1. Developing SMART Professional Development Plans
[Audience- Leadership Meeting Rolling Out the Use of team member Development Plans]
Today, we are going to talk about one of the many ways an organization can increase team member engagement and improve retention. Team Member Development plans or Individual Development Plan (EDP/IDP) are one way organizations can invest in the development of its people.

2. Agenda Purpose of Team Member Development Plans
How to Create a Development Plan
Considerations for a Development Plan
SMART Goals and Development Plans
Today we are going to talk about:
The purpose of team member Development Plans
How to Create a Development Plan
Considerations for a Development Plan
SMART Goals and Development Plans

3. What are Team Member Development Plans?
Plans for and individual’s self-development over a period of time (usually one year)
The plan is reviewed and discussed to match the individual goals with organization goals
Team Member development plans don’t replace annual reviews or frequent feedback – the tools work in partnership
A team member development plan or individual development plan (EDP/IDP) is a document completed by an individual that plans for the individual’s self-development over a period of time, usually one year.
The plan is reviewed and discussed to match the individual goals with organization and department goals.
team member development plans do not take the place of annual reviews or frequent feedback. The tools work in partnership with one another – the team member development plan creates the vision of a career path.
Development plans will be unique and can focus on current position, attaining a promotion or new position, or may emphasize more general leadership and professional skills.

4. Team Member Development Plans
You can see that a team member development plan clearly defines one’s personal mission statement, short and long term goals, and development activities while providing opportunity to track and review progress made to goals.

5. Reasons for a Team Member Development Plan
Increase skills and knowledge
Create support for career goals
Allows individuals to leverage strengths, address weaknesses and improves performance
Organization goals
Provide a connection between organization, department and individual goals
Help funnel the potential, energy and enthusiasm of individual team members
Demonstrates value of quality improvement
Structure helps management budget and plan
There are many reasons organizations use team member development plans. Generally the philosophy for use is that “Organizations grow when the people inside grow.” And team member development plans groom team members for a long-term commitment with the organization. The relationship to staff engagement and retention is by having a development plan (even if the development plan eventually will require the team member to get experience outside of the organization), a team member engaged in the plan will be more dedicated to the organization and want to see success because they know that the organization wants to see them succeed too.
Here are a few reasons for using team member development plans:
Increases skills and knowledge base (skill gap)
Creates support for team members’ career goals
Allows individual team members to leverage strengths, address weaknesses
Improves performance
Organization goals
Provides the connection to between organization and department goals and the individual
Helps funnel the potential, energy and enthusiasm of individual team members to organization-wide initiatives
Demonstrates commitment towards quality improvement
Structure helps management budget and plan

6. How to Create a Development Plan
Self Assessment Review:
Individual strengths?
Development needs?
What interests me?
How do I want to grow (within current role or into another)?
What role will align with my values?
What is my personal style?
Because development plans will be unique and can focus on a current position, or they may emphasize more general leadership and professional skills, the process for developing the plans will also be unique per individual. Here are a few things to reflect on when creating a plan –
Step 1: Complete a Self Assessment.
What do you I think are my Individual strengths – what do others say are my strengths
Development Needs
What interests me
How do I want to grow (within current role or into another)
What role will align with my values
What is my personal style
Review tools available to you – online surveys, prior reviews, performance feedback

7. How to Create a Development Plan
Assess your current position and work environment:
What are the performance expectations of the current position?
What knowledge skills and abilities will enhance the ability to perform your job?
What impact does your position have when organization changes occur?
How much does your position interact with residents, family members, vendors, team members and other leaders – what interactions do you like or not like?
Step 2 requires that you:
Assess your current position and work environment
What are the performance expectations of the current position?
What knowledge skills and abilities will enhance the ability to perform your current job?
What impact does your position have when organization changes occur?
How much does your position interact with residents, family members, vendors, team members and other leaders – what interactions do you like or not like?

8. How to Create a Development Plan
Write a Draft team member Development Plan that answers the following questions:
What goals do you want to achieve in your career?
Short term
Long term
Which of these development goals are mutually beneficial to you and your organization?
After you have completed Step 1 and 2, it is recommended that you write a draft team member development plan that answers the following questions:
What goals do you want to achieve in your career?
Which of these development goals are mutually beneficial to you and your organization?
Some team members find it valuable to draft a career mission statement that answers these questions.

9. Development Plan Considerations
Identify development activities
Methods:
Formal training (on the job v. off the job)
Education
Development activities
Resources required:
Flexibility of schedule
Costs v. return on investment
Available funding
Scholarships
Tuition reimbursement
These things may be beneficial for you to consider when determining the best way to achieve your development goals. First, what are the available methods; and secondly what resources will be required?

10. Cost Effective Training & Development
Mentorship
Committees
Conferences and forums
Job shadowing
Field trips
Job expanding
Job rotations
Peer assisted learning
Coaching
Critical incident reporting/response
Networking
Performance appraisal
Professional associations
Reading groups (learning circles)
Self study
Learning fairs
There are many cost effective alternatives to formal education. Depending on the development goals of the broader organization team members, we may find value in facilitating organization wide activities. For an example, hosting a learning fair or workshop, encouraging staff to teach one another, or facilitating a self study group.
Others include – include –
Mentorship
Committees – resident, family, team member, dining-survey preparation or follow up, quality committees
Conferences and forums
Job shadowing
Field trips
Job expanding
Job rotations
Peer assisted learning
Coaching
Critical incident reporting/response
Networking
Performance appraisal
Professional associations – LeadingAge Minnesota
Reading groups (learning circles)
Self study

11. SMART Goals and Development Plans
Specific: State exactly what you want to accomplish (Who, What, Where, Why)
Measurable: How will you demonstrate and evaluate the extent to which the goal has been made
Attainable: Stretch and challenging goals within the ability to achieve the outcome
Relevant: How does the goal tie into your key responsibilities? Organization objectives?
Time-based: Set 1 or more target dates? The “by when” to guide your goal to timely completion
(include deadlines and dates and frequency)
Now, that a draft team member development plan has been created, the next steps is to review the plan to see if it is SMART!
A SMART team member development plan is specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and time based. This means –
Specific: State exactly what you want to accomplish (Who, What, Where, Why).
Measurable: How will you demonstrate and evaluate the extent to which the goal has been made?
Attainable: Stretch and challenging goals within the ability to achieve the outcome.
Relevant: How does the goal tie into your key responsibilities? How is the goal aligned to organization objectives?
Time-based: Set 1 or more target dates. The “by when” to guide your goal to successful and timely completion (include deadlines and dates and frequency).

12. To complete the SMART review, the team member and manager would go through the draft development plan and ask each of the following questions. Once the answers to the plan are “Yes,” the development plan can be placed into action.

13. Putting Your Plan in Action
Review the plan periodically with your supervisor for their guidance
Solicit feedback
Network and find others with similar goals
Evaluate your progress and make adjustments as necessary
Celebrate and recognize success
Review the plan monthly or quarterly with your supervisor for his or her guidance
Solicit feedback
Network and find others with similar goals
Evaluate your progress and make adjustments as necessary
Celebrate and recognize success

14. How We Use Development Plans
INSERT COMMUNITY SPECIFIC INFORMATION
Expectations (who has one)
When are they updated
Where are they stored
How often are they reviewed and updated
…etc.
Organization Specific Information

15. Conclusion Recognize that development is a journey, not a sprint
Goals may change
Development activities may overlap
Activities may need to change depending on availability of resources
Communication is key!
Team member development plans are merely one of many tools an organization has to facilitate engagement and retention. We have to recognize that team member development is a journey, not a sprint. Team members learn and develop at their own rates. Individual goals may change, development activities may overlap and activities may need to change depending on availability of resources.
The most critical element of a team member development plan is ultimately the communication between the team member and manager. When team members feel that they are able to speak about their career aspirations and know that their manager/organization will listen, the end result is staff engagement and retention. The Development Plan is one of the ways that a communication channel can be created.
DISCUSSION:
What else can you, as a manager, do to ensure that a team member has the tools and resources necessary to do their job?
What else can we do, as a management team, to ensure team members have the tools and resources necessary to achieve their goals?

16. Questions or Comments?

17. Powered By