A career development plan is a one-page document that names where you want your career to go, the gaps between that and where you are now, and the specific actions, dates and support that will close them. Write it in five steps: take stock, choose a target, find the gaps, pick actions, and add evidence and dates. Then share it with your manager, because the most useful development actions, such as stretch projects, a training budget and introductions, usually need their help.
Key takeaways
- A development plan connects a target role or capability to gaps, actions, dates and support.
- Keep it to one page and three to five gaps.
- Put work experience first: projects, stretch assignments and shadowing. Use courses to support them.
- Give every action a deadline and a result someone else could verify.
- Bring your manager a draft, agree on this quarter’s actions, and review it every quarter.
01
What goes in a career development plan?
The U.S. federal government’s version is the individual development plan, or IDP, which the Office of Personnel Management describes as “a tool to assist employees in achieving their personal and professional development goals.” OPM says a plan should include an employee profile, short-term and long-term career goals with estimated completion dates, development objectives linked to the work unit’s goals and the employee’s needs, training and development opportunities, and the signatures of the employee and the supervisor. No regulation requires federal employees to complete one, although many development programs do, and OPM describes the plan as a partnership between employee and supervisor that involves preparation and continuous feedback.
Whatever your employer calls it, your plan needs the same parts:
| Section | The question it answers |
|---|---|
| Where I am | What is my role, and what are my strengths and results so far? |
| Where I am going | Which role or capability do I want, and by when? |
| Gaps | What does the target need that I cannot yet show? |
| Actions | What will I do to close each gap? |
| Support | What do I need from my manager or from others? |
| Evidence and dates | How will anyone know it is done, and by when? |
A development plan is not a performance review, which looks back, and it is not a promise of promotion.
02
How to write a career development plan in five steps
- Take stock. List your results from the last year, the feedback you have received, and the work you want more of. Your last review and your strongest transferable skills are good inputs.
- Choose a target one to three years out: a specific role, level or capability. The wording advice in career goals examples applies here.
- Find the gaps. Compare yourself with the target using your employer’s job description or leveling guide, postings for the role elsewhere, and the occupation’s description on O*NET OnLine. Then check your list with someone who does the job, as in an informational interview. Keep the three to five gaps that matter most.
- Pick actions. Put work experience first. A course teaches the concept, and a project proves you can do it. OPM’s list of development activities is a useful menu: formal classroom training, web-based training, rotational assignments, shadowing assignments, on-the-job training, self-study programs, and professional conferences and seminars.
- Add evidence and dates. Every action gets a visible result and a deadline. Then set the review points.
Match the action to the kind of gap
| Kind of gap | Actions that close it | Example |
|---|---|---|
| A skill you have not learned | A course, followed within a month by a real task that uses it | Take an analytics course, then rebuild a live report |
| Experience you have not had | A stretch assignment, a rotation, or covering for a colleague | Run the budget for one campaign |
| Judgment you have not practiced | Shadowing, a mentor, reviewing decisions with your manager | Sit in on vendor negotiations |
| A credential | The exam or program, with a date | Pass the certification by October |
| Visibility and relationships | Presenting, cross-team projects, introductions | Present results to the leadership team |
Plans fail in predictable ways: too many gaps, actions that are all courses, no dates, and no one else who knows the plan exists.
03
Career development plan template
Name: [Your name] Date: [Date] Next review: [Date] Current role: [Title, team] Strengths to build on: [Two or three, with evidence] Target: [Role, level or capability] by [date] Why it matters: [To you and to the team] Gap 1: [Skill, experience or credential you cannot yet show] - Action: [What you will do] - Support needed: [Project, budget, introduction, feedback] - Evidence it is done: [Deliverable or measure] - Date: [Deadline] Gap 2: [Repeat the four lines] Gap 3: [Repeat the four lines] What I am asking my manager for: [Specific requests] Check-in dates: [One per quarter]
04
Career development plan example
This example is illustrative. Dana has been a marketing coordinator for three years and wants to be a marketing manager within two. Her strengths are reliable campaign execution and clear writing.
| Gap | Action | Support needed | Evidence it is done | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Has never owned a budget | Manage the budget for the spring campaign | Manager delegates the budget and reviews it monthly | Campaign delivered within budget, with a written review | June |
| Limited analytics skills | Complete an analytics course and rebuild the monthly performance report | Course fee approved | New report in use by the team | April |
| No experience leading people | Supervise the summer intern | Manager assigns the intern and gives coaching after the first month | Intern’s projects completed, with the intern’s feedback | August |
| Little exposure to sales | Shadow two sales calls a month for a quarter | Introduction to the sales lead | One campaign brief changed because of what she heard | March |
| Rarely presents to senior leaders | Present quarterly results at the leadership meeting twice | A slot on the agenda | Two presentations delivered, feedback noted | September |
Each row has one gap, one main action and a result another person could check. Four of the five actions are real work, and only one is a course.
05
How to review the plan with your manager
MIT’s human resources guidance says goals should be created jointly by the employee and the manager, include at least one development goal, and be revisited frequently. So bring a draft, not a finished contract.
- Ask for a dedicated conversation and send the draft a few days ahead.
- Open with what you want to contribute, then where you want to grow.
- Ask for their view of your gaps. They see things you cannot.
- Ask for specific support: a project, a budget, an introduction, regular feedback.
- Agree on two or three actions for this quarter, and on who does what.
- Send a short summary afterwards and put the next check-in in the calendar.
Hi [Name], I've drafted a one-page development plan and I'd value your view on it. Could we set aside 30 minutes in the next two weeks? I'll send the draft beforehand. I'd especially like your take on the gaps I've listed and on which projects could help me close them.
"What would you need to see from me to be ready for [target role]?" "Which of these gaps matters most from your side?" "Is there a project in the next six months where I could take on [responsibility]?" "Who else should I be learning from?" "Can we look at this together again in [month]?"
If your manager is not engaged, work on the parts you control, find a mentor elsewhere in the organization, and keep a record of what you complete. A plan that produces results is also evidence when you ask for a raise. If your target lies outside your employer, keep that version private and follow the steps in how to change careers.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
What is a career development plan?
It is a short written plan that states the role or capability you are working toward, the gaps between that target and your current skills and experience, and the actions, deadlines and support that will close those gaps. Most fit on one page and are reviewed with a manager several times a year.
What should a career development plan include?
Your current role and strengths, a target with a date, three to five gaps, an action for each gap, the support you need, evidence that shows each action is complete, and review dates. The federal government’s individual development plans add the signatures of the employee and the supervisor.
How often should I update my career development plan?
Check progress every quarter and rewrite the plan once a year, or sooner if your role, your manager or your target changes. A plan that is written once and filed does little. Short, regular check-ins keep the actions moving.
What is the difference between a career development plan and a performance review?
A performance review looks back at how you did against your goals. A development plan looks forward at what you want to become able to do and how you will get there. The review is a useful input to the plan, since it shows where your manager sees strengths and gaps.
Should I share my career development plan with my manager?
Yes, when the target is inside your current organization. Managers control many of the things a plan depends on, such as projects, training budgets and introductions. If your target is a move to another employer or field, keep that version to yourself and share only the parts that also serve your current role.
Sources
- OPM: Career Development: what an individual development plan is, what it should include and the development activities it can list.
- MIT Human Resources: Goal Setting: setting goals jointly with a manager, including a development goal, and revisiting them.
- O*NET OnLine: detailed occupation descriptions for checking what a target role involves.
Published by Jobbie and last updated on October 6, 2026. This guide is general information for job seekers, not legal, tax or financial advice. Spotted something wrong? Tell us.