An employee development plan is a structured roadmap that outlines an employee's goals, supports employee skill-building, and milestones to help advance staff in their role and meet organizational objectives. As part of staff management, an employee development plan supports employee training, career development and the organization’s needs, targeting areas such as employee performance improvement and the development of new skills.
Typically created through a collaborative effort between the employee and supervisor, the plan often builds on employee orientation and training new employees. After a new employee’s initial orientation and training, an employee development plan can serve as a guide for ongoing staff training and targeted employee skill development, which can include activities like workshops, job shadowing, cross training, workshops, peer to peer learning, external training programs, coaching, goal setting, professional development, certifications, and mentorship.
An employee development plan also provides a structured approach to staff supervision by defining clear goals and measurable milestones. Supervisors can use the plan to track progress, provide feedback, and make adjustments as necessary, aligning the employee’s growth with evolving organizational demands and the employee's job description. This adaptable roadmap supports continuous employee development, ensuring that the employee contributes meaningfully to the organization while enhancing their own professional skills.
An employee development plan is a positive, proactive way to support an employee’s growth and potential. It explores the employee’s strengths, interests, and development areas, fostering skill-building and career progression aligned with both individual and organizational goals. Rather than focusing on gaps, the plan emphasizes opportunities for learning, creating an environment where employees feel valued and empowered. An Employee Development Plan can be introduced at various stages—at the start of employment, during the probationary period, or at key times like the new year, start of the budget cycle, or when an employee transitions to a new role. Through collaborative goal setting and ongoing support, the plan provides a structured yet flexible path for employees to develop skills, build confidence, and achieve success in their roles.
Understand the Importance of Employee Development Plans
An Employee Development Plan is a roadmap for growth that clearly outlines an employee's goals, skill-building activities, and milestones. When you hire a new employee, you might start by drafting a plan that covers essential details, including:
Employee Name and Supervisor: Identify who the plan is for and supervisor
Development Period: Define a clear timeline for when this plan will be in effect, such as a 6-month or year-long period.
This step clarifies accountability, aligns expectations, and sets the stage for success, especially during critical phases like employee orientation, training new employees and employee onboarding.
Define Development Goals for Employees
Clear, actionable goals are essential for growth. Whether focusing on employee performance or staff management, you’ll want to outline:
Goal Descriptions: Define the key areas where an employee will grow—this could include competencies like communication, leadership, or technical skills relevant to their role.
Target Skills: Break down each goal into specific skills that the employee needs to develop. For instance, if you supervise an employee and you want them to improve their public speaking skills to better engage major donors for fundraising then it would be ideal to identify resources like public speaking workshops, a coach, mentors or time for practice sessions to develop the specific skills to target related to public speaking.
By setting well-defined goals and target skills for employees, you empower employees to take control of their professional development, while also ensuring that the goals align with organizational priorities and their job description.
Build a Structured Action Plan through an Employee Development Plan
Creating an action plan provides a detailed roadmap for each development goal, outlining:
Skill-Building Opportunities: List specific activities such as staff training sessions, online courses, or mentorship programs that support skill development.
Practical Experience: Provide hands-on opportunities for employees to practice skills, such as job shadowing, training or leading a project.
Mentorship and Feedback: Frequent check-ins between the employee and supervisor can help track progress. Use feedback to address challenges and adjust goals as needed.
An action plan ensures goal alignment and keeps employees engaged and motivated to grow.
Set a Timeline and Milestones
Mapping out each goal with specific milestones can help track progress and set clear expectations. Use a Month-by-Month Plan to:
Establish a Timeline: Define when each activity or task should be completed. This is particularly helpful for longer goals, like achieving performance improvements or leading a team project.
Define Milestones: Breaking down large goals into smaller, achievable steps makes progress feel tangible and fosters a sense of accomplishment.
Suppose an employee’s goal is to develop leadership skills for a future managerial role. Breaking this down could look like:
Months 1-2: Attend a workshop on team communication and conflict resolution.
Months 3-4: Shadow a manager to observe leadership practices and discuss insights with a supervisor.
Months 5-6: Lead a small project, such as organizing a team meeting, to gain hands-on experience.
Month 7: Request feedback on leadership effectiveness from team members and supervisor.
Months 8-9: Refine leadership approach based on feedback, practicing areas like delegation and listening.
Each step helps an employee build skills progressively and track progress, making the larger goal more achievable.
Support Employee with Resources
Supervisor support is crucial in achieving development goals. Consider the resources a supervisor might provide, such as:
Access to Tools and Training: From software for skill development to structured employee onboarding tools, providing resources can ensure employees have what they need to succeed.
Guidance and Feedback: Ongoing feedback is essential, especially during performance appraisals of employees or when focusing on employee performance improvements.
Mentors & coaching
With the right support, supervisors can help employees stay focused, feel encouraged and supported as they work toward their goals.
Measure Success: Track Employee Progress
To evaluate growth, set measurable milestones aligned with employee goals. Examples include:
Measurement of Success: Define specific criteria to track progress, such as meeting deadlines, achieving project goals, training attended, or mastering a particular skill.
Review Process: Schedule regular performance appraisals of employees to discuss achievements, address challenges, and set new targets as needed.
Clear metrics provide both employee and supervisor with objective ways to gauge progress and ensure that each development goal is effectively met.
Conduct the Final Review at end of Employee Development Plan
The end of the employee development plan period is an opportunity to review employee growth, development and skills to continue to develop and plan next steps. During the review process:
Employee Review of Development Plan: Set up a structured review meeting to go over achievements, identify areas for improvement, and align future goals with the organization’s direction and the employee’s job description.
Next Steps for 2025
An employee development plan supports employee orientation, employee onboarding, staff training and staff supervision to foster growth and professional development for staff. This proactive approach to training new employees and staff management equips supervisors with structured pathways for monitoring employee performance, managing difficult staff situations, and conducting performance appraisals of employees. By using an employee development plan as a roadmap, managers can support employee performance while providing the guidance and resources needed for continued professional growth. In essence, employee development plans create a supportive environment where employees are empowered to succeed and contribute meaningfully to the organization's mission, ultimately strengthening both individual skills and collective team capabilities.
Download an Employee Development Plan template HERE to support staff management and performance management goals.
Professional Development
The Nonprofit Learning Lab also offers professional development opportunities including a variety of workshops and deep dive series trainings which are an opportunity to collectively learn from nonprofit professionals across the country and leading experts.
Check out our Deep Dive Series Trainings:
Effective Staff Supervision: How to be a Better Supervisor
Train the Trainers: Design, Engage & Equity
Program Management and Scaling: How to Manage & Scale Programs To Reach Your Goals
Trauma-Informed Facilitation: TI Principles for Groups, Trainings and Conversations
A Roadmap for the First 90 Days: How to Create & Improve Orientation, Training, and Onboarding for New Employee