Development planning is a structured process undertaken by management as part of the annual business planning process and the budget cycle. The overriding goal is to establish training goals and plans for departments, divisions, and individuals that are aligned with the mission and goals of the organization.
Development planning supports the immediate and anticipated future needs of the organization as well as future goals of employees. A development plan establishes the foundation for achieving specific work goals within a work or business unit, division, or department. In this respect, development planning embraces various talent management activities including:
- Employee performance evaluations
- Succession planning
- Leadership development
Link Goals to Performance Appraisals
Individual development planning leads to the formulation of goals - usually 3 to 8 - with a number of supporting actions required to achieve the goals. The establishment of individual employee goals creates a framework for employee performance evaluations and related workforce alignment initiatives. Providing formal performance reviews are a crucial a part of the ongoing two-way dialog between a manager and their employees.
Performance reviews enable the manager and employee to look back to discuss the accomplishments while looking forward and agreeing upon future goals and a career development plan. The objectives of the performance review are to ensure a common understanding between the manager and employee about the responsibilities of the job, an understanding of the performance expectations for the positions and to provide an assessment of the employee's performance. Formal performance reviews should occur once a year although regular and frequent informal performance feedback is invaluable.
Automating the Process
Web-based systems can automate every aspect of the employee evaluation and appraisal process within an organization including getting the right documents to right people at the right time. Effective web-based systems can be up and running in a matter of days and acclimatize to an organization quickly with a simple, intuitive user interface. Desirable characteristics of a web-based system also include the ability to support:
- Various types of employee evaluations - focal, anniversary, interim, and probationary
- Multiple appraisal and evaluation processes at the same time
- Complex scoring and weighting
Halogen Software offers several options for implementing a comprehensive employee performance management system that directly supports development planning activities. For more information, just contact us.
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