How do I produce a Personal Development Plan (PDP)? A PDP is a document that you fill in, which outlines what development objectives you have for the next year and what development activities you plan to help you achieve those objectives. The PDP will help you to take a broader and more structured approach to your development and should encourage an atmosphere (or culture) where people take responsibility for their learning. To be effective, a PDP should be:

Realistic - within the capabilities and resources of you and Warwickshire County Council

Relevant - to you and Warwickshire County Council Agreed - between you and your manager Monitored - to ensure development is occurring Reviewed - as development is an ongoing process

And should (at least):

Outline the agreed development need Identify the actions to meet the need Identify timescales for completion Indicate responsibility for implementation Contain suggested review dates

Objectives

The objective of a PDP should be SMART:

Specific - clearly stating what is to be achieved Measurable - how will you know you have been

successful Action-orientated - specifying what needs to be done Realistic - is it within your control and capability Timely - achievable within a credible

timescale (ideally with some short term actions to boost motivation)

In other words, objectives should be stretching but achievable. It should be clear when the objective has been achieved. Large objectives can be broken into steps or sub-objectives that are clear and actionable with realistic dates for completion. Objectives do not always have to be directly related to specific work tasks. For example, a PDP goal might be to improve language skills.

How do I prioritise my objectives? Objectives should be prioritised according to organisation / department need. You need to be careful not to have too many objectives on your PDP. It’s better to have a few that you can achieve than a long list that you can’t. You may wish to consider: -

What new skills do you need in your job and what existing skills must you improve

Think about your current objectives related to your section / division / service plan. Is there anything in these where improving your knowledge and skills will enable you to achieve your aims or improve results?

For the longer-term strategic objectives of your role, is there an obvious progression of stages?

What timeframe do you see for your Career Development objectives? Is there again an obvious progression of stages towards your goal?

Are there skills to learn that will increase your potential to expand towards your career goals?

Will you be getting involved in new projects or activities and will these need new or improved skills?

Were there any areas of work that previously gave you difficulties that are likely to recur?

Have you canvassed your colleagues / customers / clients about thoughts they might have about your development

Development action priorities are likely to differ between “development to meet the needs of the current role” and, “development to realise the potential for future roles”. This should be borne in mind when realising specific development needs, actions and timescales. To help you identify what to put on your PDP, work through the questions in the Personal Development Review. This will provoke thought and give you further clarity about next steps. Having decided on between 2 and 4 learning objectives that you achieve this year, the next point to remember is that your PDP should be a continuous part of your working life. The challenges it sets you will continue to be met, refined or even redirected. New targets will be constantly added as you meet the objectives you have set yourself and old ones will be “ticked off” as you reach the standards you have set yourself.

How do I transfer my identified development needs into my PDP? Having worked out your development priorities, you need to put them into a planned format that helps you tackle each one successfully. The actual PDP documentation can help you do this. Simply following the format of each section and answering the questions that it asks you will basically give you the plan that you follow for each objectives and the means to measure success. There are a number of formats available – see tables 1 and 2 for examples. How do I select Development Activities? Once you have decided in which area you want to develop you can use criteria to help you decide the best development activity for you. Some of these are listed below. You may be able to think of other criteria you would wish to use. If so, add yours to the list. Prior knowledge What do you already need to know, or be able to do to

benefit from the activities?

Career relevance

Can the activity be readily integrated into your work schedule, or does it demand disruptions to the schedule? How appropriate is the activity to your current position, aspirations and potential?

Support Required

Does the activity need substantial support from managers or colleagues, or can you initiate and manage the activity alone?

Pace Do you decide on the pace and speed of learning, or is this dictated by the activity itself?

Transfer How easily is the learning transferred to the work situation?

Group Does the learning take place in a group setting, with mutual support and feedback, or is it a solo activity?

Feedback Does the activity itself provide unambiguous feedback to you on progress, or must this be obtained from other sources, e.g. by applying it on the job, or from managers' or colleagues' observations?

Costs What is the actual cost of the training, e.g. a book on 'delegating' may cost £15; a course on the same subject may cost £500?

Payoff Are the costs incurred justifiable in relation to the benefits

obtained?

Timescale Over what length of time does the activity take place to achieve competence, e.g. a day-release course of one day per week for 18 months?

Time consumed How much time is actually spent on the activity, e.g. day- release course might take 70 days?

On-the-job Can the activity be carried out as part of your normal work schedule or does it require time away from normal duties?

Planning and organising

How much planning and organising is required from you, trainers or managers to set up and run the activity?

Company focus Is the activity relevant to Warwickshire County Council and your area?

Preferred learning style

Is the activity best suited to your learning style? See Section 3 “What are Learning Styles”

You may wish therefore to also refer to Section 5 “Other Learning Methods and Development Services”. Activities could then include:

Books, video, audio (see Section 7 for Corporate Resource Centre) Courses (see Section 4 - Menu of Solutions for full details of courses

available in WCC) Work based development activities – many PDP objectives can be

achieved through learning in the workplace e.g. projects One to one coaching Having a Mentor Action Learning Sets Development Activities from Management Competencies Development

Directory What help and support might I need? To avoid the obvious dangers of adopting a self-reliant approach, it is important to ensure support is obtained. You must continually ask the questions “What help do I need to ensure I am making progress?”

What about Contingency Plans? Unforeseen obstacles can bring a plan to a complete stop. However, with some forethought, may obstacles can be anticipated and contingency plans can be put into place to reach the objective by a different route. It is also important to ensure your PDP is realistic, for example the timescales you have set to achieve your objectives. How do I measure my success? Objectives need clear indications of success if they are to retain their motivating power. These can be expressed in terms of both improved job performance and direct benefits to the person e.g. promotion, more leisure time. Some of the best rewards might be less tangible ones, e.g. having less stress on the job, feeling a sense of achievement, or receiving recognition for a job well done. Ask yourself the questions “What evidence do I need to convince me that I am making progress against my objectives? This will help you identify the signs of improvement, which indicate progress. Also ask yourself “What factors will confirm my improvements in the eyes of my manager? In other words, clearly agree the practical evidence that will provide tangible evidence of improvement. What review mechanisms and dates should I set? It is important to set either target dates for the achievement of goals or review dates to monitor progress. These targets should be agreed with your manager, as your successful development will be heavily dependent on these reviews. Unless clear deadlines can be set, it may be better to set a review date, which allows sufficient time for development to occur. Where regular one-to-one meetings are the norm, the PDP can be scheduled as an item for discussion. It may be useful to prepare a short progress report, summarising what has been achieved and what remains to be done. This could also to reflect on your learning and demonstrate to your manager what you have achieved.

On average, the PDP should be reviewed quarterly, though more frequent reviews might be needed in the early stages to ensure it gets off the ground. Key points

Agree plans will all involved Record plans Monitor progress Seek support, feedback and encouragement Make your development a priority Be prepared to redraw plans Anticipate and be prepared for problems Make it enjoyable Keep your development plan stretching and achievable – not too big

How do I successfully manage my PDP? Having put your PDP together, there are a few suggestions you can follow to help you manage it effectively: -

Sharing your plan with a colleague can give them an opportunity to help you If you do get other people involved it’s a good idea to keep them

regularly updated on your progress Different people can help you in different ways. A good listener is ideal

to talk to about your plans and your progress. Someone you know to have a lot of knowledge and experience makes a good technical sounding board. Someone whose feedback you value as specific and non-judgemental can help you objectively assess your progress Watch out for significant differences between your planned and actual

progress. Check the reasons and decide if you need to take action You may need to be methodical when monitoring your progress. It

may be a good idea to schedule time for this in your diary Whenever the unexpected occurs, take time to look at the development

plans you have made. There may be changes to make, activities to cancel or reschedule or new opportunities to take that can help you get nearer to your goals Remember to take time to think and review Always ask for feedback at every opportunity and use it to review the

progress of your plan Learn from the things that go wrong, analyse them to do better next

time and whatever happens don’t be put off Make a point of enjoying the success you achieve. However at the

same time make a point of analysing your success and building on it