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development plan

A development plan is a plan that sets out an employee’s goals and the actions needed to improve their skills and support their future career growth, especially after a performance review.

In plain English

It is an outline of where an employee is trying to develop and what they need to do next. It focuses on skill improvement and future career growth, often after a performance review.

In context

Here, “development plan” names the post-review plan that sets out an employee’s growth goals and the actions needed to build skills for future career growth.

Situation
Setting goals, receiving feedback, completing reviews, and discussing performance
What it communicates
names the post-review plan for future growth actions.

Meaning limits

The term itself does not specify the plan’s format or the exact goals and actions it contains.

Examples

“After her performance review, Lina agreed with her manager on a development plan that set career goals and listed actions to strengthen her budgeting and presentation skills.”

Core meaning

“Two months later, her manager reviewed the development plan and checked which skill-building actions were already under way.”

In context