6 Steps For A Perfect Professional Development Plan

 To grow in your professional life, you need to make wise steps. You have to know in which direction you are moving. Apart from that, you should also know your weak points and points so that you can know well what to avoid and what to keep. Now, the question is what will help you know all this. Here, a professional development plan comes to play. Let’s know it in simple terms below.

What is a professional development plan?

A professional development plan or PDP is an important document helping you to set up your career goals and a strategy for achieving them. Preparing this document will work for you as a roadmap that will give you a clear idea of your strengths, the things you need to improve in yourself and the resources you need to arrange.

How to create a perfect professional development plan?

The following are the six steps to creating an unparalleled PDP:

1.   Evaluate yourself:

It is the first and most important part of your PDP. Apart from that, you should also take this point into account whenever you plan to update your PDP.

Here, you will assess your personal and professional interests, any plans, hopes, and dreams you have for your career. After that, you will evaluate yourself; what skills, knowledge and how much experience you have. Doing so will give you a clear idea of your capability.

2.   Set goals:

After the evaluation of yourself, you should set your goals. The best way to do so will be to break your goals into long-term goals, mid-term goals and short-term goals.

·        Short-term goals can vary from some days to some weeks.

·        Mid-term goals may vary from some weeks to some months.

·        Long-term goals can be of months or even years.

These goals must help you reach your main target. Another thing you should do here is to know your pressure tolerance capability. Don’t lay too much burden on yourself. Set goals that you find relevant, measurable and viable.

3.   Make plans and strategies:

To fulfill your target, you need a promising plan. For this, you should ask yourself how to improve competencies, learn new skills or achieve the promotion you have targeted.

Have a prudent and sensible look at your current skills, position and goals. Having done that, write down what you need to achieve them.

Now, the question is how you improve your competencies. For this, if you find attending some conferences, hiring a mentor or doing a particular course important, then put that on paper.

Doing it will help you know the things you need to do.

4.   Arrange things for you:

The following is a list of things that can help you hit the bull’s eye:

·        Webinars, seminars or workshops that can improve your skills

·        Development and learning resources to give your knowledge a boost 

·        Social media platforms like LinkedIn, where you can get in touch with the people related to your professional realm

·        Knowledge people who can help you move in the right direction

·        Institutions that provide you with the course or degree that can lift your career

Having made this list, look for the ones that can help you take you where you want to go. This act will help you stay away from unwanted distractions and know exactly what you need.

5.   Set deadlines:

Create a deadline by which you will have to achieve your target. Doing so will keep active. It depends on the type of goals you have planned.

Remember to give yourself sufficient time, as haste can spoil the whole broth.

For example, if you are an engineer and aiming for a senior engineer position, then give yourself a deadline by which you will attain this position. It means you will be accountable for your goals. Another benefit of doing it is you will not get involved in any unnecessary activity.

6.   Keep tracking your growth or progress:

Keep tracking your progress or assessing your capability weekly or monthly. This way, you will know where you are lacking or where you are growing.

When knowing these two things, you will be able to make changes or edits to your PDP (Professional Development Plan) to improve your competencies to reach your main goal. It means you will keep improving yourself.