Career and Individual Development Plan
The Individual Development Plan (IDP) is a way to explore and define training goals, professional development needs, and career objectives. It can guide you to reflect on where you are and where you would like to be, and define specific actions for goal achievement. An IDP can act as a tool to improve mentoring relationships between the individual and faculty advisors or mentors. Faculty as mentees can benefit from using an IDP. A selection of templates, tips, and strategies for developing IDPs is available on this page.
IDP Templates
SMPH Faculty Individual Development Plan (DOCX)
This SMPH Faculty Individual Development Plan (FIDP) template is designed to meet the needs of UW–Madison faculty. Use this FIDP to gain benefit in the mentoring process and a clearer sense of expectations and milestones for success.
ICTR Individual Development Plan Examples
Explore ICTR’s ‘IDP Examples’ and other useful information for UW faculty, graduate students, post-docs, etc.
Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine IDP (PDF)
This IDP template and built-in skills assessment is suitable for faculty, graduate students, or post-docs.
Stanford ‘Your Individual Development Plan’—IDP
This IDP template is best suited for postdoctoral trainees. Use the initial evaluation and annual progress form in conjunction to reflect on goals, make plans, and to address challenges along the way. Follow these steps to develop an IDP.
Step 1. Complete Your Initial Evaluation (PDF)
Step 2. Reassess Progress Annually (PDF)
University of Cincinnati Faculty Career Development Plan (CDP) (PDF)
This IDP/CDP template is ideal for early-career faculty.
Career Development Planning
Career Development Planning Cycle (PDF)
Review the 4 ongoing steps in the career development planning cycle.
Development Impact and You— Practical Tools To Trigger & Support Social Innovation (PDF)
This is a toolkit on how to invent, adopt or adapt ideas that can deliver better results. It draws on a study of the most useful tools currently being used by practitioners. To get started, consider using the personal SWOT analysis template to analyze your strengths and weaknesses in different academic areas such as Clinical, Teaching, Research, and Service.
All the tool descriptions include a key reference, so it is easy to trace back their origins and dive deeper into other publications about their application.
New Direction in Goals Setting Theory
Current Directions in Psychological Science. 2006 Oct. 15(5): 265–268.
[Please note that access to the full version may require NetID login. Please reference the article abstract link for other access options.]
Describes recent advances in goal-setting theory and, when known, how they effect outcomes. Future subjects of goal-setting research are identified.
SWOT Analysis is a useful technique that can help you to manage your strengths and weaknesses. Use this resource to find out how to perform your personal SWOT analysis.
Professor of the 21st Century Teaching Self-Assessment Checklists
Utilize these faculty Teaching Self-Assessment Tools when constructing your IDP. There are different self-assessments for each stage in your teaching career (0-2, 2-7, or 7+ years teaching).
Also review: Professor of the 21st Century Summary Document (PDF).
Use this faculty self-evaluation template to help assess your performance in teaching, research, and service.
S.M.A.R.T is a methodology useful for developing meaningful goals. The acronym S.M.A.R.T stands for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Time Framed. This template provides examples of SMART goals for the clinical, research, teaching, and service academic areas.
Utilizing a Swot Analysis for Your Career Planning
Learn how to apply a SWOT to your career planning.