Personal Development Plans

3. Setting Objectives

To help the employee determine PDP objectives use a standard PDP questionnaire. You can create different questionnaires for different roles in the business, but these questions are relevant to everyone regardless of position. This shows you are adopting a consistent approach and the questions can help uncover key issues.

3.1 Useful questions might include:

• What do you want to get out of work?
• What are your strengths and which parts of your work would you like to improve?
• Where would you like more responsibility?
• What is preventing you from developing as you would like?
• Which interests or abilities would you like to develop?
• Which new skills, or improved skills, would enhance your work performance?
• How do you like to learn?
• What skills or experience would allow you to feel more confident at work?

3.2 See where the employee's PDP objectives can be matched to the requirements of your business.

• Provide a copy of the company's objectives or business plan with the questionnaire. This makes it easier to agree what is and is not in line with your plans.
• When updating your business plan, identify what new demands will be placed on employees.
• It can take skilled negotiation to harmonise the employee's objectives with those of the company.

3.3 Agree the development objectives.

• You may need to compromise with the employee. For example, agreeing one objective which suits the company and one which suits the employee.
• Unless the employee genuinely accepts the objectives, and believes they are worth striving for, the PDP will not lead to change.
• With short-term objectives in particular, make each objective SMART (specific, measurable, agreed, realistic, time-limited).
• Resources are limited, so prioritise the objectives with the employee.
• Limit the number of main objectives to three or four. You can add subsequent objectives as progress is made.
• Agree the action points necessary to achieve each objective.