SECTION
8.35 THE INDIVIDUAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN
Last
Update: 12/08
|
The Individual Development Plan (IDP) |
“Learning
is not compulsory but neither is survival.” - W. Edwards Deming
“Nothing is more terrible than activity without insight.”
- Thomas Carlyle
The annual performance evaluation provides an opportunity
for the supervisor and the employee to look both backward and forward. The
backward part is the evaluation itself, where the supervisor assesses how well
the employee has met his or her performance expectations during the evaluation
period. At this point, there is nothing the employee or supervisor can do to
change that performance. It is history. But it also provides them with a
baseline of what worked, what needs improvement, what needs additional
attention, more resources, etc.
The baseline helps the supervisor and employee look forward
to the next evaluation period. Expectations for the next period are spelled out
in the next performance plan. But the assistance the employee will need to meet
those expectations is laid out in the development plan.
Some
positions and some circumstances may not require an in-depth development plan.
Maybe just a few bullet statements indicate what the employee needs to focus on
in the future and for what purpose (performance improvement, enhancement of
current skills, anticipation of new skills to be required in the future, or
self-enrichment). For these cases, the “Development Plans” box in Part 3 of the
Individual Performance Evaluation will probably suffice.
When the situation calls for a more detailed plan, you may want to provide the employee with an Individual Development Plan (IDP). The Individual Development Plan (IDP) is an systematic approach to training and development designed to improve the employee’s professional skills and the agency’s productivity. This is a joint process, both in design and execution, in that the supervisor is more familiar with the agency’s job requirements and future directions and the employee is more aware of specific, individual needs and aspirations. The main purpose is short-term (for the upcoming evaluation period) and aimed primarily at enhancing the agency’s productivity through the employee’s performance expectations. However, other components may be added, such as long-term goals (1-3 years after the upcoming evaluation period) aimed at the individual’s career development or enrichment.
Designing
the Individual Development Plan
The following process is a model. Use what works for your
individual situation. Human resources are a major investment your organization
uses to accomplish its mission. So taking whatever time and effort are
necessary to design, implement, and monitor the IDP makes sense from the
perspective of return on investment.
The process involves the following steps:
1.
Prepare the Individual Performance Evaluation at the
conclusion of the employee’s evaluation period. The Individual Performance
Evaluation includes the Individual Development Plan (IDP) as a segment of Part
3. The IDP can consist solely of what you include here, or it can be expanded
to be a more detailed document using the format suggested below.
2.
Consider each area of the employee’s performance from
the following perspectives and determine which should be developed in the
upcoming evaluation period:
·
Strengths that, if enhanced, will contribute to the
overall mission of the organization and increase productivity.
·
New skills that will be needed in the upcoming
evaluation period.
·
Areas of performance/skills that need to be improved.
The above constitute the Purpose of the development activity. Some additional needs that contribute to establishing the Purpose may include:
·
·
Change in technology
·
New assignment
·
Future staffing need
·
Leadership development
·
Relationship building
3.
Once the determinations in #2 have been made, list
possible methods to facilitate this development: formal training, on-the-job
training, self-development, mentoring or coaching, development
activities/learning experiences, or other activities.
Formal training – is any
training conducted in a group setting. This may include academic college
coursework, adult education, etc.
Advantages:
·
It is presumed to be offered by credible, trained or
otherwise informed sources.
·
It is presented in ongoing segments known in advance.
·
Typically, it is measurable through grades,
accreditations, or pass/fail mechanisms.
Disadvantages:
·
Potential cost.
·
Scheduling problems (it may take the employee away
from other work activities or it may not be offered at the time needed).
·
At times, inability to control the curriculum and
address specific learning objectives identified by the supervisor.
On-the-job training – is a form
of individualized training, usually structured, that takes place in the actual
work setting while the employee performs regular job duties. The supervisor or
a designated peer usually provides this type of training.
Advantages:
·
It can be customized to the specific training need.
·
It can be provided on a timely basis.
·
It can be provided by the person(s) most likely to
possess the appropriate skills.
Disadvantages:
·
If the wrong person is chosen to provide the
training, the ability of the person to present it skillfully significantly
decreases.
·
The seriousness given the training by the supervisor,
the trainer, and the employee.
Self-development – is any
form of training or development the employee initiates and obtains on his or
her own. For instance, an employee who completed only a year of college before
being hired into the current position may decide he or she wants to finish the
college degree and takes classes on non-work time. The knowledge and skills the
employee gains by going back to school may indirectly benefit job performance.
Advantages:
·
The cost is borne by the employee on non-work time.
·
Typically, because it is the employee’s own time and
money being invested, employees are highly motivated to do well.
Disadvantages:
·
Lack of control over the type of development selected
and the timing, because the individual employee determines when and what types of
development opportunities to pursue. This is where joint design of the IDP is
important; it provides you with the opportunity not only to help the employee
consider career growth aspirations but also to map out how to get there.
Supervisors are not precluded from discussing self-development options and how
they might relate to both current and future job enhancement. You just can’t
require the employee to select this option unless it is offered on work time
and at the expense of the organization.
Mentoring/coaching – is a less
structured form of on-the-job training that extends beyond learning specific
skills or processes. The purpose of mentoring or coaching is to provide the
employee with ongoing feedback about progress in specific job requirements. This
may occur through formal or informal discussions that allow the employee the
opportunity to learn and refine her or his knowledge base by asking questions
of the mentor/coach, through observation, or through completion of short tasks
or assignments to “try out” a particular skill or sub-task. A mentor is
generally a more senior employee selected by the employee (or the supervisor)
who provides advice or counsel about work issues that may be broader than
actual work responsibilities. Their advice and counsel is usually based on
their own experience. A coach is more likely to be selected by the
supervisor and tends to take a more pro-active role in providing the employee
with feedback about specific performance issues
Advantages:
·
Being able to provide on-the-spot or otherwise timely
feedback to specific work questions or problems.
·
Establishing a “link” to the organization to help
anchor the employee.
·
The ability to stick with problematic issues until
the employee gets them right.
Disadvantages:
·
The time commitment of the mentor/coach that is
necessary to provide adequate feedback.
·
The possible negative impact on the employee if the
mentor/coach is not effective, is not committed, or does not get along with the
employee.
Development activities/learning
activities – are generally ways of modifying current job
responsibilities to help the employee develop new skills for anticipated job
responsibilities, job growth, or higher job opportunities.
Examples include:
·
Shadowing a more senior employee or an employee with
more expertise or experience in a particular skill, process, or program area.
·
Task force or special project assignments that will
expose the employee to other qualified individuals and provide the opportunity
to try out new ideas and skills away from the daily job.
·
Detail/rotational assignments that expose the
employee to several different functional or program areas outside his or her
current job.
·
Special individual projects resulting not only in the
development of products that will assist the employee with current job
responsibilities but, through doing them, give the employee the chance to learn
and experiment with new ideas, processes and technology.
The kinds of activities described above are
sometimes referred to as “stretch assignments” in that they require the
employee to reach beyond current responsibilities and skills to enhance her or
his knowledge and experience.
Advantages:
·
The opportunity to demonstrate capabilities in ways
current job responsibilities might preclude.
Disadvantages:
·
The time commitment.
·
More importantly, the possibility that the activity
is not well thought out or managed, does not result in learning or results
worth the investment, or does not relate to the needed skills.
Other activities – encompass
the spectrum of other actions available to the employee such as:
·
Self-instructional books, audio tapes or
computer-assisted learning (such as on-line training offered by ITE and PDS).
·
Exposure to new program areas through involvement in
professional organizations. (This may be on the employee’s own time with the
membership fee being at the employee’s expense.)
·
Participating on various types of committees other than task forces.
Advantages:
·
Open-ended and quite flexible, depending on the need and available
resources.
Disadvantages:
·
There needs to be a clear-cut nexus between the activity and the
learning objective, or the experience may not benefit the employee or the
organization.
4.
Once the learning methods described above have been
selected, you need to refine these to specific activities that have measurable
results and time frames. Be clear about expectations. For instance, telling a
more senior employee to train the employee on the XYZ process is too vague
unless you include as the expected result that, once trained, the employee will
be able to complete the process on his or her own in less than two hours with
no errors.
5.
Involve the employee in the design of the IDP. You
may want to do this early in the process, when you have only identified major
areas where development should take place and let the employee propose the more
specific ways to accomplish this. Or, you may prefer to design the plan and
then have the employee review it and provide input.
6.
Ensure that you have higher management support for
the IDP, including the time commitment and use of resources.
7.
You and the employee sign the IDP to document your
mutual agreement with it and commitment to completing it. Clarify
responsibilities with the employee. If you need to set some of the steps in
motion, be sure to follow through; if follow through will be the responsibility
of the employee, be sure that is understood.
8.
Set up a reporting system so that you know the
employee’s progress at any given time and can make adjustments to the plan as
needed.
Contents
and Format
The IDP should include the following components:
·
Personal information: name, class title, agency,
period to be covered.
·
Short-term developmental goals – usually these will
be one or more competencies to be developed, enhanced, or improved within the
upcoming evaluation period; indicate the purpose of each goal.
·
Results expected and measures.
·
Method and/or activity(ies) for developing each
competency identified.
·
Time frames.
Other components may also be added, such as:
·
long-term (1-3 years beyond the upcoming evaluation
period) developmental goals and purpose.
·
who will provide the training or activities.
·
estimated costs and who will pay.
·
priority (essential, needed, helpful – although some
might reason that anything included on the IDP is essential and therefore a
high priority).
·
completed date.
·
evidence of completion/accomplishment.
Though you want the IDP to be thorough and cover the
individual’s major development needs, try to keep it brief and to the point so
that it does not become unwieldy, overwhelming or difficult to complete. Focus
on key areas to be developed.
The
following is a sample format. You may modify it as needed.
Employee ___________________________________________ Department
______________________________
Position Title _______________________________ Period Covered ________________ to __________________
|
Development
Goal |
Purpose |
Method or
Activity |
Results
Expected/Measures |
Time
Frame |
|
|
|
|
|
|
_____________________________________
_______________________
Supervisor’s Signature
Date
_____________________________________
_______________________
Employee’s
Signature
Date
Whether the type of development you envision for the
employee is to help her or him improve past performance, enhance current
capabilities, expose the employee to skills needed in the future, or simply
provide enrichment opportunities that make the current job more interesting,
fun, or meaningful, what you will probably focus on developing are competencies.
Competencies are observable and measurable knowledge, abilities, skills, and
behaviors that must be applied to achieve results aligned with the goals of the
organization.
The State of
Competencies are fairly broad. You may find that, in
addition to including the definition in the IDP, you will want to include some
sub-tasks, or behavioral indicators, to help clarify what exactly you
want the employee to develop. This is all stated in the “Development Goal.”
Once this is laid out, determining the purpose and method/activity for
accomplishing it will be easier.
The following sample lays out the information described
above:
Example of Results Comments and Rating:
Although Terry completed this strategy as specified in the Performance Plan, it was accomplished without checking with all the appropriate parties to obtain their input and assure the proposed result did not interfere with their program areas. Meets expectations
Example of Corresponding IDP
|
Development
Goal |
Purpose |
Method or
Activity |
Results
Expected/Measures |
Time
Frame |
|
Enhance Interpersonal
Skills
Develops and maintains effective relationships with others Enhance Customer Service skills- Works with
individuals who use or receive the services or products that your work unit
produces to assess their needs, provide information or assistance, resolve
their problems, or satisfy their expectations |
To
ensure that future projects take into consideration the needs and concerns of
other units Same
as above |
Planning
phase of future projects will include identification of affected internal
parties Progress
reports of future projects will be distributed to the affected parties
identified above Will
take a PDS course in Customer Services |
List
completed All
affected parties identified per supervisor review Progress
reports distributed at least three times Will
be able to list three actions he can take to improve his customer service
skills |
Planning
phase of projects undertaken in next evaluation period Within
next evaluation period By
March 1, 2004 |
“Best-laid
plans….” You know the rest. But especially in the case of development plans,
even the most clear-cut, well-intentioned, well-written plan will go no further
if you don’t set in place the expectation and wherewithal for how it will get
accomplished. And then make sure that is the case. Monitoring progress may
involve no more than meeting with the employee to discuss, modify and sign the
plan and then empowering the employee to take it from there. But the level of
accountability you expect from the employee needs to be communicated clearly.
You may decide to play a more active role in monitoring progress, particularly where performance improvement is concerned, where a major commitment of resources is involved or where the results of the development plan are critical to other endeavors.
Methods of monitoring progress might include:
·
Periodic meetings with the employee to check on
progress.
·
Requiring a note or memo from the employee as each
activity is completed or if problems arise.
·
Having the employee update the IDP on a periodic
basis.
·
Checking
with the development provider (for instance, if someone is to serve as a mentor
for the employee, staying in touch with that individual to make sure the
relationship is working).