What is an Individual Development Plan (IDP) and when should an IDP be prepared?
An IDP is:
A clear statement of an employee's career goals
A map for attaining goals that specifies immediate and long-range developmental needs
An individually tailored action plan to develop specific competencies (knowledge and skills) needed to improve performance in present position or to prepare for new responsibilities
A written plan for scheduling and managing an employee's development
A tool for a supervisor to estimate resources needed for employee development training
An agreement between the employee and supervisor (based on funds available) to meet the goals of both the employee and organization, and
A tool for an organization to development its workforce to meet future needs
An IDP should be prepared annually at performance appraisal time for new permanent, full-time employees. An IDP must be completed within 90 days after the employee reports for duty.
Who is responsible for developing an IDP?
Both the supervisor and the employee are responsible for developing an IDP. While the employee completes the IDP with the cooperation and assistance of the supervisor, it is the supervisor who approves individual activities on the IDP. The supervisor is responsible for performance improvement and the IDP process is an important tool to achieve critical job requirements and responsibilities; outline the knowledge and skills needed to perform the work; identify an employee's talents and needs; define individual job satisfaction; and improve both organizational and individual performance.
