Individual Development Plan (PDI): practical tips for your personal and professional life The Individual Development Plan (PDI) provides career direction. To understand its importance, just ask yourself: where and how do you want to be professionally in one, five or ten years?

If you still don’t have a clear answer or have no idea about it, you need to know the instrument that is the subject of this article. With a simple but very efficient methodology, PDI enables sustainable and consistent growth. In this article, explanations are offered of what an Individual Development Plan is, as well as details of how it works and tips for creating your .

What Is Individual Development Plan?

In the same way that we must Development Plan the purchase of a car, a trip or any other acquisition, we also need to set goals and deadlines for our individual development. In this way, the POI works as a kind of map.

It records guidelines on what is necessary for the individual to develop certain behaviors, as well as skills and attitudes. Often used to improve professional skills this planning can also be used for personal issues.

Therefore, the individual development plan has as its function the achievement of goals in all spheres of a person’s life. For its full development, planning must be clear Development Plan and specific in terms of goals, strategies and deadlines. As all of these issues are individual and depend on a number of factors and contexts, POIs are completely personalized and unique.

How Important Is The Individual Development Plan?

As we have already highlighted, PDI is important both in the personal field and for companies, which intend to support workers in their professional development. At first, the strengths and weaknesses of individuals’ competencies are identified.

From there, it is possible to think of strategies to minimize weaknesses and maximize positive characteristics, always keeping in mind the goals and objectives outlined Development Plan. With this kind of map, professionals and the organization are able to know at what level of development that professional is.

How Does The Development Plan Work In The Company?

The Development Plan can be prepared individually. But when this plan is inserted in the organizational context, it has the ability to align specific demands of the company with the possibilities of professional evolution.

Thus, the Human Resources department or the area’s leadership must have a deep understanding of the organization’s needs and the profile of its employees. As an example, think of an individual who becomes aware of an opportunity for advancement within the company he works for. He discovers that, in the next few months, the management position will become vacant.

 To be promoted, however, he realizes that he needs to improve his oratory skills.

From there, he draws up an individual development plan together with the company. Aware that he already has the technical skills for such a role, he seeks to develop skills that are adhering to the desired position.

 Its focus, therefore, is on oratory and good communication.

Then, the employee and the company can choose courses, lectures and workshops focusing on the desired competence. With the PDI, the company can monitor the professional’s development and study promotion to the management position.

How To Prepare A PDI Plan?

There are different tools that can be used in the elaboration of a PDI. To help build a document assertively, it is possible to use 5W2H.This method basically consists of putting together a list of questions and answers about a particular project, focusing on a specific goal.

WHAT Will Be Done?

To achieve a goal, you must first define it. In the case of a PDI, the “what” refers to the development goal .Some questions that help guide this first step:

 What needs to be improved?

Which skill should be improved?

What behaviors will be worked on?

Is the objective related to some technical competence?

What do you want to achieve at the end of the plan?

WHY Will It Be Done?

Just as important as knowing where you are going is understanding what takes a person to a certain point. Thus, the motivation for choosing that goal works as a kind of fuel. The more motivated to carry out the plan, the better the concentration and focus. Therefore, the reason that drives the search for a result is very important and needs to be documented in the PDI.

WHERE Will It Be Done?

Recording the location where the individual development will take place is part of the plan. With this relatively simple information , many other POI data can be changed. Examples of questions this step seeks to answer: Will large displacements be necessary to carry out the improvement?

Are there good quality options close to the employee?

Can the company provide this type of instruction for professional development?WHEN Will It Be Done?

Deadlines are critical to any plan. Through timelines and deadlines, it is possible to follow the progress of the PDI step by step. It is important to be realistic about the time required to complete each of the phases. Therefore, there is no point in creating deadlines that are too short, because they may not be met, and in this way, they may cause frustration .

In the same way, dates that are too far away can discourage action and cause tasks to be abandoned.

By WHOM Will It Be Done?

In the case of an individual plan, it is the person concerned who will carry out the stages. However, the collaboration of other individuals may also be necessary for the realization of different parts of the PDI.

Therefore, when naming those responsible for each stage of the plan, it is necessary to follow up on how the people involved have acted. And, thus, promote corrections and praise for the accomplishment of tasks.