Peoplebox, the best strategy execution software designed solely for your managers. With its user-friendly interface and comprehensive features, your managers can:

• Connect with their goals
• Ask for feedback
• Immerse themselves with the best OKR coaching
• Seek employee reviews

This platform helps managers get the best of all the world making it the ideal solution for their IDP. They can gain valuable insights into their strengths and areas for development through talent assessment and strategize their goals accordingly.

So, leave behind all the fuss and upgrade your managers to full potential with a comprehensive and effective IDP. 

Take the first step towards success – get started with Peoplebox today!

What are good professional goals for a manager?

Good professional goals for a manager encompass a range of areas that contribute to their overall effectiveness and leadership. 

Some examples of these goals include enhancing communication and delegation skills to build a cohesive team, improving conflict resolution abilities to maintain a harmonious work environment, setting clear OKRs (Objectives and Key Results) to align team efforts with organizational objectives, and fostering a culture of continuous learning to stay updated with industry trends and best practices.

How do you write a personal development plan for a manager?

Writing a personal development plan for a manager involves a structured and goal-oriented approach. 

Firstly, conduct a comprehensive self-assessment to identify strengths and areas for development. 

Then, set specific and measurable goals based on these findings. For example, a goal could be to improve coaching and mentoring skills to enhance employee performance. 

Next, outline actionable steps and a timeline to achieve these goals. Regularly review and update the plan based on progress and changing priorities.

What is an example of a SMART goal for a manager?

A SMART goal for a manager could be to “Increase team productivity by 15% within six months.” 

This goal is Specific (increasing team productivity), Measurable (15% improvement), Achievable (based on the manager’s capabilities and available resources), Relevant (contributes to the team’s success), and Time-bound (within six months).

How can managers build effective cross-functional collaboration?

Managers can build effective cross-functional collaboration by promoting open communication and fostering a culture of trust and mutual respect. Encouraging regular team meetings and cross-departmental interactions can facilitate knowledge-sharing and problem-solving. 

Additionally, setting common goals and recognizing team achievements collectively can strengthen collaboration among different teams.

What strategies can managers use to handle employee burnout?

To address employee burnout, managers can implement various strategies, such as promoting work-life balance by encouraging time off and flexible working arrangements. Providing recognition and appreciation for employees’ efforts can boost morale. 

Additionally, offering opportunities for skill development and career growth can re-energize employees and reduce burnout risks.

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Employee development  is most helpful to your employees when it’s intentional and carefully planned. In fact,  Culture Amp research  found that employees who don’t feel they have access to clear development opportunities are 41% more likely to leave their current company.

This is where individual development plans (IDPs) are especially valuable. These detailed plans clearly outline an employee’s career goals along with the tangible steps the employee can take to achieve their goals.

In this blog, we explain what an individual development plan is, why they’re important, and how to create one. We’ll also give you individual development plan examples and a template so you can build your own and start prioritizing employee growth today.

What is an individual development plan?

An individual development plan, also known as a  personal development plan , is an actionable document used to guide employee development. It defines an individual’s long-term career goals, highlights their current strengths, lists areas of improvement, and shares an action plan detailing how the employee can invest in their skills and make their career aspirations a reality.

An IDP is typically a collaborative document created by an employee and their manager. These plans are often put together following professional development conversations, which are typically held complementary to, yet separate from, a company’s formal  performance management process .

Why are individual development plans important?

IDPs are a crucial part of employee development. Aside from helping employees define the next steps in their careers, individual development plans also:

• Guide employee growth:  IDPs outline the steps employees can take today to reach their larger career goals tomorrow. They provide clarity and direction while breaking larger goals into attainable tasks. They also empower employees to take ownership of their growth and development.
• Inform managers:  Managers that know their direct reports’ long- and short-term career aspirations are equipped to be better coaches and advocates. IDPs give each manager a detailed account of employee strengths, goals, and action plans to support direct reports throughout their career journey.
• Boost loyalty : Showing employees that your business is invested in their development can inspire loyalty and trust.
• Increase productivity:  Working towards a tangible goal can keep employees motivated and productive.
• Improve retention:  When employees can imagine a future with your business, they are likelier to pursue their career goals within your company.

A step-by-step guide to making an IDP

While an IDP has a few different components, these plans aren’t difficult to make. You can help an employee create an individual development plan in just four steps. Here’s how:

1. Complete a self-reflection

To start, have the employee fill out a  self-reflection . The reflection should touch on three key areas – the employee’s:

• Motivation and strengths
• Long-term career vision
• Short-term objectives

Together, these criteria give employees a better understanding of their career goals and the skills and experience they will need to achieve this level of success. An honest and open self-reflection will guide the rest of the IDP process.

2. Build an actionable individual development plan

With the information from the self-reflection in hand, your employee is ready to start building their individual development plan. Walk them through these three steps:

• Review your plan objective:  This will most likely be the short-term objective from the self-reflection or what the employee will work towards following the creation of their individual development plan.
• Identify growth areas:  Work with the employee to determine the skills and behaviors they need to learn or strengthen to achieve their objective.
• Build development goals:  Lastly, encourage employees to set realistic, measurable goals that will help them improve the identified growth areas and bring them closer to their overall objective.

Let’s see what this looks like in practice. Here’s an individual development plan example for a sales account executive aspiring to become a regional sales manager:

Objective:  To be promoted to a regional sales manager next review cycle

Growth areas:

• Product knowledge
• Leadership and coaching
• Sales forecasting

Development goals:

• Hit or exceed quota for the next three quarters
• Receive a manager net promoter score of >70 during the following  engagement survey
• Improve internal awareness of my team’s performance by sharing a monthly recap email with senior department leaders

Using this detailed IDP, the employee will clearly understand the actions they need to take today to work towards their promotion.

3. Review the plan together

This step can go before or after step two, depending on your organization or employee preferences. Wherever you choose to place this step, just know that each employee and their manager must meet to discuss their self-assessment and proposed IDP. This ensures both parties agree about the employee’s strengths, areas for improvement, interests, goals, and organizational requirements.

During these conversations, encourage managers to ask lots of questions and work to understand each employee’s career aspirations. Managers can  provide a business perspective  and shed light on how they see business priorities evolving in the coming months. This will help employees envision how their career aspirations can align with changing business needs.

4. Implement the plan and evaluate outcomes

Now it’s time to get to work. While the employee pursues the training and development identified in the plan, meet with them frequently to help track progress,  share feedback , and evaluate their performance. These continuous manager check-ins, or  1-on-1s , provide an external perspective, remove obstacles and barriers, and help employees reach their goals more efficiently.

Individual development plan template

Here’s a closer look at what to include in your IDPs as well as an individual development plan example to guide your creation.

1. Employee details

At the top of your plan, start with the key details – who the plan is for (employee name), their position/job title, their manager, and the creation date. This will help you keep track of the IDP and remember when it was made.

In the following examples, we’ll be creating an IDP for a content marketing specialist. Here are her employee details:

• Employee Name:  Jane Doe
• Job Title:  Content Marketing Specialist
• Manager:  John Smith
• IDP Creation Date:  January 15, 2023

2. Career goals

Next, document the individual’s specific job-related developmental goals, both immediate and long-term. In this example, our content marketing specialist wants to pivot her career to event planning. Her overarching goals might be:

• Be an integral part of the company’s conference planning team
• Advance into a role specializing in event planning

These goals will act as her North Star for the rest of the IDP creation process and influence what skills and experience she needs to develop to successfully complete her career pivot.

3. Strengths and development areas

Pulling from the employee’s self-assessment, jot down any skills, strengths, and developmental areas. For the aspiring event planner in our example, this might look like:

• Organizational skills
• Time management skills
• Communication skills
• Building strong interpersonal relationships

Development areas:

• General event planning knowledge and skills
• Familiarity with negotiation and budgeting
• Learning how to use the company’s event software
• Creative problem-solving

Now the employee has a clear picture of the strengths she can lean on as well as areas she needs to focus on in order to grow professionally and achieve her goal of becoming an amazing event planner.

4. Action plan

This section describes how the employee plans to acquire the knowledge and skills outlined above. At this stage, try to be creative by using various learning strategies and activities. Employees can learn and  grow in many ways , including:

• Classroom or online training programs
• On-the-job training
• Stretch assignments
• Conferences
• Professional certifications
• Job shadowing
• Mentorship programs

However your employee decides to improve their development areas, work with them to create a detailed, measurable action plan. Break down their overarching career goal into attainable steps they can start taking today. Include specific KPIs you and your employee can use to track progress and understand the impact.

To revisit our content marketing specialist example, her action plan could be:

• Assist with the planning and execution of the company’s annual user conference (stretch assignment)
• Work closely with the Event Manager to better understand her role and expertise (mentorship)
• Complete “Event Planning 101” and earn a certification (online training/certification)

While these steps may be detailed enough for some individuals, it never hurts to tie specific KPIs to action plans to help assess progress and evaluate success. Our employee might decide to use feedback from the event planning team post-conference to assess her contributions to the event. She could also set up a recurring 1-on-1 with the Event Manager and track meeting occurrences to measure the effectiveness of her mentorship. Her last action is more cut and dry – if she completes the class and earns her certification, this can be regarded as a success.

5. Time frame

You’ll also need to define the timeline the employee has to execute this action plan. Is it a week? Month? Quarter? Year? Be sure to document how long the employee has to complete the action plan, so you can hold them accountable and help track progress along the way. Managers and employees should meet regularly throughout the time frame to share feedback, discuss roadblocks, and touch base on how things are going.

Lastly, leave space for your results. After the specified time frame elapses, complete this section with the employee as a way to reflect on performance and assess success.

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Be a better leader

How to Create an Individual Development Plan (Template With Examples)

Do you know where you’re heading in your professional journey? 

Like any seasoned traveler, you need a map. And that map is an individual development plan (IDP).

The individual development plan charts the course to your desired career goals. It should align with your values, ambitions and the person you want to be in and out of the office. 

As a leader — or a future leader — consider this IDP guide and template as a sort of secret weapon in your path to greatness .

Are you ready to create your ideal IDP? One that resonates with who you are and where you want to be?

Let’s dive in.

Key Takeaways

• An individual development plan is a valuable tool to help you figure out your professional goals.
• Having a well-crafted, thoughtful and actionable IDP brings great clarity, confidence and purpose, giving that extra bump you need to start making big moves in your career.

What Is an Individual Development Plan?

An individual development plan (IDP) is a roadmap that outlines where you want to be and how you can use your strengths, skills and potential to get there. 

It’s your tool for setting and achieving those small, meaningful goals that build into the bigger picture of who you are as a person, both personally and professionally.

The 4 Components of an Effective Individual Development Plan

No two plans are the same (nor should they be).

But they all share a common structure, with four key components: 

• Career goals
• Strengths and personality traits
• Areas for growth
• Action plan

Let’s break them down, and I’ll share some tactics along the way to help you write an actionable plan that you can use to become a truly great leader .

1. Career Goals

Your career goals should align not only with who you are right now but also who you want to become. 

Be ambitious. Reach for a future that feels outside of your comfort zone. After all, that’s where the real growth happens.

If you’re uncertain about your goals, don’t worry. Start by asking yourself a few questions:

• What am I passionate about, and how can that translate into my professional life?
• Where do I see myself in 5, 10, or 15 years?
• What are my core values , and how can I align my career goals with them?
• How can I use my skills to help those around me?

These questions give you a foundation for setting meaningful goals. 

When the ideas start to flow, consider using the S.M.A.R.T. model to make some sense of them. 

Your goals should be:

• M easurable
• A chievable
• T ime-bound

Start small and work your way up from there. 

Each little victory is a vote for the person you are becoming, and those little victories snowball into something great if you remain consistent and focused.

2. Strengths and Personal Talents

You have unique strengths and talents that make you an asset. 

And if you’re not quite sure what they are, that’s okay. 

Part of personal growth is learning to recognize and build on your own strengths, even if they don’t seem “traditional.” 

With that in mind, think about these questions: 

• What am I good at?
• When do I feel fully engaged?
• What activities make me feel a sense of purpose? 
• What am I doing when I feel most “myself”? 

Listing your strengths (no matter how small or large) helps  you understand where you can make the most significant impact.

3. Areas for Growth

Acknowledging areas of growth isn’t a sign of weakness. 

It’s a testament of your commitment to achieving excellence.

This portion of the IDP can be uncomfortable, but remember, true growth comes from deep introspection ( daily journaling can be helpful with this). 

Here are some excellent reflective questions to ask yourself: 

• What professional skills do I wish came more naturally to me?
• What habits, fears or insecurities are preventing me from doing what I want to do?
• How do I respond to stress or pressure, and how can I improve this response?
• How well do I manage my time, and how can I optimize it?
• How effective am I at listening to others, and how can I enhance this skill?
• How well do I accept and act on constructive feedback?
• In what ways do I step out of my comfort zone, and how can I do this more often?
• How consistently do I align my actions with my core values, and how can I improve this alignment?

These questions help you identify areas of growth and visualize your “best” self. Being clear on those two things enables you to create an action plan that gets you there. 

4. Action Plan

James Clear, the author of Atomic Habits , says, “Goals are good for setting a direction, but systems are best for making progress.” 

The action plan is the system that helps you accomplish your goals. 

Here’s an outline for an action plan that works:

Define your objectives: This is your “why.” What are you looking to achieve? These objectives should be closely tied to your career goals and areas for growth. 

Outline your tasks: Now it’s time to look at the “how.” How will you achieve these objectives? Break down the steps, tools or support you need to complete your objective. 

Set success criteria: The success criteria are your “what.” What will it look like when you’ve successfully achieved your objectives? This is how you measure progress, and it’s important because it helps you stay on course. 

Establish a time frame: Finally, the “when.” When do you aim to accomplish each task and ultimately meet your objectives? Be realistic yet ambitious with your time frames. Giving yourself deadlines creates a sense of urgency and keeps you motivated.

The beauty of this system is its simplicity and clarity . 

You know what you’re working toward, how you’re going to get there, what success looks like and when you plan to reach your goal. 

This is how you turn direction into progress .

Individual Development Plan Template

Now that the gears are turning, let’s put everything together. I’ve created an IDP template that combines everything we’ve covered so far.

The template includes a few sections: 

• Focus area of individual development
• Professional goals and aspirations
• Strengths and personal talents
• Action steps

Once you’ve filled out the template,  keep it somewhere visible so it stays top of mind. Tape it to your desk. Attach it to your computer monitor. Place it on your bathroom mirror.

It can be daunting to create an IDP from scratch, so I’ve uploaded my own to give you some ideas. 

Committing to growth is difficult, but with a clear roadmap for success, you’ll find it’s easier to take steps than you realize.

And here’s a bonus… Once you start walking down your own path to growth and fulfillment, you can share this template with your team and spread the culture of growth within your organization. 

How to Use IDPs to Help Your Team Grow

Lack of career development is the #1 reason people quit their jobs. No one wants to feel like they’re stuck on a treadmill with no forward progress or direction.  But you have the power to change that. 

Here’s how you can implement IDPs within your team:

Introduce the concept: Launch the idea in a team meeting. It could be an all-hands or a video call. The important part? Make it interactive. Explain the “why,” answer questions and spark enthusiasm.

Schedule one-on-ones: Follow up with individual meetings. Offer guidance, and help each team member start plotting their path. This is a chance to understand each person’s ambitions and potential growth areas more deeply.

Lead by example: Share your IDP with the team and demonstrate your own commitment to growth and excellence. This encourages a culture of ongoing improvement and reinforces that you’re in this together.

The result? An empowered team, an invigorated work environment and a culture that values progress — all thanks to the power of IDPs. 

To your pursuit of growth, Thomas

Hello! I'm Thomas, and I’m the co-founder of OptinMonster, a partner at Awesome Motive, and a leader of leaders. My software powers organizational success for more than 25 million websites across the globe, and my content is read by thousands each month.

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How HR Professionals Can Use an Individual Development Plan

A detailed professional development plan can help HR practitioners grow in their careers.

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Human resource professionals know how to pair people with jobs that match their skills and aspirations. But HR practitioners who are not as dutiful about mapping their own career paths may be missing opportunities to help themselves advance.

An individual development plan—commonly known as an IDP—can be a helpful tool for keeping your professional growth on track.

“Even if you’re in the right job at the right company, you’re probably hoping to grow,” says Mark Herschberg, author of The Career Toolkit: Essential Skills for Success That No One Taught You (Cognosco Media, 2020) and co-founder of a career development program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. “You’ll need a plan to do that.”

The first step in creating an IDP typically involves completing a questionnaire that asks about your career goals, including how and when you plan to meet them. You also may be asked to identify your professional weaknesses and commit to taking specific steps for overcoming them. Generic IDP templates are widely available for free online, including on shrm.org/IDPform. You can also find them in most career planning guides.

There are no right or wrong answers when completing an IDP questionnaire. But experts agree that for the process to be effective, your responses must be honest and realistic. And regular follow-up—to ensure you’re meeting your short-term goals and that they remain relevant to your long-term plan—is key.

Here’s how HR professionals can get the most out of the IDP process.

Keep Leadership Requirements Top of Mind

Focus your IDP on honing the skills that all HR leaders need, says Bradford Frank, a Philadelphia-based partner with recruiting firm Korn Ferry who specializes in placing HR executives. These include:

• Building partnerships with departments outside of HR.
• Translating business strategy to people strategy.
• Understanding the nuances of the full breadth of HR disciplines.
• Cultivating cultural awareness, especially if you’re interested in working in a large, global organization.

Close Skills Gaps

Compare your current skills with those you will need to meet your long-term career objectives, Frank advises. Then establish short- and medium-term goals that involve working on projects or taking other steps that will help fill your skills gaps. For example, consider shadowing colleagues in different HR disciplines, attending meetings in other departments to learn their part of the business or even taking on a new job within your organization.

To enhance your knowledge of how business is handled outside the U.S., look for opportunities to work abroad or with colleagues in other countries, advises Kate Zimberg, vice president for employee experience and enablement at F5 Networks, a Seattle-based technology company.

Zimberg aspires to be a chief people officer and has been seeking ways to increase her knowledge of other cultures to prepare herself for such a role. Although the pandemic has curtailed opportunities for international travel, she holds informational meetings over the phone and via Zoom with her company’s HR departments in India, Singapore and England.

“It’s so important to learn what others are working on,” she says. “I ask for invitations where I can learn and listen. When travel opens up, I will go abroad.” 

Look for Training Opportunities

If you need an additional credential or degree to move forward, use your IDP to set goals related to selecting the most appropriate program, making arrangements to fit classes into your schedule and financing the training if your employer won’t cover the full cost.

Be creative about where and how you receive your training. Community colleges, professional associations such as the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) and online platforms like Coursera are obvious choices, but there are countless others. For example, Washington, D.C.-based HR consultant Jocelyn King, SHRM-SCP, says when she was an HR director for a tech firm, she tapped the company’s outside legal counsel to design a class addressing her organization’s specific labor relations challenges.

Training doesn’t have to be conducted in the classroom or even on the job. Andrew Marcotte, SHRM-SCP, an HR manager for Blain’s Farm and Fleet, a regional chain of 44 retail stores in Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa and Michigan, says he expanded his professional skills by volunteering with SHRM and its affiliates. As president of the Blackhawk Human Resource Association in southern Wisconsin, Marcotte has been able to practice public speaking, negotiate contracts and manage a relationship with a technology vendor. He also participates in SHRM-sponsored employer education initiatives where he provides guidance to companies considering hiring veterans, people with criminal records and people with disabilities. In the process, Marcotte says, he strengthens his own understanding of recruitment strategies.

Get Feedback

Some people view the process of creating an individual development plan as a personal matter and prefer to work through it on their own. But don’t underestimate the value of a second opinion when assessing your strengths and weaknesses or for pointing you toward advancement opportunities.

Schyler Houck, corporate director of HR and labor relations for Saratoga Casino and Hotel in Saratoga, N.Y., says he sought advice from executives within and outside his company to identify projects that would help build the skills he needs to be a viable candidate for a chief human resource officer post. Following the guidance of one of his advisors, Houck volunteered to help build an employee skills database for the hotel. Participating in the project sharpened his technical and analytic skills and gave him the chance to prove his ability to link a business need with an HR strategy, he says.

Following the advice of his mentor, Marcotte uses his individual development plan to focus on goals that offer a direct and quantifiable benefit to his company, such as developing his organization’s recruitment and retention strategy. The mentor also provides him with honest advice on the areas in which he needs to improve. “We’ve had some tough conversations,” Marcotte says, “but that’s an important part of learning.”  

Rita Zeidner is a freelance writer in Falls Church, Va.

Illustration by Visual Generation/iStock: Grivina.

When Setting Goals, Think Beyond the Job

Aligning your career objectives with your organization’s needs is, of course, the most reliable way to get management support for your individual development plan (IDP). But don’t limit the objectives to skills you want to develop or positions you want to land, advises career development expert Mark Herschberg. Goals that reflect your interests, strengths, preferred location and desired schedule are key to your overall job satisfaction and should be part of your IDP, he says.

There also is something to be said for sharing your personal and lifestyle goals with your employer—even if there’s no obvious match with your organization’s business strategy. If your organization is interested in keeping you on board, management might just find a way to help you get what you want, Herschberg says.

To make his point, he uses the example of an employee who is willing to give up a pay raise in exchange for scheduling flexibility. “It doesn’t mean an employer can or should try to meet the need of the employee,” Herschberg says. “But the more information the employer has, the more the employer can potentially help.” —R.Z.

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Home Blog Business The Ultimate Guide on Individual Development Plan (Examples + Templates)

The Ultimate Guide on Individual Development Plan (Examples + Templates)

The average global attrition rate is consistently rising as the Great Resignation, a trend that started in 2021, encourages talent not to settle for anything less. In the US alone, more than 50 million workers quit their jobs in 2022, breaking the record set the year prior. This left many companies grappling with numerous challenges of losing valuable talent and the subsequent need to fill vacant positions.

Although employee churn is a natural part of the employment cycle, there are strategies that organizations can implement to keep it at a minimum. Some companies turn to the easy route of increasing wages to keep up with the competition of acquiring good talent. But, more than money is needed to keep your employees engaged and loyal to you.

In reality, many workers quit because they don’t feel there’s an opportunity for career advancement in their current organization. Recognizing this, businesses must explore alternative approaches to attract and retain talent, focusing on fostering professional growth and development.

One strategy organizations can leverage to address the aspirations of their employees and mitigate the impact of high employee churn rates is the implementation of individual development plans (IDPs).

Table of Contents

What is an Individual Development Plan

The benefits of an individual development plan, steps to creating and implementing idps, individual development plan example.

• Helpful Templates when Presenting an IDP

Overcoming Challenges in Implementing IDP

An individual development plan (IDP) is a structured framework that serves as a roadmap for enhancing skills, acquiring knowledge, and unlocking opportunities for advancement within the organization. This proactive approach ensures that employees are equipped with the necessary tools and resources to progress in their careers.

Preparing this document is typically a collaborative effort between the employee and their supervisor or manager. The employee takes the lead in identifying their career aspirations , assessing their current skills and competencies, and determining areas for improvement. Managers take a supportive role, providing guidance and feedback to help the employees in their development journey.

Many companies require their employees to complete an IDP, annually. The initial discussion of IDP typically happens between a manager and the employee during the annual evaluation, albeit not intended to be a performance evaluation tool. While it may touch upon performance-related aspects, its main focus is on the employee’s professional growth and development.

Promote Self-awareness and Goal-Setting

As employees create their IDP, they are prompted to assess their current skillset, knowledge, and competencies. More importantly, the IDP prompts employees to think critically about where they want to take their careers in the future.

Targeted Skill Development and Increased Competency

IDPs enable companies to align employee development with the specific skills and competencies required for their roles and organizational objectives. When employers know their employees’ learning needs, they can provide the necessary support to fill the skill gaps. This increase in competence leads to higher productivity and efficiency in their work as they become better equipped to handle their responsibilities and deliver high-quality results.

Foster Career Advancement Opportunities

Finding high-quality talents is challenging as the number of open jobs outnumbers job seekers . IDPs help identify and nurture high-potential employees for future leadership roles. By supporting their growth, a product development company can build a strong talent pipeline and ensure a smooth transition to key positions.

Improve Employee Retention

When employees clearly understand how their individual development contributes to the organization’s success – and feel appreciated for it – they become more motivated and focused. Through IDPs, employers can clearly communicate how they are willing to invest in their employees’ journey toward career development and, in return, convince them to stay in the company.

Self-assessment and Identification of Strengths and Weaknesses

Self-assessment is the initial stage of an individual development plan (IDP) process. This step allows individuals to understand their current skill set and areas for improvement clearly. By assessing themselves, employees can identify their strengths to leverage and weaknesses to address in the development planning process.

At this stage, employees may be asked to develop a personal SWOT analysis – short for strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. This activity requires honesty with oneself, recognizing the areas they do best and where they face challenges. This will also document their action plans and the factors they think will affect their future performance.

Identification of Short-term and Long-term Career Goals

Where do you see yourself in x years? Applicants frequently encounter this question during interviews, which is also important in creating an IDP. This question helps individuals establish a long-term vision and set goals that align with their career aspirations.

Based on their self-assessment, employees must set goals that build on their current skills and address their weaknesses. For example, goals might include reaching a certain position, obtaining specific certifications or qualifications, or developing expertise in a particular area.

Long-term goals should be broken down into smaller milestones that employees can work towards within the timeframe of the IDP. This allows better progress tracking and ensures that development efforts are manageable and actionable.

Development of an Action Plan and Timeline

After employees have identified their desired destinations in their career journey, the next agenda is to determine how they plan to get there. This step involves outlining the specific steps and activities they will or want to undertake to achieve their goals, along with a timeline for completing them.

The steps should be logical to ensure effective progression. Consider dependencies between tasks and prioritize those critical for achieving the set goals.

Identification of Resources and Support Systems

At this stage, managers and employees should collaborate to identify the resources the company can provide to execute the action plan for their development. This may include various tools, materials, people, and even financial support that will help acquire or enhance a particular skill. Companies may explore a combination of internal and external resources to provide a diverse range of perspectives and learning opportunities for employees.

Regular Review and Updating of the IDP

Employees, with the help of their managers, should revisit their IDP periodically, review their progress, and make necessary modifications to adapt their goals to changing circumstances. It would be helpful to record their achievements and the steps they have taken to develop their skills. This will provide concrete evidence of their growth and gauge the effectiveness of their development strategies.

Valuable feedback may also arise during the review process, offering suggestions for new development opportunities or providing advice on overcoming obstacles.

Let’s put the above steps into action, shall we? Let’s use a fictional employee named John, a digital marketing assistant who wants to expand his experience into the IT industry and technical marketing. John contacts his supervisor, who recommends he to reach out the continuous education office after checking his IDP.

Here’s what John’s development plan may look like.

This first slide mentions the company name, full name and position of the employee, the department in which he works, and the supervisor’s name. The second slide attended the Skills Assessment when the IDP was built (hence the importance of keeping this document updated).

This third slide will answer the development goals and the mentors that shall guide the employee to accomplish them.

After establishing the areas in which the employee seeks professional growth, it is time to build the action plan, which should include the timeframe in which actions must happen and the assessment method to guarantee the acquisition of skills.

Helpful Templates When Presenting an IDP

Some organizations may prefer or require employees to use PowerPoint to present their individual development plans. In this case, presenters can create slides outlining their development goals, strategies, timelines, and other relevant information. Here are some PowerPoint templates that can enhance the clarity of IDP presentations.

SWOT PowerPoint Templates

Employees may use SWOT analysis templates in this process to clearly communicate their aspirations to the managers. It is a simple structured planning approach to evaluate Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats involved in career development. Employees and managers can use this template to align their understanding of the learning needs and efforts toward common goals.

In the case shown above, John Derring’s SWOT Diagram reflects his situation in approaching the IDP assessment.

Skills Assessment Matrix

Skill Matrix is a tool managers use to assess and visualize employees’ skill levels and proficiencies. It is also a valuable tool to present skill gaps to address in IDPs and plan for personalized skill development for individuals. 

For our case study, the Skills Matrix was used as a personal scorecard for John, allowing for two extra iterations throughout the course of the IDP action plan’s duration. This practice allows to refine the areas of interest over the course of an action plan, giving flexibility to the employee to tailor their skills. If multiple employees are subject to the same IDP, they can be compared using the same Skills Matrix template .

North Star Slide Template

Businesses typically use the North Star slide template to outline the strategic objectives and key results they want to achieve. Similarly, employees can utilize this timeline template when presenting their career goals within an Individual Development Plan (IDP). This will help them visualize every milestone to achieve and how they will tackle the steps toward their overarching goal.

Resistance to Change

Some employees may take IDPs negatively and see them as additional work or obligations that could increase their workload or disrupt their existing routines. There is a natural tendency for individuals to be hesitant to embrace change, which hinders their advance in the career ladder .

Solution: Companies should tailor IDPs to the unique aspirations of employees and communicate to them its benefits through a dialogue. Recognizing their big and small achievements will also go a long way. When possible, reward their progress to motivate them to continue their efforts toward working on their IDP.

Lack of Support and Resources

Employees may hesitate to embrace IDPs when they feel a lack of support comes from the company itself. A lack of confidence in an organization’s commitment to employee development doesn’t happen overnight, though. They might have experienced previous development initiatives that were not effectively implemented.

Solution: Ensure adequate resources, such as budget, time, and personnel, are allocated to support employee development. Encourage managers to foster a knowledge-sharing culture and provide ongoing feedback on employees’ development progress.

Difficulty in Balancing Work and Personal Commitments

Time constraint is a significant barrier to achieving the development goals of employees. If employees are caught between fulfilling their IDPs and work responsibilities, they may lose motivation and even strain their work performance.

Solution: Organizations should foster a supportive culture that recognizes the importance of work-life balance. Managers may help team members identify which development goals to prioritize that align with the company’s growth opportunities. Organizations may also explore flexible work arrangements to allow employees to balance their work and development goals better.

The current high employee churn rate necessitates that companies think outside the box and adopt innovative strategies to keep a solid workforce. Instead of traditional approaches, such as increasing wages, organizations should create a work environment that fosters employee engagement and growth.

Employees are the backbone of organizations, and their growth and professional development are directly linked to the success and sustainability of the company. Prioritizing employee development through initiatives like Individual Development Plans (IDPs) attracts and retains top talent and boosts overall organizational performance.

1. Team Competency Matrix PowerPoint Template

This Skills Matrix is a tool HR management uses to evaluate the talent available in any team. It helps in recruitment and shortlisting processes and when assigning resources for projects. The scoring system is based on expertise level, and with the use of this matrix, HR professionals can easily locate the best talent for any requirement.

Use This Template

2. Essential Skills Radar PowerPoint Diagram

This template is an excellent tool to showcase the required skills by area employees should master to perform at their best in their positions. Skills are organized into three categories: core, valuable, and specializing.

3. Fit Gap Analysis PowerPoint Template

A tool intended to assess the alignment between the current processes and the desired future state. It is used by business executives to address the areas that require fixes in either strategy or planning. This template can benefit IDPs by comparing an employee’s current status and the desired direction to follow. We can analyze competency or skills in different areas, classifying them by how they fit into the employee’s abilities and pinpointing which areas are advisable to dedicate training time.

4. Personal SWOT PowerPoint Template

Like any other SWOT analysis template, it follows the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats methodology for analyzing a situation. In this case, the focus is placed on career development, becoming a great asset in studying an individual’s professional performance for career planning.

5. Profile Comparison PowerPoint Template

If you want to compare team members’ skill sets, this Profile Comparison PowerPoint Template answers that question. This template offers a very visual outlook into the skills and capabilities employees can bring into a company in terms of leadership, efficiency, reliability, and experience. These categories can be edited to meet the demands of any evaluation report.

6. SOAR Analysis Template for PowerPoint

SOAR is an acronym for Strength, Opportunities, Aspirations, and Results. Much like a SWOT analysis, it focuses on Strengths and Opportunities but considers the chance of maximizing opportunities for strength-based strategic planning.

7. 9-Box Talent Matrix PowerPoint Template

This 9-Box Talent Matrix is a tool designed by McKinsey to study the true potential of a team. This matrix is a resource evaluation tool whose metrics are performance and potential for any company’s talent.

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18+ Individual Development Plan Examples & Samples in PDF | Word | Google Docs | Pages | DOC

Individual Development Plan

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Individual Development Plan Samples for Busy Managers

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Dan McCarthy is a management and leadership expert who's spoken, written, and taught on management topics for more than 20 years.

An individual development plan (IDP) is a document that outlines the projected growth for an employee. It's an agreement between an employee and employer that certain skills should be improved or learned or that overall performance should meet a certain standard by a specified time.

The specifics of an IDP can vary greatly depending on the job and the status of the employee. Some IDPs are standard documents for all employees. Sometimes, they are created when employees are specifically tasked with showing improvement.

Reviewing sample IDPs can help provide an idea of what they should look like.

Example #1: Experienced Middle Manager

Name, position, function, location, manager, etc… 

Time period: 1/2019 – 1/2020

Development Focus: Improved effectiveness in current role and preparation for potential senior leadership role.

Top 3 Strengths

• Functional and industry expertise
• Financial acumen
• Problem-solving & decision-making

Top 3 Development Needs

• Improve ability to lead change
• Strategic thinking
• Cross-functional expertise

Development Action:  Speak to my manager about my desire to lead a high-level, cross-functional process improvement team. This would leverage some of my existing strengths and allow me to gain experience in leading change and strategic thinking, as well as learn about other company functions.

• Timing: Next week, for potential second-quarter project
• Cost: None, just my time

Development Action:  Set up monthly, one-hour phone calls with Joe Smith and Jen Jones. They’ve both had experience leading projects like this and achieved outstanding results.

• Timing: Start next week, schedule for rest of year

Development Action:  Take a course in leading strategic change. Check 3-4 business school 3-5 day programs.

• Timing: This quarter.
• Cost: approximately $500 to $1,000

Development Action:   Read the following books:

• Leading Change
• Blue Ocean Strategy
• Timing: One book per month
• Cost: Approximately $20 each, less for e-book

Development Action:  Take a 360 leadership assessment for further insight into my development needs. Incorporate new insights into my IDP. Review with an executive coach

• Timing: Complete by 6/1
• Cost: $300 for the assessment, approx. $2,000 for coaching

Example #2: New First-level Manager

Name, position, function, location, manager, etc….

Development Focus: Newly promoted, development in brand-new role

Top 3 Strengths:

• Project management
• Ability to drive for results

Top 3 Development Needs:

• Coaching and developing my team
• Handling conflict
• Listening skills

Development Action:  Work with each of my team members to create IDPs. Be sure to use a coaching approach, asking for rather than telling. Practice my listening skills and ask for feedback.

• Timing: Start next week, one per week

Development Action:  Work with my manager and Susan from HR on my own IDP; get assistance in working with my employees. Subscribe to the company management newsletter.

• Timing: This week, and as needed

Development Action:  Take in-house Supervisor’s Essentials course

• Timing: Next time it is offered this year
• Cost: Approximately $500, 3 days

Development Action:  Read "Crucial Conversations." Practice what I learn with at least one work and one personal situation. Incorporate listening skills as well. Get feedback regarding my effectiveness.

• Timing: Next 3 months.
• Cost: $20 for book, my time

Development Action:  Role models: Find one role model for each of my development needs. Interview each role model about best practices, tips, and advice. Try at least one new tip for each development need and follow-up with role models for additional feedback and advice.

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FACT SHEET: President   Biden Issues Executive Order on Safe, Secure, and Trustworthy Artificial Intelligence

Today, President Biden is issuing a landmark Executive Order to ensure that America leads the way in seizing the promise and managing the risks of artificial intelligence (AI). The Executive Order establishes new standards for AI safety and security, protects Americans’ privacy, advances equity and civil rights, stands up for consumers and workers, promotes innovation and competition, advances American leadership around the world, and more. As part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s comprehensive strategy for responsible innovation, the Executive Order builds on previous actions the President has taken, including work that led to voluntary commitments from 15 leading companies to drive safe, secure, and trustworthy development of AI. The Executive Order directs the following actions: New Standards for AI Safety and Security

As AI’s capabilities grow, so do its implications for Americans’ safety and security.  With this Executive Order, the  President directs the  most sweeping  actions  ever taken  to protect Americans from  the potential  risks  of  AI  systems :

• Require that developers of the most powerful AI systems share their safety test results and other critical information with the U.S. government.  In accordance with the Defense Production Act, the Order will require that companies developing any foundation model that poses a serious risk to national security, national economic security, or national public health and safety must notify the federal government when training the model, and must share the results of all red-team safety tests. These measures will ensure AI systems are safe, secure, and trustworthy before companies make them public. 
• Develop standards, tools, and tests to help ensure that AI systems are safe, secure, and trustworthy.  The National Institute of Standards and Technology will set the rigorous standards for extensive red-team testing to ensure safety before public release. The Department of Homeland Security will apply those standards to critical infrastructure sectors and establish the AI Safety and Security Board. The Departments of Energy and Homeland Security will also address AI systems’ threats to critical infrastructure, as well as chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and cybersecurity risks. Together, these are the most significant actions ever taken by any government to advance the field of AI safety.
• Protect against the risks of using AI to engineer dangerous biological materials  by developing strong new standards for biological synthesis screening. Agencies that fund life-science projects will establish these standards as a condition of federal funding, creating powerful incentives to ensure appropriate screening and manage risks potentially made worse by AI.
• Protect Americans from AI-enabled fraud and deception by establishing standards and best practices for detecting AI-generated content and authenticating official content . The Department of Commerce will develop guidance for content authentication and watermarking to clearly label AI-generated content. Federal agencies will use these tools to make it easy for Americans to know that the communications they receive from their government are authentic—and set an example for the private sector and governments around the world.
• Establish an advanced cybersecurity program to develop AI tools to find and fix vulnerabilities in critical software,  building on the Biden-Harris Administration’s ongoing AI Cyber Challenge. Together, these efforts will harness AI’s potentially game-changing cyber capabilities to make software and networks more secure.
• Order the development of a National Security Memorandum that directs further actions on AI and security,  to be developed by the National Security Council and White House Chief of Staff. This document will ensure that the United States military and intelligence community use AI safely, ethically, and effectively in their missions, and will direct actions to counter adversaries’ military use of AI.

Protecting Americans’ Privacy

Without safeguards, AI can put Americans’ privacy further at risk. AI not only makes it easier to extract, identify, and exploit personal data, but it also heightens incentives to do so because companies use data to train AI systems.  To better protect Americans’ privacy, including from the risks posed by AI, the President calls on Congress to pass bipartisan data privacy legislation to protect all Americans, especially kids, and directs the following actions:

• Protect Americans’ privacy by prioritizing federal support for accelerating the development and use of privacy-preserving techniques— including ones that use cutting-edge AI and that let AI systems be trained while preserving the privacy of the training data.  
• Strengthen privacy-preserving research   and technologies,  such as cryptographic tools that preserve individuals’ privacy, by funding a Research Coordination Network to advance rapid breakthroughs and development. The National Science Foundation will also work with this network to promote the adoption of leading-edge privacy-preserving technologies by federal agencies.
• Evaluate how agencies collect and use commercially available information —including information they procure from data brokers—and  strengthen privacy guidance for federal agencies  to account for AI risks. This work will focus in particular on commercially available information containing personally identifiable data.
• Develop guidelines for federal agencies to evaluate the effectiveness of privacy-preserving techniques,  including those used in AI systems. These guidelines will advance agency efforts to protect Americans’ data.

Advancing Equity and Civil Rights

Irresponsible uses of AI can lead to and deepen discrimination, bias, and other abuses in justice, healthcare, and housing. The Biden-Harris Administration has already taken action by publishing the  Blueprint for an AI Bill of Rights  and issuing an  Executive Order directing agencies to combat algorithmic discrimination , while enforcing existing authorities to protect people’s rights and safety.  To ensure that AI advances equity and civil rights, the President directs the following additional actions:

• Provide clear guidance to landlords, Federal benefits programs, and federal contractors  to keep AI algorithms from being used to exacerbate discrimination.
• Address algorithmic discrimination  through training, technical assistance, and coordination between the Department of Justice and Federal civil rights offices on best practices for investigating and prosecuting civil rights violations related to AI.
• Ensure fairness throughout the criminal justice system  by developing best practices on the use of AI in sentencing, parole and probation, pretrial release and detention, risk assessments, surveillance, crime forecasting and predictive policing, and forensic analysis.

Standing Up for Consumers, Patients, and Students

AI can bring real benefits to consumers—for example, by making products better, cheaper, and more widely available. But AI also raises the risk of injuring, misleading, or otherwise harming Americans.  To protect consumers while ensuring that AI can make Americans better off, the President directs the following actions:

• Advance the responsible use of AI  in healthcare and the development of affordable and life-saving drugs. The Department of Health and Human Services will also establish a safety program to receive reports of—and act to remedy – harms or unsafe healthcare practices involving AI. 
• Shape AI’s potential to transform education  by creating resources to support educators deploying AI-enabled educational tools, such as personalized tutoring in schools.

Supporting Workers

AI is changing America’s jobs and workplaces, offering both the promise of improved productivity but also the dangers of increased workplace surveillance, bias, and job displacement.  To mitigate these risks, support workers’ ability to bargain collectively, and invest in workforce training and development that is accessible to all, the President directs the following actions:

• Develop principles and best practices to mitigate the harms and maximize the benefits of AI for workers  by addressing job displacement; labor standards; workplace equity, health, and safety; and data collection. These principles and best practices will benefit workers by providing guidance to prevent employers from undercompensating workers, evaluating job applications unfairly, or impinging on workers’ ability to organize.
• Produce a report on AI’s potential labor-market impacts , and  study and identify options for strengthening federal support for workers facing labor disruptions , including from AI.

Promoting Innovation and Competition

America already leads in AI innovation—more AI startups raised first-time capital in the United States last year than in the next seven countries combined.  The Executive Order ensures that we continue to lead the way in innovation and competition through the following actions:

• Catalyze AI research across the United States  through a pilot of the National AI Research Resource—a tool that will provide AI researchers and students access to key AI resources and data—and expanded grants for AI research in vital areas like healthcare and climate change.
• Promote a fair, open, and competitive AI ecosystem  by providing small developers and entrepreneurs access to technical assistance and resources, helping small businesses commercialize AI breakthroughs, and encouraging the Federal Trade Commission to exercise its authorities.
• Use existing authorities to expand the ability of highly skilled immigrants and nonimmigrants with expertise in critical areas to study, stay, and work in the United States  by modernizing and streamlining visa criteria, interviews, and reviews.

Advancing American Leadership Abroad

AI’s challenges and opportunities are global.  The Biden-Harris Administration will continue working with other nations to support safe, secure, and trustworthy deployment and use of AI worldwide. To that end, the President directs the following actions:

• Expand bilateral, multilateral, and multistakeholder engagements to collaborate on AI . The State Department, in collaboration, with the Commerce Department will lead an effort to establish robust international frameworks for harnessing AI’s benefits and managing its risks and ensuring safety. In addition, this week, Vice President Harris will speak at the UK Summit on AI Safety, hosted by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.
• Accelerate development and implementation of vital AI standards  with international partners and in standards organizations, ensuring that the technology is safe, secure, trustworthy, and interoperable.
• Promote the safe, responsible, and rights-affirming development and deployment of AI abroad to solve global challenges,  such as advancing sustainable development and mitigating dangers to critical infrastructure.

Ensuring Responsible and Effective Government Use of AI

AI can help government deliver better results for the American people. It can expand agencies’ capacity to regulate, govern, and disburse benefits, and it can cut costs and enhance the security of government systems. However, use of AI can pose risks, such as discrimination and unsafe decisions.  To ensure the responsible government deployment of AI and modernize federal AI infrastructure, the President directs the following actions:

• Issue guidance for agencies’ use of AI,  including clear standards to protect rights and safety, improve AI procurement, and strengthen AI deployment.  
• Help agencies acquire specified AI products and services  faster, more cheaply, and more effectively through more rapid and efficient contracting.
• Accelerate the rapid hiring of AI professionals  as part of a government-wide AI talent surge led by the Office of Personnel Management, U.S. Digital Service, U.S. Digital Corps, and Presidential Innovation Fellowship. Agencies will provide AI training for employees at all levels in relevant fields.

As we advance this agenda at home, the Administration will work with allies and partners abroad on a strong international framework to govern the development and use of AI. The Administration has already consulted widely on AI governance frameworks over the past several months—engaging with Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, the European Union, France, Germany, India, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, the UAE, and the UK. The actions taken today support and complement Japan’s leadership of the G-7 Hiroshima Process, the UK Summit on AI Safety, India’s leadership as Chair of the Global Partnership on AI, and ongoing discussions at the United Nations. The actions that President Biden directed today are vital steps forward in the U.S.’s approach on safe, secure, and trustworthy AI. More action will be required, and the Administration will continue to work with Congress to pursue bipartisan legislation to help America lead the way in responsible innovation. For more on the Biden-Harris Administration’s work to advance AI, and for opportunities to join the Federal AI workforce, visit AI.gov .

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