The Individual Development Plan (IDP) has been created to help team members align their career aspirations with their Service Area and Axelerant objectives as per our Principles and Values. In short, we are creating a common ground of what does an individual wants to accomplish and what does Axelerant wants to get out of it.

Please review your group's strategy page and speak with your Service Area Leads to learn more about specifics like OKRs. Our goal is that when individuals grow, teams grow, and Axelerant grows, benefitting every member of Axelerant.

The IDP provides us with a chance to accomplish a specific responsibility or role with a defined period, typically through technical and behavioral competency development.

Kinds of Individual Development Plans

Every employee relationship is bidirectional in nature, it should be clear how the employee benefits and how the employer benefits. Reid Hoffman, The Alliance

Role-focussed

A role-focussed IDP tends to be focussed on a team member's L0/Intern to L4/Architect role progression. A team member role-focused IDP, for example, would be growing from L2 to L3 in the next three years or from an early L2 to mid L2 within twelve months.

Transformational

A Transformational IDP allows people to make a real commitment to accomplish something substantive and enables meaningful internal mobility. A Transformational IDP is personalized with the central promise that the employee will have the opportunity to transform their career and the company. As a Transformational represents a more intense forward-looking commitment than a role-focussed, the default expectation is that both parties want to invest in the long term. The transformational IDP is an option specifically for L4 roles and up.

Team members ask themselves - How might we develop ourselves to foster Axelerant's growth transformation, and how might this benefit our careers? A transformational IDP requires far more thought work and planning. It takes time to create and put into effect.

How do we go about creating our IDP?

Step 1 - Build Alignment

While creating your IDP, seek and highlight the connection between Axelerant purpose and values and the team member's career purpose and values. This enables both Axelerant and employees to thrive on progress. There needs to be sufficient alignment to make the IDP meaningful and impactful for both Axelerant and team members.

An introduction to alignment:

You can do this on your own or with your coach

• Set aside an hour for this activity

• Think about your life’s journey (your accomplishments/ struggles/ failures/ wins/ plateaus/your values)

• Picture (Tell a story) of a working day in your life - a year/ 3 years/ or five years from now. What do you see yourself doing?

• What does the story tell you about where you need to grow?

Step 2 - Create your IDP

This form will help you create your IDP. Your IDP will be available on Confluence to encourage one another as we grow and transform. Once you are clear on your IDP, you can convert it into OKRs on 7geese.

What is the Overall Objective of the IDP?

The employee should define a clear, good enough objective such as a role promotion, program management, or corporate initiative ownership. This objective must provide the team members opportunities to grow and further their careers.

Further, the IDP duration should be long enough to successfully achieve an objective, whether it’s months or years. Some employees may have many short IDPs or a few long ones depending upon their objectives.

What do the Results of a Successful IDP Look Like for Employees?

A successful IDP should positively impact the team member and Axelerant. An alternative point of view might be to ask how will Axelerant transform the team member.

The IDP offers the team members to come out ahead by gaining marketable experience via projects, learning new skills, and earning the endorsement and recommendation of others.

Step 3 - Frame the IDP Conversation

These are the keys to having a successful IDP: frequent, consistent, and transparent conversations.

• IDP Conversation Structure

  • Objectives to be accomplished

  • Timeline for the IDP

  • Support available

  • Progress checks via recurring conversations

• Choose Leading Key Performance Indicator for Success

  • TBD

• Ensure Consistency

  • Hold a recurring 1-1 conversation about the IDP.

  • Use action to demonstrate a commitment to the IDP - planned and ad-hoc follow-ups.

Step 4 - Recurring Check-Ins

Regular check-ins at consistent intervals, like quarterly or by a milestone, must be held. This way, there are explicit conversations to evaluate progress towards the IDP’s desired results jointly. Axelerant’s Performance Review is a bidirectional conversation where the company talks about the team member’s contribution, and the employee shares whether Axelerant is helping them achieve their career goals.

Performance Coaches

It’s expected that team members will converse with their assigned coach at least once a month. A coach also provides employees with someone that’s always rooting for them to succeed and providing the means to do so.

Documentation & Process

All of these conversations shall be scheduled and logged in 7Geese using the relevant mechanisms and templates.

Step 5 - As One IDP Concludes, Begin Defining the Next

At least a quarter before the current IDP is scheduled for completion, the employee and their coach should begin discussing the possibility of a follow-on IDP

Step 6 - Follow-up Individual Development Plans

Follow-up of an IDP can be longer or shorter, depending on their new or revised objective. 

Mentors, Training, and More

Team members are expected to be proactive in asking for, researching, and suggesting means to complete their IDP. Support systems like Peer Mentors, training programs, and other skills development opportunities are available to people and paid for by Axelerant.

Resources

• Tours of Duty: The New Employer-Employee Compact

• The Alliance: Managing Talent in the Networked Age