Term: Individual Development Plan

What Is an Individual Development Plan (IDP)?

An Individual Development Plan (IDP) is a structured plan that outlines an employee’s development goals, current capabilities, areas for improvement, and specific actions to support their professional growth.

An IDP helps employees and managers create a clear path for developing the skills, behaviors, and capabilities needed for an employee’s current role or future career opportunities.

Why Is an Individual Development Plan Important?

An effective IDP can help organizations:

• Identify individual development needs
• Set clear and achievable growth goals
• Build skills and capabilities
• Prepare employees for future responsibilities
• Support career growth and internal mobility
• Connect employee development with business needs
• Create greater accountability for development actions

What Does an IDP Include?

An Individual Development Plan may include:

• Development Goals – What the employee wants or needs to develop.
• Strengths and Development Areas – Current capabilities and areas that need improvement.
• Skills and Behaviors – Specific capabilities or workplace behaviors to strengthen.
• Development Actions – Training, coaching, mentoring, projects, or other experiences.
• Measures of Progress – How development will be evaluated.
• Timeline and Accountability – Target dates, follow-ups, and responsibilities.

Individual Development Plan vs. Employee Development Plan

The terms Individual Development Plan and Employee Development Plan are often used interchangeably.

An IDP generally focuses on the development needs and goals of a specific employee, while employee development can also refer more broadly to an organization’s overall approach to developing its workforce.

How Behavioral Science Can Support an IDP

Employees have different behavioral styles, motivators, strengths, and development needs.

Behavioral insights can help managers create more personalized development plans by considering how an employee naturally communicates, works, responds to situations, and stays motivated.

This can make development conversations and actions more relevant to the individual.

IDPs and Talent Planning

Individual development plans can connect individual employee growth with broader talent planning.

When development goals are aligned with organizational priorities, an IDP can help build the skills and capabilities the business needs while giving employees a clearer path for growth.

MyTalentPlanner connects development plans with talent planning, behavioral insights, goals, and accountability to help SMB leaders turn employee development into actionable growth.