Created by:
Sabrinthia Donnelly
Help your employees grow with a development planning tool that actually gets used. This individual development plan (IDP) template makes it easy to turn vague career conversations into clear, actionable plans. It’s designed to bring structure to growth, align individual aspirations with business needs, and create a culture where development isn’t just encouraged, but expected.
Whether you’re formalizing your approach to talent development or equipping managers with better tools, this template is a practical, proven way to support meaningful progress.
What is an individual development plan template?
An individual development plan (IDP) template is a simple, structured tool that helps employees and their managers collaborate on professional growth. It captures where someone wants to go in their career, what skills they need to develop, and what steps they’ll take to get there.
The goal?
To make development more intentional and not just something that happens once a year during performance reviews. With the right framework in place, employees can build the capabilities they need, and organizations can better support internal mobility, succession planning, and retention.
This particular template includes everything you need to get started:
- A snapshot of the employee’s goals and motivations.
- A strengths and development areas matrix.
- A SMART goal-setting section.
- A breakdown of development actions and needed support.
- A simple progress and review log.
Who is it for?
This IDP template is designed with HR professionals, managers, and people leaders in mind, but it's flexible enough to work for employees at any level. It's a great fit if you want to:
- Support managers in leading better career conversations.
- Empower employees to take ownership of their growth.
- Align individual aspirations with company goals.
- Track development progress over time.
If you're in HR, you'll also appreciate how this template brings consistency and clarity to development planning across your organization.
How to use the template
The template works best as a collaborative document, one that managers and employees fill out together and revisit regularly.
Here’s a quick walkthrough:
- Start with a conversation. Use the overview section to discuss career aspirations and what motivates the employee.
- Reflect honestly. Together, fill in the strengths and development areas based on feedback, self-reflection, or performance data.
- Set SMART goals. Keep them focused, actionable, and measurable (ideally 2–4 goals for the current planning cycle).
- Map out the actions. For each goal, outline the steps required and identify any resources or support the employee will need.
- Check in regularly. Use the review log to track progress, celebrate wins, and adjust goals as needed.
Get your individual development plan (IDP) template
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