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11 min read

11 Inspiring Individual Development Plan Examples (+ Templates)

Global HR

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Author

Lorelei Trisca

Published

September 25, 2024

Last Update

November 25, 2024

Table of Contents

1. Basic employee development plan

2. Employee development plan for company growth (Slideteam)

3. Career development plan example with comments (Lumenlearning)

4. Skill-based development plan

5. Side-by-side employee development plan example (Smartinsights)

6. Professional development plan example (University of Wisconsin)

7. Individual employee development plan example (Adobe)

8. Learning and development plan example (DCU)

9. Performance development plan example (Reading University)

10. 70-20-10 Individual development plan (University of Michigan)

11. Formal performance and development plan example (Washington State)

Bonus: Employee development strategy (MongoDB)

Free development plan templates

Bonus: Performance improvement plan template

Plan for your workers’ development with Deel Engage

Key takeaways
  1. Individual development plans (IDPs) are essential tools for helping individuals set career and personal growth objectives and ensure structured progress in their professional journeys.
  2. A well-crafted individual development plan is indispensable for guiding career growth and personal improvement and empowering individuals to reach their full potential.
  3. An effective IDP includes specific components such as goal setting, strategy formulation, and regular progress evaluation to ensure success.

Whether you’re a startup of 50 or an enterprise of 2000, your people are at the forefront of your organization. And if there’s one thing that guarantees a successful business, it’s investing in your employees’ career growth.

Picture it: Your employees are thriving, engaged, and ready to conquer new challenges. But how do you get there? How do you create employee development plans that work?

We’re giving you 11 inspiring examples of employee development plans. For all these employee development plans, we go through what they do well and how to improve them.

1. Basic employee development plan

Creating a basic wireframe of your employee development plans is a good way to kickstart this program. Here is a sample template taken from the career website Indeed.

Employee name [Employee name]
Date [Today’s date]
Current title [Job title]
Current strengths [List of current strengths]
Development needs [List of development needs]
Professional goals [Listy of professional goals]
Step 1 Step 1: [Timeline for step one] [Actionable steps toward completion of goal]
Step 2 Step 2: [Timeline for step one] [Actionable steps toward completion of goal]
Step 3 Step 3: [Timeline for step one] [Actionable steps toward completion of goal]
Step 4 Step 4: [Timeline for step one] [Actionable steps toward completion of goal]

While it’s basic and not specialized for a role or even an industry, this sample development plan guides you to think in the right direction.

What it does well What could be improved
Not overly complex No cycle deadline
Contains concrete actions Unclear how development needs link to professional goals

The biggest advantage of this template is that it’s a blank slate and gives you the freedom to customize it (via Microsoft Word or Google Docs).

At the same time, it comes with a drawback. You need to closely follow each employee’s progress to be familiar with their strengths, weaknesses, and desires for their future careers.

To make it even better:

  • Start by listing each employee’s strengths, needs, and professional goals. This creates an opportunity for you to spend 1:1 time interviewing your employees and build a development plan that aligns with their expectations
  • Next, create an actionable list of steps they need to take to grow in their current roles. This is a great practice to gain foresight into how your company and each department will scale in the months and years to come

2. Employee development plan for company growth (Slideteam)

Similar to the previous example, here’s another template from Slideteam – one that can be used across different industries and roles.

Development plan for company growth example.png

This is a great example of a career development plan best suited for a junior accountant role. One of the key highlights of this plan is that it has a section for estimated costs.

What it does well What could be improved
Adds "costs" dimension Doesn't connect goals to actions
Adds manager notes for transparency One overall deadline instead of smaller milestones

There are two main benefits of this template: ‍

  • First, it gives you an overview of how much of the budget needs to be allocated per employee. This means that your employees will know from the start that you’re willing to invest in them—they can see cold, hard numbers rather than promises you make
  • At the very end, there’s a section for manager notes. As hard as we might try, we often cannot categorize and label all our employees. This section gives you some room to leave additional notes for individual employees

To make it even better, create a more comprehensive follow-up process to ensure the employee stays on track, offer feedback, and provide additional support if they ever get stuck.

3. Career development plan example with comments (Lumenlearning)

Here is another great example of an employee development plan by Lumenlearning, complete with manager notes.

Development plan example with comments.png

This employee development plan spans over two years. It has comments from the manager related to assessing their employees’ skills as well as specific plans for the future.

In this plan, the manager is responsible for external training in the form of courses and degrees and internal training through one-on-one mentorship.

What it does well What could be improved
Contains costs Doesn’t connect goals to actions
Contains manager notes Goals could be more concrete and connected to outcomes

One thing that sets this example apart from the previous ones is that it promotes accountability for both the employee and the manager.

While the manager is in charge of designing the development plan and choosing the right activities, the employees are responsible for creating their own timelines to complete the assigned tasks.

This is a great way to present the potential of career development to your employees. Through this, they can see opportunities to develop their role. At the same time, they can realize that the success of this plan largely depends on their willingness and hard work. This is strengthened by the fact that this is a long-term, two-year development plan and not a short-term initiative.

To make this development plan example even better, use the SMART goals framework. With specific, measurable sub-tasks and a set time frame, it is easy to measure one’s professional development.

Complementary resources

  1. Learn how to help employees set professional development goals
  2. Use these examples of developmental goals and ways to achieve them as inspiration
Deel Engage
Build high-performing teams with half the work
Retain top talent and foster a culture of high performance with our AI-powered people suite to manage development, performance, and training programs from one single place.

4. Skill-based development plan

The examples we shared above all focus on the bigger picture: the soft and technical skills and the necessary training to develop an employee’s career. However, you don’t have to go into such a level of detail if you plan to develop skills by yourself. Here is an example of such an employee development plan:

Skills (mark out of 10) Current state Gap Desired state Initiatives
[Communication] [mark out of 10] [gap] [desired score] [Initiative 1]
[Negotiation skills] [mark out of 10] [gap] [desired score] [Initiative 1]
[Microsoft office software skills] [mark out of 10] [gap] [desired score] [Initiative 1]
[Documenting skills] [mark out of 10] [gap] [desired score] [Initiative 1]
[Work on process skills] [mark out of 10] [gap] [desired score] [Initiative 1]
[Meet deadline] [mark out of 10] [gap] [desired score] [Initiative 1]
[Knowledge of fundamentals] [mark out of 10] [gap] [desired score] [Initiative 1]

The plan is simple: managers list their employees’ skills and grade them on a scale of 0 to 10. Then, there is a “Desired State” explaining what the manager expects from the employee to advance in their careers and within the company.

What it does well What could be improved
Starts with skill assessment Doesn’t connect goals to actions
Uses competency profiles for the desired state Looks more like a skill matrix than a development plan

The “Gap” section defines what employees need to advance in their careers. The “Initiatives” section offers the specific actions that they need to take to achieve their goals.

To make this example more impactful:

  • Ensure that your skill-focused development plan is not exclusively based on the managers’ assessment of employee skills (skills gap analysis)
  • To achieve this, add employees’ self-assessments and even peer reviews to get more accurate results, and to prepare an effective skill-based development plan

5. Side-by-side employee development plan example (Smartinsights)

Here is another example of a detailed individual development plan by Smartinsights.

Individual development plan example.png

There are three elements that set this plan apart:

  • There are two sections: one for the employee and another for the manager, adding an organizational context to the employee perspective
  • There is a clear alignment between the individual career goal and the organizational needs and goals
  • There are dedicated sections for progress reporting and feedback sessions
What it does well What could be improved
Aligns the individual development goal with the organizational goals The format can make the document overwhelming and hard to read
Combines both employee and manager perspectives well Doesn’t connect skills and actions

Having these two sections in one place gives a clear overview of the two different perspectives: individual and organizational. For example, you understand whether employee self-assessment is objective or not.

Overall, this is a perfect example if you’re looking for a template that makes the employee and their manager equally responsible for planning and execution.

6. Professional development plan example (University of Wisconsin)

Let’s analyze a new professional development plan example, this time from the University of Wisconsin.

University of Winsconsin development plan example.png

What it does well What could be improved
Combines goals and actions Does not include manager’s perspective
Easy to read and use Neglects budgets

What’s interesting here is that the employee is the one who is responsible for doing all the “development work:”

  • They have to search for a peer member to shadow rather than receiving a specific suggestion from their leader
  • They have to search for their own learning resources rather than receiving access to a library of learning materials

To make this even better, make development planning a more collaborative task. The team leader can act as a coach and facilitator, for example, by assigning tasks to mentors, providing access to training materials, etc.

7. Individual employee development plan example (Adobe)

Although single at first sight, the individual development plan example from Adobe masters strategic alignment.

Adobe development plan example.png

What it does well What could be improved
Includes a section for reflecting on key skills and strengths No follow-up timeline
Includes separate sections for short and long-term goals Neglects budgets
Covers multiple types of learning methods: assignments, experiences, coaching, formal learning
The concrete action items are linked to development opportunities
Clearly links development opportunities and business impact

The first part of this plan example focuses on employee self-reflection on:

  • The most satisfying part of the job;
  • key skills or strengths;
  • skills or strengths to further develop.

By identifying their unique strengths and skills, employees can focus on areas where they excel and build on their strengths, which can lead to increased engagement, job satisfaction, and productivity.

The plan then differentiates short and long-term goals. This approach can help the employee prioritize their development efforts and stay on track toward their goals.

We really like that each development opportunity links to concrete action items. This will ensure that the employee has a clear roadmap to follow and understands how their development activities contribute to their professional growth. And to go one step forward, these also clearly link to business impact.

Strategic alignment between employee and company objectives means that the employee’s development efforts will also contribute to the organization’s strategic priorities and goals.

8. Learning and development plan example (DCU)

The learning and development plan example from Dublin City University is the most comprehensive plan example.

DCU learning and development plan example.png

What it does well What could be improved
Very comprehensive approach to planning: what + how + when + who + cost sections No space for manager comments
Section reflecting on future skill needs and career growth No clear link between development opportunities and business impact
Includes a progress evaluation section
Covers multiple types of learning methods: job shadowing, project work, coaching, formal learning (e.g., workshops)
Concrete action items link to development opportunities
Includes development budget

This plan contains sections that outline the specific what, how, when, who, and cost components of the plan, which can help to ensure that the employee and their manager are aligned in terms of expectations and goals.

We also really like the progress evaluation section, which is essential in a development plan. This section encourages self-reflection by asking questions such as:

  • What will I do differently as a result of this experience?
  • How will I continue to build on these skills?
  • How can what you learn outside of work be integrated into your job to further your career?

The fact that this development plan covers multiple types of learning methods is also helpful, as this allows the employee to choose the learning method that suits them best.

The only elements we think are missing are:

  • A dedicated section for manager comments
  • A lack of a clear link between development opportunities and business impact. While it’s essential to develop employees’ skills and competencies, it’s also important to ensure these activities align with the organization’s strategic priorities

9. Performance development plan example (Reading University)

This performance development plan example from the University of Reading presents several assets:

  • It allows the employee (and any reviewer) to reflect on their past performance and identify areas for improvement. This can help the employee to set clear goals and develop a plan for achieving them
  • The tips and recommendations included in the plan can also be useful for employees who are unsure of how to proceed with their career development. These resources can provide guidance on how to set goals, identify learning opportunities, and create a plan for achieving career objectives
  • The dedicated space for achievements and recognition can serve as motivation and a reminder of specific employee strengths

Performance development plan example.png

What it does well What could be improved
Includes a section for reflecting on the past and future No budget
Includes a section for manager comments No space for documenting whether the employee’s future professional goals align with the organizational objectives
Includes tips and recommendations to help the employee fill in all the fields
Includes a dedicated space for achievements and recognition

To improve this performance development plan example:

  • Include a space to document whether your employee’s future professional goals align with the organization’s goals or objectives—if the employee has aspirations that are not aligned with the organization’s strategic priorities, as it may be more difficult to support their career development.
  • Add a section for the available development budget
  • Add a follow-up section where you can take notes during the development conversations that would happen throughout the 12 months that the plan covers.

10. 70-20-10 Individual development plan (University of Michigan)

The individual development plan example from the University of Michigan starts off with an expectations model (The Michigan Expectations Model - MEM). MEM identifies 12 benchmark behavioral standards that all staff should demonstrate.

70-20-10 development plan example.webp

This sample development plan starts with concrete guidelines for employees. The concrete steps that people need to take to create an individual development plan are:

  • Self-assess
  • Identify areas of development
  • Select the resources to address gaps or build on strengths
  • Create the plan

When creating their individual plan, each employee should set maximum three development goals. And they should formulate them with the SMART goals framework (to ensure they set specific goals that are time bound).

For defining the hows to achieving their goals, employees need to use the 70-20-10 developmental approach. For each goal, they need to define the different types of growth activities. The employees are also encouraged to share the plan with a supervisor or mentor to see where they can help.

To make this individual development plan even better, add a concrete timeline for each step. Plus, add milestones to keep people motivated to keep on working toward their goals.

What it does well What could be improved
Includes guidelines for filling in the plan No budget
Does not allow for inserting more than three goals, making the plan more realistic and achievable No space for documenting whether the employee’s future professional goals align with the organizational objectives
Includes the 70-20-10 developmental approach, explaining how each element (experiences, social learning, formal learning) contributes to achieving developmental goals No space for mentor or supervisor comments

11. Formal performance and development plan example (Washington State)

This Performance and Development Plan (PDP) example from the state of Washington looks more formal than most of the examples we reviewed so far.

Formal performance and development plan example from Washington State.png

We can definitely see that this is more than a development plan. The link to performance improvement is clear from the sections on performance expectations (key results and core competencies) and organizational alignment.

What it does well What could be improved
Includes a section for organizational support (supervisor, co-workers, higher-management support) No section for stating the goal(s)
Links performance expectations and key competencies to growth and success in the role No section for a development budget
Includes a section for describing how the role contributes to the achievement of the mission, goals, and objectives of the organization (ensuring better alignment) No deadline or timeline included

To make this performance and development plan even better, start by adding a section stating the employee goals. Then, add a new section with a concrete deadline and the given time frame for meeting the goals.

Bonus: Employee development strategy (MongoDB)

This employee development strategy example from MongoDB showcases the 70-20-10 model of learning:

  • 10% formal training
  • 20% social learning through manager support, coaching, comparing experiences with peer
  • 70% on-the-job learning, feedback, and stretch-assignments

MongoDB approach to talent development.png

Free development plan templates

The easiest way to get started is by using our career development plan templates. They combine the best practices from all of the development plan examples we reviewed so far without requiring too much effort.

Our free employee development plan template is a structured tool for managers and employees to create and track employee growth collaboratively. Download it now and ensure that both individual and organizational growth objectives are aligned and measurable over a set period.

Free template

Develop your people strategically
Use this employee development plan template to establish clear, actionable strategies for workforce growth, ensuring that individual development aligns with the organization's objectives.

You can also use the 70-20-10 model for employee development planning, steering employees toward learning in the flow of work. Use our free 70 20 10 development plan template to get you started.

Free template

Unlock unparalleled growth with the 70-20-10 model
Use this 70-20-10 employee development template to strategically plan and track your employees' progress, ensuring their continuous improvement and success.

Complementary resources

  1. Use our leadership development plan template for those aiming to become leaders or the leaders planning for further growth
  2. Check out our complimentary resource with 7 individual development plan examples for leadership

Bonus: Performance improvement plan template

Use performance improvement plans for employees whose performance has been declining. You can see PIPs as roadmaps that show employees how to get to their destination of increased performance.

Free template

Address performance issues
A structured performance improvement plan with transparent expectations and clear milestones is the best way to address poor employee performance.

Plan for your workers’ development with Deel Engage

When managing development for a significant number of people, the process can quickly become unmanageable:

  • Individual development plans are dispersed across various formats, whether in Excel, PDFs, or PowerPoint presentations
  • There is no centralized method for tracking progress
  • A lack of centralized competency models for each role can lead to confusion and goal misalignment
  • Daily work pressures can cause your people to overlook important development activities

With Deel Engage, you can manage your talent development strategy in one centralized location and automate the process. Transform your static spreadsheets into dynamic tools by:

  • Creating engaging training courses—accelerating the process with the AI assistant
  • Engaging all participants with clear guidance and motivational messages
  • Assigning learning journeys from the learning library
  • Ensuring the relevance of development plans by linking them to career frameworks and feedback systems

Additionally, Deel HR, our truly global HRIS solution, is always included for free

Book a demo to see how our solutions will help you develop, motivate, and retain your best performers.

FAQs

  1. Competency enhancement plan: This plan focuses specifically on enhancing an employee’s current skill set, making them more proficient in their current role
  2. Career advancement plan: Targeted towards employees looking to move up within the organization, this plan is about preparing for future roles and leadership positions
  3. Performance improvement plan (PIP): Aimed at employees who might be struggling to meet their current job expectations, this plan identifies areas for improvement and outlines steps to elevate performance
  4. Professional growth plan: This plan focuses on the broader professional development of an employee, incorporating elements like certifications, continued education, or attending conferences/seminars
  5. Cross-training plan: This type of development method allows employees to learn skills outside of their current role, promoting versatility and flexibility within the organization
  6. Onboarding/Induction development plan: Specifically for new employees, this plan accelerates their integration into the company by focusing on both job-specific skills and broader company culture and values
  7. Succession planning: Specifically designed for potential future leaders, this plan prepares employees to fill key leadership roles as they become available

Free resource: Succession planning template

A good development plan for an employee is a strategic document that:

  1. Is specific: Clearly defines what the employee aims to achieve, whether it’s learning new skills, taking on more responsibility, or advancing to a higher role and exploring leadership abilities
  2. Is measurable: Outlines clear metrics or benchmarks to measure progress
  3. Is actionable: Lists tangible steps or actions the employee will take
  4. Is realistic: Considers the employee’s current skills, workload, and external factors, ensuring that the goals are attainable within the given time frame
  5. Is time-bound: Sets a clear timeline for each objective and the overall plan
  6. Addresses both strengths and weaknesses: While it’s crucial to improve areas of weakness, leveraging and expanding upon employee strengths can be equally beneficial
  7. Is aligned with organizational goals: Ensures that your people’s personal progress contributes to the larger objectives of the company and organizational performance
  8. Provides resources: Identifies necessary resources like courses, mentors, books, or workshops that will facilitate growth
  1. Self-assessment: This is the starting point where employees assess their current skills, strengths, weaknesses, and career aspirations. It helps in identifying gaps and areas of growth
  2. Clear growth objectives: These are specific, measurable goals that the employee aims to achieve through the development plan. Objectives give direction and purpose to the plan
  3. Action steps and strategies: For each objective, there should be a set of clear, actionable steps that detail how the employee will achieve it. This could involve training sessions, mentorship, or taking on new responsibilities
  4. Resources and support: This component outlines what resources (like courses, books, or tools) will help the employee achieve their development and career goals. It also identifies any support they might require, be it in the form of mentoring, coaching, or feedback
  5. Timeline and review mechanism: This sets a clear timeframe for achieving each objective and establishes regular check-ins to review progress, make adjustments, and provide feedback. It ensures accountability and keeps the development plan on track

A performance development plan typically consists of the following elements:

  1. Objective: A clear statement of the performance goal or improvement area
  2. Current performance: A summary of the employee’s current performance or current skills
  3. Desired performance: A description of the expected level of performance or specific skills after the plan is completed
  4. Action items (actionable steps): A list of specific actions the employee will take to bridge the gap between current and desired performance
  5. Resources: Tools, training, or other resources (e.g., articles, webinars, job shadowing) needed to complete each action step
  6. Timeline: A schedule indicating when each action step should be completed
  7. Feedback and monitoring: Details on how progress will be monitored and who will provide feedback
  8. Evaluation: Criteria or measures to assess the success of the plan upon completion

A development action plan is a structured document or tool that outlines an individual’s goals for professional growth and the specific steps or actions they need to take to achieve those goals. It typically includes a timeline, resources required, potential challenges, and measurable outcomes to evaluate progress.

To write a development action:

  1. Clearly define the desired outcome or skill to be developed
  2. Break down the larger goal into smaller, actionable steps
  3. Identify the resources or tools needed (e.g., training programs, mentorship, books)
  4. Set a realistic timeline for completing each action step
  5. Determine how progress will be measured or evaluated
  6. Regularly review and adjust the action as necessary based on feedback and results
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About the author

Lorelei Trisca is a content marketing manager passionate about everything AI and the future of work. She is always on the hunt for the latest HR trends, fresh statistics, and academic and real-life best practices. She aims to spread the word about creating better employee experiences and helping others grow in their careers.

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