A HR.com member recently posted the following question: “Can anybody explain the major steps necessary to build a personal development plan?”

A personal development plan should identify the resources, support and learning opportunities that an employee will need both in the short term to meet his or her immediate job responsibilities and in the long term to work towards achieving his or her career aspirations. A personal development plan should be directly linked to the following:

1)       business strategy
2)       job specific performance goals and objectives
3)       individuals strengths, weaknesses and career aspirations

Of course, employee development that takes place at work should fall under the parameters of the job description and contribute to the achievement of the overall business strategy. For example, if the company objective is for all employees to be leaders in service excellence then this will be reflected in performance expectations and any training and support. Yet, under the umbrella of this objective, individual employees will take on different levels of responsibility depending upon individual aspirations and levels of motivation.

Once a performance plan is created, a development plan can follow. The personal development plan should build upon established goals, performance expectations and job requirements. This is a process that should not to be overlooked, a point that is reinforced in The Performance Appraisal Question and Answer Book when Grote suggests that "providing development experiences and opportunities” is one of a managers responsibilities.

Development goals – like performance goals – should follow the SMART format. Make sure goals are specific, can be measured, are achievable, realistic and that a sprecific time is set to evaluate progress. The personal development plan can include courses, programs, challenge assignments or other opportunities that will support the established goals.

Two examples of a development plan template can be found on the USGS and University of Washington websites referenced below. In addition, the Alliance website referenced below suggests questions to use with employees when discussing career objectives.

Although skill gaps and learning needs may become apparent during the performance planning meeting or the performance appraisal meeting, the personal development plan is not static. At any point in time, learning needs will change as employees gain experience and move on to new challenges, therefore, this document should be reviewed and re-evaluated on a regular basis.

References:

“Employee Development Plan.” University of Washington Financial Management [www.washington.edu]. Obtained July 7, 2008.

Grote, Dick. The Performance Appraisal Question and Answer Book. New York: American Management Association, 2002, p. 46.

“Individual Development Plan.” USGS [http://training.usgs.gov]. May 13, 2008.

Mask, Dale. “The 4-Step Employee Development Plan.” Alliance Training and Consulting Inc. [www.alliancetac.com]. 2006.