TL;DR
- An employee development plan is a short, written agreement about how someone will grow over the next year: where they are now, where they are heading, two or three development goals, the actions, the support and the review dates.
- The strongest plans rely on real work. For each goal, combine practice on the job, learning from other people and some study, and decide in advance what evidence will show progress.
- A plan that is filed is a plan that fails. Review it for five minutes every month in a one-to-one, and update it openly when the work or the person's aims change.
Most development plans share a fate. They are written in January, in a hurry, because the review form demands one. They contain a course or two. They are never opened again, until the next January, when the same words are copied into the new form.
This article shows you how to write an employee development plan that survives contact with a busy year. It includes a free template, the six parts that every plan needs, three complete examples and a simple routine for keeping the plan alive.
A plan stays alive when it sits beside everyday goals and conversations. See how New Dynamics Goals & OKRs keeps development goals visible alongside performance goals.
What is an employee development plan?
An employee development plan is a short, written agreement between an employee and their manager about how the employee will grow over a set period, usually a year. It is also called a personal development plan (PDP), an individual development plan (IDP) or an employee growth plan.
It answers five questions.
- Where am I now?
- Where do I want to go, and what will the organisation need?
- Which two or three things will I develop?
- How will I develop them, and with what support?
- How and when will we check progress?
It differs from two other documents.
- A performance improvement plan addresses performance that is below the required standard, with formal consequences. A development plan is for everyone, including your best people.
- A training plan lists courses. A development plan starts from a goal and treats a course as one possible action.
Development has a place in formal reviews too. Acas notes that a performance review may consider whether an employee is “following an agreed development plan if there is one”, and that reviews are a chance to discuss “their career and any development objectives”.
Why development plans matter
For the employee, a plan turns a vague wish to “get better” into specific practice, with support attached. The CIPD describes continuing professional development as learning that can include “building on your strengths, as well as developing yourself where you have capability gaps”. A plan makes room for both.
For the manager, it is the most practical way to show interest in someone's future, and a way to build the skills that the team will need next year.
For the organisation, it builds capability from within and supports succession. See our succession planning guide.
Free development plan template
You can download our free development plan template as an editable CSV that opens in Excel, Google Sheets or any spreadsheet tool. No form is required.
Here is the structure on one page.
| Part | What to write |
|---|---|
| 1. Where I am now | Three strengths to build on, and one or two development areas, each with an example |
| 2. Where I am going | A career direction for two to three years, and what the team will need from me this year |
| 3. Development goals | Two or three goals: “By [date] I will be able to [skill], so that [reason]” |
| 4. Actions | For each goal: practice on the job, learning from others and study |
| 5. Support | What the manager will provide: time, budget, introductions and feedback |
| 6. Review | Evidence of progress, a monthly check and a quarterly review |
How to write a development plan in six steps
1. Take stock
List your strengths and your development areas, using evidence: past reviews, recent feedback and results. Ask three colleagues what one thing you could do better. Our strengths and weaknesses examples can help.
2. Look ahead
Write a direction for the next two to three years. A rough one is fine. Then ask your manager what the team will need in the coming year. The best development goals serve both. For the longer view, see our career goals examples.
3. Choose two or three development goals
More than three, and none will get attention. Include at least one that builds on a strength. Word each goal as a capability:
By [date], I will be able to [skill or behaviour], so that [reason].
Our personal development goals examples list 40.
4. Plan actions of three kinds
For each goal, plan:
- doing: a stretch task, a project, a secondment or covering for someone;
- learning from others: feedback, coaching, mentoring and shadowing;
- study: a course, a qualification or reading.
Add reflection. The CIPD says that the key to making and embedding a change “is reflecting on your learning”. A short note after each attempt is enough: what happened, what I learned and what I will try next.
5. Agree the support and the evidence
Be specific about what the manager will provide. Then decide how you will both know that the goal has been met: a piece of work delivered, feedback from named people or a qualification gained.
6. Set the review dates
Put a monthly five-minute check into your one-to-ones, and a fuller review each quarter.
Three development plan examples
All names and details are fictional.
Example 1: a new team leader
Now. Strengths: technical knowledge, reliability, relationships with customers. Development areas: delegating, and giving difficult feedback.
Direction. To become a confident manager of a team of eight within two years.
| Goal | Actions | Evidence | Review |
|---|---|---|---|
| By June, delegate the weekly report and two recurring decisions, so that I have time to manage | Hand over one item a month with a clear outcome. Monthly session with my mentor. New manager programme | The team runs the report without me. Feedback from the team in July | Monthly |
| By September, give specific feedback to every team member at least fortnightly | Use a simple structure. Practise with my manager first. Ask the team how it lands | Team pulse question on feedback rises from 3.1 to 4.0 out of 5 | Monthly |
Support. My manager will meet me fortnightly for the first six months and will fund the programme.
Example 2: an experienced specialist
Now. Strengths: analysis, accuracy, depth of knowledge. Development areas: presenting to senior audiences, and influencing beyond the team.
Direction. To become a principal analyst, with no wish to manage people.
| Goal | Actions | Evidence | Review |
|---|---|---|---|
| By October, present quarterly findings to the leadership team clearly and without notes | Three practice talks with feedback. Presentation workshop in May. Watch two directors present | I deliver the third-quarter review, with feedback from two directors | Monthly |
| By December, lead one cross-department analysis from question to decision | Shadow the strategy team for a week. Lead the pricing review with a sponsor | A decision is taken on my recommendation | Quarterly |
| Build on a strength: mentor two junior analysts | Fortnightly sessions. Share my review checklist | Both can complete a standard analysis unaided by September | Quarterly |
Example 3: an early-career employee
Now. Strengths: learns quickly, good with customers, keen. Development areas: planning my time, and speaking up in meetings.
Direction. To move from customer support into a product role in two to three years.
| Goal | Actions | Evidence | Review |
|---|---|---|---|
| By June, plan my week so that at least 90% of my tasks are done on time | Plan each Friday. Review estimates against actuals with my manager for six weeks | On-time rate from the tracker | Monthly |
| By September, contribute one prepared point in every team meeting | Prepare the point in advance. Ask my manager for feedback afterwards | My manager and one colleague confirm the change | Monthly |
| By December, understand how product decisions are made | Shadow the product team for a week. Join two customer research calls. Read one book | I present three customer insights to the product team | Quarterly |
The manager's role
A development plan is a joint commitment. The manager should:
- ask about aims before suggesting goals. Do not assume that everyone wants promotion;
- be honest about what the organisation can offer, and about what it cannot;
- find stretch work. It is often the most valuable thing that a manager can offer;
- protect the time, especially in busy periods;
- give feedback on the development goals, as well as on results;
- keep their promises. A plan with unkept commitments does more harm than no plan.
Our guide to what makes a good manager explains why developing people sits at the centre of the job.
Keeping the plan alive
- Monthly, in a one-to-one: five minutes on what you did, what you learned and what comes next. Our one-to-one meeting questions include a set for development.
- Quarterly: keep, change or replace each goal. Aims and circumstances change.
- When work changes: update the plan openly.
- At year end: record what was achieved, and carry forward what still matters.
Common mistakes
A list of courses. Training is an action. The goal is what you will be able to do.
Too many goals. Two or three is plenty.
Only weaknesses. Build on at least one strength.
No evidence. If nobody could tell whether you improved, rewrite the goal.
Written by the manager alone, or by the employee alone. It is a joint plan.
Filed and forgotten. The monthly check is what makes it work.
Promises without budget or time. Agree the support before you agree the goal.
Confusing it with a performance improvement plan. Keep the two separate, in name and in tone.
Frequently asked questions
What is an employee development plan?
It is a short, written agreement between an employee and their manager about how the employee will grow over a period, usually a year. It covers where they are now, where they are heading, two or three development goals, the actions, the support and the review dates.
How do you write a development plan?
Take stock of strengths and development areas, agree a direction, choose two or three development goals, plan actions that combine practice, learning from others and study, agree the support and the evidence, and set monthly and quarterly review dates.
What should a development plan include?
Six parts: where I am now, where I am going, development goals, actions for each goal, the support the manager will give, and how and when progress will be reviewed. One page is usually enough.
What is an example of a development goal in a plan?
“By October, I will be able to present quarterly findings to the leadership team clearly and without notes. I will give three practice talks with feedback and attend a workshop in May. Evidence: I deliver the third-quarter review, with feedback from two directors.”
What is the difference between a development plan and a performance improvement plan?
A development plan helps anyone to grow, including strong performers, and carries no formal consequence. A performance improvement plan addresses performance below the required standard, with set targets, support, timescales and possible formal action.
How often should a development plan be reviewed?
Check progress briefly every month in a one-to-one, and review the goals fully each quarter. Update the plan whenever the work or the person's aims change, and summarise it at the annual review.
Your next step: draft one page
- Download the template, and complete the first two parts on your own.
- Draft two development goals using the formula.
- Take the draft to your next one-to-one, and agree the actions, support and evidence together.
- Put a five-minute check in each month's one-to-one.
For worksheets and prompts for career conversations, read and download our career development guide. The guide is free to read, and the PDF uses our short download form.
Want development goals to sit beside performance goals, feedback and reviews? Book a New Dynamics demo and bring your current development plans. You can also email contact@new-dynamics.com.
