Personal Development Plan for Human Resources

In many small businesses, just one person handles the human resources function, and sometimes it is the owner of the company. Empowering employees to take responsibility for their own professional development is therefore a priority. A personal development plan is a document an employee creates to outline the objectives, activities, resources and targets that relate to his overall development as a professional and as an individual.

Set Objectives

The first step in developing a PDP is setting development objectives -- goals the employee, in tandem with business leadership, identifies to help meet her personal and professional needs. For example, an employee might require skills related to operating a cash machine and doing basic accounting. The objective for this skill need might be formulated as "Jane will attend a one-day seminar at the local technical college on basic accountancy. She also will be trained on the use of the cash register by our head clerk." The objectives outlined in the plan need be SMART, meaning specific, measurable, action-based, realistic and time-bound. The more detailed your goals are, the more likely they are to be implemented, as the employee and HR can put plans into place to make sure the goals are reached and can follow though if they aren't.

Prioritize the Objectives

Not all objectives carry equal weight. It might be very important for Jane to learn how to use the cash register, as her job entails using it everyday, whereas her need to learn accounting basics might be able to wait a few weeks until the community college class begins. Therefore, it's important to prioritize goals. The priority should be identified as part of the PDP. For each objective, the document should note if it is critical to the employee's current role, beneficial to the current role but not critical, critical for progressing or growing into a new or future role, or beneficial but not critical for a new or future role.

Identify the Resources Required

While identifying areas for improvement and objectives for professional success is important, it's equally crucial to identify the resources or support required to accomplish the objectives. These include the financial costs, people involved and time away from work. For Jane to implement the plan to attend a class at the community college, she might have to miss work. Additionally, the class might cost money. Will Jane be responsible for the tuition, or will the business pay for her training? All specifics should be outlined in the PDP, which requires a frank conversation between the employee and the management to clarify how much time away from the job or how much funding is required for each development objective.

Review and Reassess

The final stage of the personal development planning process is to identify a date for the employee to sit down with HR to review and reassess the objectives and plans. Setting the priority of the objectives helps determine this timescale, but whether the R&R occurs within a few weeks or a few months, the purpose of the review process should be to determine the level of progress made and to determine if further training or development is needed. This is an excellent opportunity for the employee to reflect on her learning and to identity factors preventing the achievement of goals. Often, this means amending the PDP or even creating a new PDP with revised or new goals and objectives.