An employee development plan is a short, written agreement between an employee and their manager about what the employee will get better at, how, and by when. A career conversation is the discussion that gives the plan its direction. This guide gives UK and Irish HR teams a simple development plan template, a structure for career conversations managers can actually run, and the cadence that keeps both alive between reviews.
Why development plans matter
Acas describes performance reviews as a chance to discuss what someone is doing well, where they can improve, whether they need more support or training, and their career and development objectives. It also notes that reviews can check whether an employee is following an agreed development plan. In other words, development is part of performance management, not a separate HR programme.
The CIPD Good Work Index 2025 shows why it matters. Only 39% of UK workers feel they have good prospects for career advancement, while 34% say they do not; 56% feel they have opportunities to develop in their role. Those with good career prospects are more likely to say they achieve their job objectives (92% vs 84%) and less likely to say they will quit in the next 12 months (15% vs 27%). The same report finds 64% of employees say their manager supports their learning and development, up from 57% in 2023.
The development plan template
Keep the plan to one page. If it takes longer than 30 minutes to fill in, managers will stop updating it. The fields below are playbook guidance.
| Field | What goes in it |
|---|---|
| Role, level and date | Current role and level against your talent bar by seniority |
| Direction | One sentence from the career conversation: grow in role, move towards the next level, or explore a different path |
| Strengths to build on | Two strengths, each with a recent example |
| Development goals (one to three) | Each linked to a competency or skill in your competency matrix; for complex skills, write learning goals (what the employee will learn to do) rather than fixed targets |
| Actions | For each goal: a stretch task in the day job, someone to learn from, and any formal learning |
| Support needed | Time, budget, access to projects or people, and who provides each |
| Evidence of progress | What the manager will see when the goal is met |
| Check-in dates | Dates for the next one-to-one review and the next career conversation |
The CIPD performance management factsheet notes that for complex tasks it is usually better to focus on learning outcomes than rigid targets, and that employees must be committed to their objectives for them to work. That is why the plan is agreed in conversation, not handed down.
Worked example
An illustrative mid-level customer success manager wants to move towards a team lead role. In the career conversation, she and her manager agree the direction is “towards the next level within 12 to 18 months”, with no promise of a promotion date. Her plan has two goals: coaching newer colleagues (a stretch task leading onboarding for two new starters, paired with a team lead as a mentor) and commercial judgement (running renewal planning for three accounts, with a short internal course). Evidence of progress is written as observable behaviour: new starters reaching their first milestones, and renewal plans signed off without rework. They review progress monthly in one-to-ones and hold the next career conversation in six months.
How to run a career conversation
Hold the career conversation separately from the rating conversation. When development is discussed in the same meeting as a grade, the grade usually wins. A 45-minute structure works for most teams:
- Look back (10 minutes). What work energised them this year, and what drained them? Which achievements are they proudest of?
- Now (10 minutes). Where are they against the bar for their level? Share the manager’s view with evidence, then ask for theirs.
- Next (15 minutes). Which direction appeals: deeper in role, the next level, or a different path? What would they need to learn to get there?
- Agree (10 minutes). One to three development goals, the support each needs, and the next check-in date. Write up the plan within a week.
Managers often avoid career conversations because they fear making promises they cannot keep. Train them to be clear about what is in their control, such as stretch work, feedback and sponsorship, and what is not, such as promotion dates and headcount. The manager training guide includes a module on this, and development conversations and motivation covers the research behind it.
Career conversation questions
- What part of your work would you like to do more of next year?
- Which skill, if you improved it, would make the biggest difference to your work?
- Whose role, inside or outside the company, looks interesting to you, and why?
- What would make you consider leaving? What would make you stay?
- What support from me would help most in the next three months?
- How will we both know you are making progress?
Cadence and ownership
Suggested cadence (playbook guidance): agree the plan after the first career conversation, check progress monthly in one-to-ones, update the plan at each performance review, and hold a full career conversation twice a year. The employee owns the plan; the manager owns the support and the check-ins; HR owns the template, the training and a light-touch check that every employee has a current plan.
Connect development goals to the rest of your cycle: use the performance review template to record progress, and the goal-setting guide to keep performance and development goals distinct. Promotion decisions should use the same bar; see why promotion decisions feel political. If you want to see how development plans, one-to-ones and reviews connect in one place in Revolut People, book a 15-minute discovery call.
UK and Ireland notes
- Time to train (Great Britain). Under GOV.UK guidance on training and study at work, employees with at least 26 weeks’ service in organisations with at least 250 people can ask for time off to train if it will help them do their job better. Employees can make one request a year, and the employer has 28 days to accept the request or arrange a meeting, and can refuse only for listed business reasons. Time off is usually unpaid unless the employer agrees otherwise. Make sure managers know this before they discuss formal learning.
- Records. Acas recommends keeping a written record of review discussions and sharing it with the employee; treat the development plan the same way.
- Ireland. The GOV.UK right to request time to train does not apply to Irish employers. Check your own policies and the guidance published by the Workplace Relations Commission.
Common mistakes
- A course list instead of a plan. Most development happens in the work; formal learning is only one action.
- Too many goals. One to three goals get done; seven do not.
- Career talk inside the rating meeting. Separate them.
- Promises on promotion dates. Agree direction and evidence, not dates.
- Write once, never update. Review it monthly in one-to-ones.
FAQ
What should an employee development plan include?
A direction from the career conversation, one to three development goals linked to your competency framework, actions for each (stretch work, learning from others and any formal learning), the support needed, evidence of progress and check-in dates.
How often should managers have career conversations?
As playbook guidance, twice a year, separate from the rating conversation, with progress on the development plan checked monthly in one-to-ones.
Should development goals be SMART?
Not always. The CIPD notes that for complex tasks it is usually better to focus on learning outcomes than rigid targets. Keep the evidence of progress specific even when the goal is a learning goal.
Do UK employees have a right to time off for training?
In Great Britain, employees with 26 weeks’ service at organisations with 250 or more people can request time to train under GOV.UK rules. The employer must consider the request within 28 days, and time off is usually unpaid unless agreed.
Planning to roll out development plans across your company? Book a 15-minute discovery call to talk it through.
Sources: Acas, Performance management: reviews and appraisals; CIPD, Good Work Index 2025 (PDF); CIPD, Performance management factsheet; GOV.UK, Training and study at work: your rights. The template, cadence and example are playbook guidance; the example is illustrative.
- Free tool: Performance management health check
- Free tool: Goal-setting simulation
- Method: Performance management framework
- Template: Performance review template with worked examples
More guides
- Goal-setting guide: set, cascade and review goals
- Manager training for performance management
- Goal cascade worked example for product squads
- OKR and performance review alignment for engineering teams
- Performance review checklist for HR managers
- How long should a performance review cycle take?
- Employee development plans and career conversations
- All guides