Individual Development Plan for Junior Faculty
Individual Development Plans (IDPs) provide a planning process that identifies both professional development needs and career objectives. Furthermore, IDPs serve as a communication tool between mentee and their mentors. An IDP can be considered one component of a broader mentoring program that needs to be instituted by all types of research institutions
Goals of the IDP:
Help the mentee identify:
- Long-term career options and the necessary tools to meet these; and
- Short-term needs for improving current performance.
Benefits of the IDP:
The IDP provides mentees with a process that assists in developing long-term goals. Identifying short-term goals will give mentees a clearer sense of expectations and help identify milestones along the way to achieving specific objectives. The IDP also serves as a tool for communication between the mentees and mentors.
Outline of IDP Process:
The development, implementation and revision of the IDP require a series of steps to be conducted by the mentee and mentor. These steps are an interactive effort, so both the mentee and the mentor must participate fully in the process.
BASIC STEPS
| …for Mentee | …for Mentors | |
| Step 1 | Conduct a self-assessment; look at your skills, interests and identify areas where you want to improve, gain more knowledge or strengthen skills. | Become familiar with available opportunities. |
| Step 2 | Discuss goals and opportunities with mentor. | Discuss opportunities with mentee. |
| Step 3 | Write an IDP, share with mentor and revise, if needed | Review IDP and offer input. |
| Step 4 | Implement the IDP. Revise the IDP as needed. | Establish regular review of progress and help revise the IDP as needed |