An individual development plan, or IDP, is a document completed by individual for the plan of self-development over the next period, usually one
year
A year or annus is the orbital period of a planetary body, for example, the Earth, moving in its orbit around the Sun. Due to the Earth's axial tilt, the course of a year sees the passing of the seasons, marked by change in weather, the hou ...
. This plan is then reviewed and discussed by supervision to match the individual goals with
company goals. They also discuss various options and approaches to achieve the plan. At the end of one year (or other
time
Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, ...
period) this plan is reviewed to see how many goals are fulfilled and what are the new goals and plans for the next year.
Contents of the IDP can vary. Some employees focus on fixing weaknesses. Others focus on playing to their strengths. Some focus on short-term goals and development, other on the long-term. One key component to any good IDP is that the employee feels total ownership of the content. It's generally regarded a bad practice to write "what the boss wants to hear".
External links
Using IDPs to Leverage Strengths (GovLeaders.org)
Human resource management
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