Individual Development Plan Template

Individual development plan template

This individual development plan template helps employees, managers, HR teams, and L&D professionals create a clear, structured roadmap for professional growth. It brings together career goals, development priorities, strengths, skill gaps, learning activities, support needs, and success measures in one visual workspace.

Use this template to set short- and long-term goals, define actionable development steps, assign target dates, track progress, and prepare for regular review conversations. It supports career planning, performance development, upskilling, leadership growth, and internal mobility by making each employee’s development journey clear and easy to follow.

Individual development plan (IDP)

Use one copy per employee and review period. The employee drafts branches 1, 2, and 5; the employee and manager agree branches 3, 4, 6, and 7. The manager confirms priorities, resources, responsibilities, and sign-off. HR or L&D owns the shared guidance in branches A and B.

Keep the plan active throughout the review period and use check-ins to record progress and agreed changes. Use observable evidence and consistent proficiency definitions. An IDP supports development; it does not by itself guarantee promotion, a pay change, or a role change. Follow your organisation's policies for privacy, access, record retention, and performance management.

A

Proficiency scale

This template uses four assessed levels plus level 0 for not yet assessed. Adapt the labels to your organisation's competency framework, use them consistently, and apply them only for purposes permitted by your HR policy.

Link proficiency policy

Before publishing this template, HR should link or attach the organisation's approved proficiency, calibration, privacy, and permitted-use guidance.

Record differing ratings

When employee and manager ratings differ, record both, compare the evidence, and follow the organisation's calibration process. Do not force agreement without reviewing the evidence.

Define observable proof

Write what good looks like at the chosen target level in branch 2 for each skill.

Set target level

Choose a realistic target level for each priority skill based on the development goal, role needs, evidence, and available time. Not every skill needs the highest level.

Set baseline once

Record the baseline level and supporting evidence when the plan begins. If the baseline is later corrected, retain the reason and date of the change.

Choose skill level

Example scale: 0 — not yet assessed; 1 — foundational, needs guidance; 2 — developing, applies with some support; 3 — proficient, works independently; 4 — advanced, can guide others and improve practice. Replace these labels if your organisation has an approved scale.

3

The gap

Diagnose the underlying gap before selecting an intervention.
- Consider knowledge or skill, practice and experience, tools or process, resources, role clarity, feedback, and management support
- A gap may need formal learning, guided practice, stretch work, coaching, a job aid, a process change, or a combination
- The employee and manager should agree the gap, evidence, and proposed response

+ add gap row

Blockers already known

List known blockers.

Best development response

Select the most appropriate response: formal learning, guided practice, stretch work, coaching or mentoring, job aids, process or resource changes, or a combination. Explain why it fits the diagnosed gap.

Per skill — current level → target level

Use the definitions in branch A — Proficiency scale. Example: Developing → Independent. Record evidence for the current level and the observable outcome required for the target level.

2

Where I'm going

Choose a development direction, not only a future job title; deeper expertise or a lateral move can also be valid.
- Focus on one to three priority skills, adjusted to realistic capacity
- For each skill, choose a target level from branch A and define observable behaviour at that level
- Link the objective to the employee's career goals and relevant role, team, or organisational needs

+ add development target

Timeframe

Set the target timeframe.

Why the business needs this

Explain how this development objective supports the role, team, customer, or organisational priorities.

Target-level observable behaviour

For each target skill, describe observable behaviour or work output that would demonstrate the selected target level.

Target skill 3

Name the third target skill.

Target skill 2

Name the second target skill.

Target skill 1

Name the first target skill.

Direction — next role / deeper / lateral

Choose one direction and describe it.

1

Where I am now

The employee completes this branch first and discusses it with the manager.
- Rate skills using the shared proficiency scale and observable evidence
- Add an interest tag to show whether each skill is a growth, maintenance, or lower-priority area
- If a rating differs from the team skills matrix, flag it for review and calibration; do not assume either rating is automatically correct

+ add current-state item

What I have outgrown

Add work, responsibilities, or routines you have outgrown.

Strengths others rely on me for

Add a strength others regularly depend on.

Interest tag per skill

Use a consistent set of tags, for example: growing / maintaining / deprioritising.

Core skills with proficiency tag

Add a core skill and tag its proficiency level using branch A — Proficiency scale. Include observable evidence for the selected level.

Actual scope of work

Describe the work you actually own.

Current role and level

Enter current role and level.

B

Prioritisation

Use this branch to confirm that the plan fits within the time and resources realistically available during the review period.

Cut until it fits

When allocated hours exceed capacity, remove or defer targets and activities rather than assuming more time will appear.

Check learning-method mix

Use a suitable mix of experience, social learning or coaching, and formal learning. The 70:20:10 model can be a planning prompt, but its ratios are not mandatory targets; choose methods based on the goal, context, evidence, and available support.

Allocate hours by skill

Assign monthly hours to the primary and secondary skills so the total can be compared with available capacity.

Maximum two secondary skills

As a default, add no more than two secondary skills so the primary goal remains adequately resourced. Adjust only when capacity and organisational guidance support it.

One primary skill

Choose one target skill that receives most of the available development time and attention.

Available hours per month

Agree the number of hours that can genuinely be protected each month after normal workload and recurring commitments.

7

Evidence and outcomes

Use relevant evidence from more than one source where possible, such as work outputs, observed behaviour, feedback, metrics, completed assignments, and employee reflection.
- Review evidence before changing a proficiency level and calibrate ratings according to organisational policy
- Record outcomes, dropped targets, and items carried forward
- Update the team skills matrix when applicable and authorised

+ add evidence entry

Carry forward to next period

List what should continue next period.

Targets dropped and why

Name dropped targets and the reason.

Proficiency raised from → to

Record the previous and new levels using branch A, together with the supporting evidence, reviewer, and review date. Change a level only after the evidence has been reviewed and the rating calibrated where required.

Evidence per target skill

Add concrete evidence for each target skill, such as a work product, observed behaviour, stakeholder feedback, a relevant metric, or a completed assignment.

6

Check-ins

Add one dated entry per development check-in.
- Record progress, obstacles, feedback, agreed changes, and next actions
- Keep prior entries according to your organisation's retention policy so progress can be reviewed over time
- Avoid recording sensitive personal information that is not necessary for the development plan
- Set the next check-in date before closing the map

+ add check-in

Plan adjusted on

Date and reason for the adjustment.

Dated conversation entry

Date — what moved / what stalled / what changed.

Next check-in date

Set the next check-in date.

5

Support I need

The employee leads the first draft; the manager discusses and responds to the requests.
- Capture practical support such as budget, protected time, access, feedback, workload changes, or permission to deprioritise work
- Distinguish support that can be agreed now from requests that need further approval
- An empty branch may mean no support is currently needed or that the discussion is incomplete; use open questions rather than assumptions

What I would need to stop doing

Name work that may need to be deprioritised.

Current blockers

Describe what is currently in the way.

From the organisation — budget, time, access

List budget, protected time, access, or permissions needed.

From my manager

Describe the support you need from your manager.

4

How I'll get there

For each action, record an owner, target date, status, and expected outcome or evidence.
- Choose a mix of formal, experiential, and social learning based on the goal; do not treat any fixed ratio as a requirement
- Name real projects and, with their agreement, real mentors or people to shadow
- Spread activities realistically across the review period and check dependencies in Gantt view

+ add development action

Status / completion date

Record the current status — not started / in progress / blocked / completed — and add the actual completion date when finished.

Target date

Set the target date.

Owner

Assign an owner.

Reading, community, external

Add supporting resources or communities.

Mentor or shadow — named

Name the person, confirm their availability, and describe the mentoring or shadowing activity.

On-the-job stretch project

Name a real project, scope, expected outcome, support required, and target date.

Formal training — link to programme

Add the relevant course, workshop, certification, or learning resource and link to enrolment or programme details.