What is an individual development plan?
An individual development plan (IDP) is a document you can design and use to help employees improve their job performance. Work closely with each employee to create their IDP based on their strengths, areas they can improve, and unique career goals. This tool helps employees and managers have a clear idea of what the employee can work on to achieve their short-term career objectives. Consider creating a new individual development plan every quarter, so an employee’s goals remain manageable, timely, and relevant to their current objectives and the needs of the organization.
What should you include in an individual development plan?
While an IDP may vary between companies and individual employees, the topics you include in an IDP for your staff members may stay the same. Here is what you may include on each IDP you create:
Strengths
It’s important to include ways in which an employee is an asset to the organization. By listing the strengths you value as an employer, the employee knows you recognize what they do well and they can continue to act in the same way to showcase their strengths. This can build their confidence and give them a positive attitude that reflects well on their work performance.
Weaknesses
A weakness can often be a hindrance to work performance and productivity. However, mentioning weaknesses as potential areas for improvement enables an employee to recognize where they should focus to meet goals. An individual development plan that includes these details can help an employee form more effective, detailed action plans for growth.
Skills
The skills of an employee are highly valuable to an organization, and employees can continue to develop and enhance their skills or learn new ones. You can include valuable workplace skills that are relevant to the employee’s position in their IDP as skills they can learn. You can encourage them to attend conferences or other trainings that help them build certain skills.
Goals
Goals help organizations and their employees succeed. With achievable goals, an employee can better achieve the level of productivity and growth that they need to do well at work. Use the IDP to set defined, measurable, and relevant goals for your employee. You can even offer suggestions for how they can achieve those goals or ways you plan on supporting them.
Action plan
An action plan is a large part of an individual development plan. It defines the measures that an employee can take to achieve the goals you’ve included in their IDP. An action plan often includes deadlines by which the employee proposes to achieve the steps in the action plan. You can create a target completion date for each step of the action plan or an individual section in the IDP with an overall completion date.
How to implement an IDP in your office
Implementing an IDP in your workplace is important so employees are aware of your expectations for their future at the organization. Here are steps you can follow to create an IDP:
1. Plan
Consider writing your own IDP as an employer and sharing it with your team so you can set an example for the rest of your staff. You may gain an even better understanding of the process and help employees do the same. Then, decide which employees to write an IDP for first. You may choose to start with more senior staff and then end your IDP creation process with entry-level employees.
2. Discuss
Your next step is to sit down with each employee and go through their individual development plan. Explain that the aim of the IDP is to increase each employee’s professional growth and achieve growth goals for the organization. Emphasize that their IDP includes an action plan for achieving important skills and personal aspirations and goals.
3. Help and monitor
Once you have met with the employee to discuss their IDP, help them come up with ways to enhance their strengths, improve their weaknesses, and acquire the skills they need to work effectively. You can also monitor them and their progress and be ready to guide them through any challenges they may have. Consider setting up regular meetings with each employee to discuss how they feel they’re doing with accomplishing the goals set forth in their IDP.
4. Motivate to action
Motivation is a crucial component of achieving goals. To aid your employees, find ways to motivate them throughout the process. You can do this verbally by praising what they have achieved, or you can offer them opportunities to go through advanced training on a certain topic. Consider a workplace recognition program for those employees who are excelling and showcasing superior performance.
IDP template
Here’s an individual development plan template you can follow to create IDPs for your staff:
[Date]
[Employee’s name]
[Employee’s official job title]
Goals: [Include goals you’ve created for the employee and any goals the employee may have mentioned during the meeting.]
Strengths: [Mention the employee’s strengths or specific ways they currently excel in the workplace.]
Weaknesses: [Define areas of improvement for the employee and how their improvement can enhance their work experience, help them achieve their career goals, and benefit the organization.]
Action plan: [Include proposed steps the employee can take to achieve their goals.]
Target completion date: [This is the date that you’d like to see your employee meet their goals by before reevaluation.]
IDP example
Here’s a brief example of an IDP you can use to guide the creation of your own:
Date: 2021-07-14
Employee name: Paul Samba
Job title: Sales manager
Goals: To experience a 30% growth in sales by 2022 and gain more first-time customers
Strengths: Paul has excellent communication skills and manages his time well.
Weaknesses: Paul has an opportunity to increase the number of first-time customers he onboards. He can also improve his morale in the workplace.
Action plan: I’d like to see Paul discover new markets, try more aggressive sales techniques, and be more forthcoming with discussing any problems he may have in the workplace.
Target completion date: 2021-11-14
FAQs
The following are a few frequently asked questions that may help you when you’re creating IDPs:
Why should I make an IDP?
An IDP is important for every organization. It can help increase productivity and improve the morale of employees. This increase in productivity and morale can help make the organization a success.
Should I make a different IDP for each employee?
Yes, it’s important to create a unique IDP for each employee. This is because each individual is different. Even if two employees are in the same position within your organization, they may have different strengths or career goals you can focus on within their IDPs.
How can I write a good IDP?
To write a good IDP, consider meeting with your employee and making them a part of the process. You can ask them about their work experience and what they see themselves achieving in the short-term at your organization. Structure an IDP that focuses on what they’ve discussed with you so they feel some responsibility for their plan.
Individual Development Plan Templates for PDF & Word
Use these templates to help your employees improve their job performance.
*Indeed provides these examples as a courtesy to users of this site. Please note that we are not your HR or legal adviser, and none of these documents reflect current labor or employment regulations.
