What are development plans and how can they be prepared?
If you know what your competences are, you can consider which direction to pursue to best utilise them. If you know which areas you still need to improve, you can achieve this goal faster. In both cases, it’s worth using the "Development Plan" module in My Portfolio.
The primary purpose of a development plan is to determine – step by step – what needs to be done to implement the goal or goals we have set.
In the My Portfolio tool, thanks to the outlined goals and activities, the user can independently or with the support of a counsellor prepare a plan for their further educational or professional development. On the basis of the identified competences, My Portfolio enables users to clarify their goal and prepare an appropriate development plan.
Based on a review of acquired competences, you can set goals and determine the actions needed to achieve them. You may need to develop existing competences or acquire new ones (for example, to find the job of your dreams). You can outline all these elements on your own or with the help of a counsellor. However, it’s important to set specific time frames for individual actions. It helps to break down one main, long-term goal into more detailed, smaller actions/intermediate steps that must be taken in order to achieve the main goal. These are illustrated by the detailed activities described, arranging them on a timeline (schedule of individual activities). When preparing a development plan, it’s important to consider the time frame within which each action is to be achieved. This time frame may change. However, it’s important to set it at the beginning as something to strive for – this helps make the goal more realistic.
A development plan addresses our strengths (e.g., a career choice) and areas where we need to expand our knowledge (e.g., training, industry-specific knowledge). Preparing a plan helps direct a person’s thinking about how they can utilise their competences, as well as what they need to do, in which order, and by when. At the same time, preparing a development plan can give us a sense of agency and a goal (or goals) to achieve within a designated time frame.
Questions we should ask ourselves when preparing a development plan:
a. What is my goal?
b. What actions do I need to take to achieve this goal?
c. When can I achieve this?
d. What else am I missing? What do I need to add?
To view examples of development plans, select any sample portfolio (Maria, Zbigniew, or Katarzyna) and click on “Development Plan” (at the top of the page).
In the work of a counsellor, it will be useful to prepare development plans using the Skills Audit Method (SAM).