As anyone in a management position knows, your role is primarily to ensure that those who report to you work as efficiently as possible. That is easier said than done, as it can be hard to identify what problems your employees actually struggle with. You don't want to micromanage them and make them feel self-conscious but you do want to know exactly how you can help them move forward. Luckily there is a structured tool you can use to sort this out post-haste: a performance development plan.
What is a performance development plan?
A performance development plan is used to blend the overall goals of the company with the individual goals of the singular employee. It is how you fit each individual cog into the company machine going forward. On a basic level, this means that you examine the reports and records of each employee, find out their trajectory and document any areas they might be struggling with. Then you meet with them and hear their side of the story in a non-accusatory way. Then you work together to set goals based on what you have found in your research and what they tell you in person.
How do I know what to look for and what to put in a performance development plan?
There are many capable formulas, as well as experts who devise them, to help you get the most out of a performance development plan. Most companies subcontract out the design of these performance development plans for two reasons:
- They themselves are not experts in the field and would be liable to get the design wrong.
- They want an objective, unbiased look at the situation, and to avoid inherent biases that corrupt the process.
How long does a performance development plan last?
Generally, after a performance development plan is established, you reconvene every few months at a quarterly review. This is to establish whether the plan has been effective at what it was set up to do and whether it can be tweaked a little as your company goes forward. If you have hired a professional to help with this process then they will likely be involved on an ongoing basis to help everyone move in the right direction. Once you feel like the performance development plan has helped mould your employees into the exact team members you want them to be, you can move on to new goals.
