Performance Development Plan (PDP) | Meaning

What is performance development plan (PDP)?

A performance development plan or PDP is an integral part of the Performance Management System. This tool is employed to enhance the overall performance of employees and the management mechanism of the enterprise. PDP is employed to navigate the gaps, and fields that require improvement, establish goals, gauge the progress toward objectives and goals, and develop a strategy to gain coveted outcomes.

Performance development planning is organized on a quarterly basis which coincides with the performance reviews held quarterly.  This enables employees and managers to backtrack the progress and introduce necessary changes and adjustments. The PDP process allows the identification of organizational goals which are significant to its growth and success.

Performance Development Plan (PDP) process

A manager is the one who leads this process, reviews employee performance, and makes recommendations to support employees in optimizing their personal performance strategies. To render the PDP meetings highly effective, the following steps are followed:

•   Navigate improvement goals before you directly plunge into implementing PDP strategies. The goals must be practical, realistic, and achievable.

•   Enlist practical steps to accomplish the goals, else it would be disturbing for employees to make or monitor their progress. Some steps managers might consider here are re-training, attending seminars and workshops, working under a mentor, etc.

•   Define milestones and metrics to estimate the employees’ progress during the quarter. You can track their progress by looking at their performance results, skill development, task completion, etc.

•   Navigate the needed resources and support when outlining a performance development plan. Some resources your employees may need are travel costs, time off from the usual assignments, supporting roles, extra tools like software, etc.

•   Evaluate and finalize the plan. See whether the goals align with the company’s objectives or not.