How to create an employee development plan + free templates

Architects must create structural plans before building commences. Without these plans, construction teams would be left guessing, making decisions without a shared vision or end goal.

The same principle applies to your workforce. An employee development plan, or an employee growth plan, helps managers and employees align on career goals, map out development steps, and encourage active collaboration across teams.

Read on to learn how to design and implement employee development plans that support both individual progress and business goals.

More in this guide:

• Benefits of development plans for employees and organizations
• How to create a development plan in 7 steps
• Types of employee development plans with examples
• Frequently asked questions
• Invest in employee development with Zendesk WEM

Benefits of development plans for employees and organizations

Successful employee growth plans significantly impact the employee experience (EX) as well as organizational success. 

Some of the specific benefits include:

• Increased employee engagement: As team members progress through EDPs, they often gain confidence in their abilities, leading to greater autonomy, creativity, and innovation—key drivers of employee engagement.
• Elevated employee service: Development plans help identify and address employees’ needs by ensuring they have access to the right resources and support to perform effectively.
• Improved problem-solving: EDPs provide targeted training, hands-on experience across teams, and mentorship with continuous feedback, all of which help broaden perspectives and build confidence in tackling complex issues.

• Stronger talent and acquisition: Offering development opportunities signals a commitment to growth that attracts motivated candidates. It also increases morale and employee satisfaction, helping retain top performers in the long term.

• Better understanding of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB): Growth plans can include training on topics like inclusive leadership and unconscious bias. Programs that support advancement for underrepresented groups also play a key role.
• Reduced skill and knowledge gaps: Upskilling within growth plans closes knowledge gaps and increases the number of workers with skill competencies.
• Enhanced employee well-being: Development plans that support skill growth and personal goals can reduce stress, foster a healthier work environment, and nurture employee well-being.
• Prioritized company growth: Development plans should align employee and organizational goals, effectively encouraging employees to assist in completing business KPIs.

When thoughtfully aligned with business goals, employee development plans support individual growth and drive broader company performance and long-term success.

How to create a development plan in 7 steps

As a component of employee experience management, EDPs must encourage, support, and evaluate employee growth. To create an employee development plan, follow the seven steps below.

1. Understand your business goals

Before creating a development plan, take time to clarify your company’s short and long-term goals. These objectives are the foundation for employee growth and should guide the skills you prioritize across your team.

Without this direction, it will be nearly impossible to prioritize workforce optimization and determine the next steps for employee growth. 

2. Openly discuss your employee’s career goals

Be open with your employees about their professional goals. Collaborate individually with each employee to develop an employee experience journey map and personalized growth plan based on their wants and needs. 

Ask questions like:

• Where do you see yourself in two to five years?

• What personal or professional goals are most important to you?

• What do you value in your day-to-day work?

If your direct report aims to eventually move teams or leave your company for a different industry, don’t be afraid to invest in their EDP. Creating a space where they can be transparent about their needs can build long-term, loyal relationships.

3. Personalize the plan to fit learning styles and strengths 

Tailor each development plan to fit individual learning preferences, strengths, and goals. Some may prefer hands-on experience or visual materials, while others thrive with reading, independent study, or peer collaboration.

You should also factor in personality traits and work styles. For example, an introverted employee might prefer one-on-one mentorship over group training, while a highly collaborative team member may do better with cross-functional workshops or team projects.

Personalizing the approach this way increases engagement and helps make the development process more productive and sustainable.

4. Prepare the necessary resources and support

Employees may have questions and require resources while working through their development plan. An internal knowledge base is a great place to host resources like:

• Educational podcasts, videos, and webinars

• Videos about career paths in your industry

• Documents on internal growth tracks

• Recordings or transcripts of professional development seminars

• Goal-specific training opportunities

• Online courses or certifications

• Contact information for industry professionals

Also, consider creating mentorship or cross-team training programs and encouraging the use of employee self-service tools to help employees access information and resources independently.

5. Use workforce engagement software

After you’ve discussed professional goals, use employee engagement software to identify knowledge gaps and training opportunities. AI-powered workforce management solutions like Zendesk WFM and Zendesk QA provide effortless and transparent insight into team performance, showing where teams and individuals may fall short. 

This whole-picture visibility can help managers make goal or skill recommendations while creating individual growth plans.

6. Work together to create an actionable plan

Once you’ve aligned on goals and gathered the right support, it’s time to build a structured plan that puts everything in motion. 

Keep these best practices in mind:

• Be realistic: Encourage employees to set attainable SMART goals and work together to develop practical timelines.
• Make employees accountable: Regularly check in on employee progress and host consistent check-ins to discuss feedback and request progress updates.
• Follow HR best practices: Collaborate with the human resources department to provide employees with up-to-date development programs, internal resources, and recent training outcomes.
• Use a development plan template: Outline goals, timelines, and milestones clearly so progress is easy to track.

Lastly, don’t be afraid to update these plans as goals change or skills improve.

7. Track and monitor results

Once you’ve created and implemented an employee development plan, schedule regular meetings with employees to discuss their progress. Assign them specific milestones before each meeting to encourage accountability and employee engagement, and then track the effect of their progress on the organization as a whole. 

Consider how:

• Their goals continue to align with company objectives

• Personal milestones impact team performance

• New or improved skills impact personal performance

If you (or your employees) notice a decline in productivity or performance, set up a meeting to discuss the plan’s pain points. 

Types of employee development plans with examples

Not every employee development plan is identical. While they share similar end goals, different types of employee growth plans are designed to help managers and workers reach certain milestones.

Depending on an employee’s skills, abilities, and goals, these examples can enable teams to create actionable, customized development plans for individual employees.

• 1. Performance-based development plan
• 2. New career path development plan
• 3. New employee development plan

1. Performance-based development plan 

A performance-based development plan helps high-performing employees build on their strengths and continue advancing in their roles. 

These plans prioritize career growth through the:

• Completion of leadership training opportunities

• Redistribution of complex projects

• Assignment of high-level skill training

Individuals seeking this type of employee development plan hope to gain additional responsibilities or promotion opportunities, and their long-term goals usually align with the organization’s goals.

2. New career path development plan 

For employees looking to change careers, a new career path development plan may be necessary. If an agent is looking to transition to a quality assurance (QA) or sales role, or you have an employee looking to make a total career change, this type of development plan provides:

• Coaching opportunities focused on new skills

• Cross-team mentorships

• Training opportunities

Before creating this growth plan, understand your employee’s preferred timeline and future career goals. 

3. New employee development plan 

New employee development plans should focus on building employees’ foundational skills so they can succeed in their roles.

This type of plan often includes activities like:

• Adopting mentorship and coaching relationships

• Participating in industry seminars

• Earning certifications

A new employee development plan may also focus on training employees to use the software and systems in place at an organization.

Frequently asked questions

Customer story

Hoag Health

Hoag Health reduces resolution time by 86% with Zendesk

"The shift to a proactive HR approach marks a transformative step in how we anticipate and meet the evolving needs of our employees."

Michael Krug

Vice President of Human Resources

Read customer story

Invest in employee development with Zendesk WEM

Just as a building’s strength relies on its initial structural blueprint, workers need a clear employee development plan to grow their skill set and achieve their goals. This is especially true in customer service, where skills like empathy, adaptability, and digital literacy directly impact customer satisfaction.

Zendesk WEM streamlines that support. With AI-powered tools that surface performance insights, highlight skill gaps, and deliver real-time coaching opportunities, you can give your team the feedback and resources they need to thrive.