How to Write a Personal Development Plan (Template and Examples)
How to write a personal development plan that works: a quick skills audit, SMART goals, actions and review dates, plus a copyable template and filled-in examples for a career changer, a new manager and a graduate.
By Tony Musso on
A personal development plan, often called a PDP, is a short written plan of what you want to get better at, why, and how you will do it. Many UK employers use PDPs in appraisals, the NHS and education use them for professional development, and universities often ask students to keep one.
A PDP is also one of the most useful tools for anyone thinking about their career, whether you want a promotion, a pay rise or a complete change. This guide shows you how to write one you will actually use, with a personal development plan template you can copy and three worked personal development plan examples: a career changer, a new manager and a graduate.
What a personal development plan includes
Most PDPs have the same building blocks:
| Section | What goes in it |
|---|---|
| Where you are now | Your current strengths, skills gaps and situation |
| Where you want to be | Your goals, in the short and longer term |
| Actions | The specific steps you will take for each goal |
| Support and resources | People, courses, time and money you need |
| Timescales | When each action will be done |
| Measures of success | How you will know you have achieved each goal |
| Review | Regular check-in dates to update the plan |
Step 1: Do a quick skills audit
A skills audit is the starting point. It tells you what you already do well and where the gaps are. Keep it simple:
- List the skills your current or target role needs. Use the job description, a job advert for the role you want, or a career guide.
- Rate yourself on each from 1 to 5, where 1 is "no experience" and 5 is "could teach others".
- Add evidence. A rating only counts if you can point to an example.
- Mark the gaps that matter most for your goal.
An example skills audit for someone aiming to become a team leader:
| Skill | Rating (1-5) | Evidence | Priority |
|---|---|---|---|
| Customer service | 5 | Two years on the front line, top feedback scores | Low |
| Planning rotas | 2 | Helped with one rota while the supervisor was off | High |
| Giving feedback | 2 | Little experience | High |
| Excel | 3 | Use spreadsheets weekly, no formulas | Medium |
| Handling complaints | 4 | Regularly handle escalated calls | Low |
Ask your manager or a colleague to rate you too. Other people often see strengths you overlook. Our full guide to doing a skills audit has a longer template and shows how to turn the results into priorities.
Step 2: Set SMART goals
Turn your priority gaps into goals that are SMART:
- Specific: clear about what you will achieve
- Measurable: you can tell when it is done
- Achievable: realistic with your time and resources
- Relevant: linked to your career goal
- Time-bound: has a deadline
"Get better at Excel" is not SMART. "Learn VLOOKUP, pivot tables and basic charts, and use them to build our monthly sales report by the end of March" is.
Aim for two to four goals at a time. More than that and the plan becomes a wish list.
Step 3: Plan your actions and support
For each goal, list the steps you will take. Good development usually mixes:
- Learning on the job: shadowing, stretch tasks, covering for a colleague
- Learning from others: mentoring, coaching, asking for feedback
- Formal learning: courses, qualifications, workshops, online learning
Note what support you need, such as time off for study, a budget for a course or your manager's help finding a stretch project. Being clear about this makes it easier to ask for.
Step 4: Review regularly
Put review dates in your calendar, every one to three months. At each review, ask:
- What have I done since last time?
- What worked, and what didn't?
- Do my goals still make sense?
- What are my next steps?
Update the plan and set new goals when you complete old ones. A PDP is a living document, not something you write once for an appraisal and forget.
Personal development plan template
Copy the template below into a document or spreadsheet. Fill in the top section first, then add one row per goal. Keep it to one or two pages.
About me
| Field | Your answer |
|---|---|
| Name | |
| Date written | |
| Next review date | |
| Current role or situation | |
| Career goal in 1-3 years | |
| Three strengths, with evidence | |
| Two to four priority gaps (from your skills audit) |
My goals
| SMART goal | Actions | Support needed | Deadline | How I will measure success | Progress at review |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goal 1 | |||||
| Goal 2 | |||||
| Goal 3 |
Review log
| Review date | What I have done | What worked or didn't | Changes to the plan |
|---|---|---|---|
If you use a spreadsheet, put each goal on its own row and add a column for the date each action was completed. That gives you a record of evidence to use in appraisals, interviews and promotion cases.
Personal development plan examples
The three examples below show the template filled in for three common situations. They are illustrations to adapt, so swap in your own goals, dates and support.
Example 1: Career changer moving into bookkeeping
Sam works in retail management and wants a desk-based career with clearer progression. A skills audit shows strong organisation and cash handling, but no formal bookkeeping knowledge or software experience.
Career goal (1-3 years): Work as a bookkeeper, with the option to train further as an accountant later.
| SMART goal | Actions | Support needed | Deadline | How I will measure success |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Complete an introductory bookkeeping qualification | Enrol on an online bookkeeping course; study three evenings a week | Course fees; time agreed with family | September | Certificate passed |
| Get real practice on accounts software | Use a free trial of Xero or QuickBooks; offer to keep the books for a local club | Club treasurer to check my work | November | Three months of club accounts done accurately |
| Start applying for junior roles | Rewrite my CV around transferable skills; set job alerts | Feedback on CV from a friend in finance | December | Five tailored applications sent |
Why it works: each goal builds on the last, and the club accounts give Sam evidence to talk about at interview. The bookkeeper career guide sets out the routes in.
Example 2: New manager in their first six months
Priya has just been promoted from senior adviser to manager of a team of eight. She knows the work well but has never led one-to-ones, managed performance or planned a team budget.
Career goal (1-3 years): Become a confident manager who can run a larger team or a second function.
| SMART goal | Actions | Support needed | Deadline | How I will measure success |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hold regular, useful one-to-ones | Book monthly one-to-ones with all eight team members; use a simple agenda; ask each person what support they want | Template from HR; my manager to sit in on one | End of month 2 | All one-to-ones held; team feedback says they are useful |
| Handle a performance conversation well | Complete the company's management training module; role-play a difficult conversation with my manager | Training place; one hour with my manager | End of month 3 | Able to explain the policy; first conversation handled with HR's sign-off |
| Understand the team budget | Shadow the finance business partner during the monthly budget review | Finance partner's time | End of month 6 | Present the team's quarterly spend to my manager without help |
Why it works: the goals focus on the parts of management that are new to Priya, and each one has a clear point when she will know it is done.
Example 3: Graduate in a first job
Jordan joined a graduate scheme six months ago. The work is going well, but Jordan finds it hard to speak up in meetings and wants to choose a specialism before the scheme ends.
Career goal (1-3 years): Move into a permanent analyst role in the area that fits best.
| SMART goal | Actions | Support needed | Deadline | How I will measure success |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Present the team's monthly results to the wider department | Present to my own team first; join an internal presentation skills session; ask a senior colleague to review my slides | Manager's agreement for the department slot | October | Department presentation delivered; feedback rated clear |
| Decide on a specialism | Have coffee with someone from each of three teams; shadow each for a day | Scheme coordinator to arrange shadowing | End of the rotation | A preferred team chosen, with reasons written down |
| Build a technical skill the target team values | Complete an online data analysis course; use it on one live piece of work | Course budget; a small project from my manager | Before scheme ends | Course completed; project used in a real report |
Why it works: it combines a confidence goal with a practical career decision, and builds evidence for the permanent role.
Making your PDP work
- Link it to your appraisal. Share it with your manager, and many employers will support or fund the goals. Our self-appraisal examples show how to write about your progress before the meeting.
- Keep it short. One or two pages is plenty.
- Make the first action easy. Something you can do this week builds momentum.
- Record evidence as you go. It is useful for your CV, interviews and promotion cases.
Start with a clearer picture of yourself Career Strengths shows your natural strengths and how to describe them, which is the best foundation for a skills audit and a development plan.
If your plan points towards a new career, Pathway Planner sets out the steps to get into the career you want, and you can compare all our career assessments to pick the one that fits where you are. You can also browse funding options like the Advanced Learner Loan and skills bootcamps, and when you are ready to apply, update your CV with the CV builder.
Frequently asked questions
What is a personal development plan?
A short written plan of the skills you want to develop, why they matter to your goals, the actions you will take, the support you need and when you will review progress. It is often used in appraisals, education and professional development.
What should be in a personal development plan template?
Your name, date and next review date, your career goal, your strengths and priority gaps, then a table with a row for each SMART goal showing the actions, support needed, deadline, how you will measure success and progress. A review log at the end keeps it up to date.
Can you give an example of a personal development plan?
A new manager might set three goals for their first six months: hold monthly one-to-ones with everyone in the team, complete management training and handle a performance conversation well, and learn the team budget by shadowing finance. Each goal has actions, support, a deadline and a measure of success.
How often should I review my PDP?
Every one to three months, or whenever your goals or situation change. Update it as you complete goals and set new ones.
Is a personal development plan the same as a career plan?
They overlap. A career plan focuses on the roles you want and the route to them, while a PDP focuses on the skills and learning you need to get there. Most people combine the two.
Related reading
If you are weighing up options, our guide to choosing a career test explains what a good one tells you and what it cannot.