Individual Development Plan (IDP)

Supporting an employee who is ready for the next step in their career can be both rewarding and challenging. Whether you identified their potential during a recent project, a performance review, or they approached you about their career goals, an Individual Development Plan (IDP) provides a structured way to support their growth.

The Trakstar Individual Development Plan (IDP) helps employees identify career goals, document development activities, and track progress over time. Managers can use the IDP to provide coaching, guidance, and regular feedback throughout the development process.

Skip to:

• Getting Started
• The First Meeting
• Regular Follow-ups
• Concluding the Plan
• Key Reminders for Managers
• Why Use An IDP?

Getting Started

Managers are responsible for initiating the Individual Development Plan process.

1. From the Trakstar dashboard, open the employee's profile.
2. Create an Ad Hoc (One-Time) Review for the IDP, if your organization has enabled managers to create them.
   • If managers cannot create IDPs, contact your system administrator to launch the plan.
3. Complete the IDP initiation form with your observations and feedback.
4. Depending on your organization's configuration, the employee may also complete the IDP Initiation form with their own responses.
5. When the form is complete, send it to Human Resources for approval.

Note: Your progress is automatically saved as you work. You do not need to select Send for Approval until you are ready to submit the form.

The initiation form encourages employees to reflect on:

• Strengths
• Areas for development
• Career motivations
• Available resources
• Development activities
• Career goals

Encourage employees to focus on one primary development goal. Ideally, employees should complete the form independently and schedule the initial meeting with you, although additional guidance may be helpful for employees who are unfamiliar with the IDP process.

After the form has been submitted:

• Review the employee's responses.
• Schedule the initial IDP meeting.

Prepare for the Initial Meeting

Before meeting with the employee, consider the following questions:

• Do I agree with the employee's identified strengths and development areas?
• Does the proposed career goal align with their current career path?
• Are there roles or opportunities within the organization that support this goal?
• Are our expectations aligned?

The First Meeting

If your organization allows managers to create IDPs, ensure the plan has been created before the meeting. Otherwise, confirm that your system administrator has already created it.

During the meeting:

• Allow the employee to share their thoughts first.
• Ask open-ended questions to understand their responses better.
• Share your observations and feedback.
• Begin building the employee's Individual Development Plan together.

Build the Development Plan

Break the employee's long-term objective into smaller, manageable milestones using the Goals and Notes section.

Use SMART Goals

Create development goals using the SMART framework.

Also consider:

• Setting deadlines for each milestone.
• Scheduling recurring check-in meetings.
• Enabling email reminders for important milestones.

Regular Follow-Ups

Ongoing check-ins help employees stay engaged and accountable while allowing managers to provide coaching and support.

During each follow-up meeting, consider asking questions such as:

• What accomplishments are you most proud of since our last meeting?
• What challenges have you encountered?
• Do any of your goals need to be adjusted?
• How can I support you before our next check-in?

Update the IDP together during each meeting.

Encourage employees to:

• Record progress.
• Document accomplishments.
• Reflect on challenges and blockers.
• Update development activities as priorities evolve.

Concluding the Plan

As the Individual Development Plan reaches completion, review the employee's overall progress together.

Ask the employee to complete the final sections of the Goals & Notes page, including:

• Accomplishments
• Unmet Goals and the reasons they were not completed

Next:

Complete your manager reflections on the Scoring page.

Schedule a final wrap-up meeting if one has not already been planned.

Score the IDP

Each development goal should receive one of the following completion statuses:

• Incomplete
• Partially Complete
• Complete

Key Reminders for Managers

• Use SMART goals to create clear, measurable development plans.
• Schedule regular check-ins and maintain open communication.
• Support employees while encouraging them to take ownership of their development.
• Celebrate progress and accomplishments throughout the process.
• Encourage honest reflection during the final review.

Why Use an Individual Development Plan?

Although an Individual Development Plan is not required, it provides a structured framework for supporting employee growth and career development.

Using an IDP helps managers:

• Guide employee development through ongoing coaching.
• Create clear and measurable career goals.
• Track progress over time.
• Encourage meaningful career conversations.
• Support long-term employee engagement and growth.

Tip: Completed IDPs can also serve as valuable reference material during promotion discussions, performance reviews, succession planning, and lateral career opportunities.