Individual development plan (IDP)
An individual development plan is the documented set of assignments, experiences, and support designed to close a specific person's readiness gaps for a target role, with owners and deadlines.
An individual development plan (IDP) translates assessment into action: for each scored gap between a person and a target role, it names the assignment or experience that closes the gap, who owns it, and when it completes. It is the engine that makes readiness windows more than a guess.
The strongest IDPs are built from exposure, not inputs: running a budget cycle, holding an escalation rotation, presenting to the board. Courses and coaching support the work; they do not substitute for it.
The quality test for any development action is whether it produces evidence. 'Owns the pricing overhaul, presents results to the board in January' generates exactly the material the next assessment pass needs; 'work on strategic thinking' generates a repeat of itself in next year's review.
IDPs decay the same way plans do, so they need the same maintenance: dates on every action, a named owner per action, and review on the same cadence as the succession plan they serve. An undated development intention has the shelf life of a New Year's resolution, and for the same reason.
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