In the modern, high-paced and skills-oriented work environment, professional development becomes not only an addition, but a requirement. Regardless of the stage of career, your employees are in, the individual development plan is one single tool that can significantly impact their career development.

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An individual development plan (also called IDP) is an organised and tactical action plan that states the objectives of an employee, the skills that an employee needs to acquire and how they can be accomplished. This article will give you step-by-step guidance on why individual development plans are important, a model of making and doing individual development plans and an example of an individual development plan to start you off.

To be frank, no one would want to feel trapped in the workplace. It was also found that 94 percent of employees and respondents to the LinkedIn Learning Workplace Learning Report (2023) added that they would be willing to spend more time in an organization that focuses on their learning and development. But more often than not, growing opportunities are restricted only to fuzzy yearly objectives or generic training. That is where an IDP can be of a real difference.

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An individual development plan is useful in consistently orienting personal ambitions of an employee to his job and the general prospects of the company. It makes the person more powerful and provides the managers with a clear picture of development needs and progress. It is not something to be checked off--it is a collaboration of both the employee and organization.

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Individual development plan (IDP) is a personal plan that aims to help employees to meet their career targets by developing the skills, training, mentoring, and practical experience. As opposed to general performance reviews, which usually center around the past performance, an IDP is determined by the future potential.

The important items a normal IDP would have:

• Career aspirations

• Available strengths and deficiencies

• Long run and short run objectives

• Preplanned development actions

• Success indicators and milestones

• Revisions and comments

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Creating an effective IDP doesn’t have to be complex. Here’s a step-by-step guide to building one that works:

Step 1: Self-assessment

Encourage the employee to reflect on their current role, strengths, areas of improvement, career aspirations, and values. Questions like “Where do you see yourself in two years?” and “What skills do you feel you lack for the next step?” are great starting points.

Step 2: Set SMART goals

Goals should be Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. For instance, instead of writing “Improve leadership skills,” a SMART goal would be “Complete a leadership course and lead two internal projects within the next six months.”

Step 3: Identify development activities

This can include formal training, job shadowing, certifications, mentoring, stretch assignments, or even cross-functional projects. The goal is to build skills through diverse, hands-on learning.

Step 4: Use an individual development plan template

Having a consistent structure for your IDPs across the company helps standardize the process and make it easy for HR to support progress tracking. A solid individual development plan template should include sections for employee details, current role, future goals, action steps, required resources, and timelines.

Step 5: Collaborate and review regularly

An IDP is most successful when it’s a two-way conversation. Managers should collaborate with employees to refine goals and align them with team objectives. Regular check-ins—monthly or quarterly—are critical to review progress, remove roadblocks, and adapt the plan as needed.

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Make it employee-driven: Let employees take the lead in shaping their own IDPs while providing support and resources.

• Don’t limit to upward growth: IDPs can be used for lateral movement, deepening expertise, or preparing for leadership—not just promotions.

• Be flexible: Life and business needs change. The best IDPs adapt accordingly.

• Celebrate milestones: Acknowledge when goals are achieved to keep morale high and reinforce positive momentum.

An individual development plan is not just some paper work but rather a promise. An agreement to help your employees become who they are at their best and, thereby, create a bigger and better organization.

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IDPs when properly implemented allow to close the gap between potential and performance. These establish the visibility of organizational careers, instill loyalty, and help your employees adjust to the continual demands of the contemporary workplace.

And thus, whether you are an HR-type person with the intention to standardize the development process or a manager who intends to take better care of its employees, the hour of accepting the strength of individual development plan is upon us.

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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. What is the purpose of an individual development plan (IDP)?
An individual development plan is designed to help employees identify and achieve professional goals. It serves as a roadmap that outlines specific learning activities, skill development areas, and career aspirations while aligning individual growth with organizational needs.

2. Who is responsible for creating the IDP—the employee or the manager?
While employees should take ownership of their individual development plan, it’s a collaborative process. Managers play a key role in guiding, providing feedback, aligning goals with business objectives, and supporting access to resources.

3. How often should an individual development plan be reviewed?
IDPs should be reviewed regularly—ideally every quarter or during performance check-ins. This ensures that the plan stays relevant, progress is monitored, and any necessary adjustments can be made.

4. Can individual development plans be used for all employees, or just high-potential talent?
Every employee can benefit from an IDP, not just those on a leadership track. Whether someone wants to deepen expertise, shift roles, or grow in place, an individual development plan offers a structured way to pursue their goals.

References:

1. LinkedIn Learning Workplace Learning Report 2023
   https://learning.linkedin.com/resources/workplace-learning-report

2. U.S. Office of Personnel Management – Individual Development Plan Guide
   https://www.opm.gov/WIKI/training/Individual-Development-Plans/

3. UC Berkeley – Career Development Toolkit https://hr.berkeley.edu/development/career-development/individual-development-plan

4. SHRM – Developing Employees with Individual Development Plans
   https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/tools-and-samples/how-to-guides/pages/howtodevelopanindividualdevelopmentplan.aspx