Performance and Development Plans For All: What’s Yours?

Part 2 - Writing Up the Development Plan

In part one, we defined a Performance Plan as a written plan, which clearly outlines each employee’s key objectives and how those objectives are aligned to organizational and departmental goals. In part two of this series, we discuss development plans and how they can be written to align with meeting current and future organizational/business needs as well as with an employee’s own career or professional goals in mind.

Elements of a Development Plan Include:

1. Development Objectives
2. Measures
3. Development Activities
4. Resources/Support
5. Time Frames

The input for the development objectives of the plan include what the employee needs to be able to do and /or wants to do. However, developmental objectives that are needed to meet the goals of the performance plan previously developed must take priority.

Beyond these immediate needs for development (those necessary to meet the performance plan) can be development objectives that can help the individual exceed expectations, meet future challenges, and develop their own career.

A special note about development activities is to consider including other-than-formal training activities.

Think about some of these that might be included:

• Job rotation
• Stretch assignments
• Coaching from a peer
• Readings
• Job shadowing
• Mentoring
• On the Job Training

As with performance plans, working cooperatively with the employee’s manager to create the development plan is an essential part of the process. Please remember, too, the development plan and the performance plan are living documents that should be reviewed and updated periodically.