Growth Plans¶

Growth plans bridge the gap between abstract career aspirations and concrete, measurable progress. Without them, development conversations become vague check-ins that never produce change. With them, individuals and managers share a clear picture of what growth looks like and how to achieve it.

The best growth plans are collaborative, evidence-based, and connected to real work. They are not HR paperwork or performance review theater—they are living documents that shape what someone works on and how they develop.

The problem growth plans solve¶

Career development often fails in predictable ways:

• Aspirations without action. "I want to become a tech lead" is a goal, not a plan. Without breaking it down into skills and opportunities, it stays a wish.
• Invisible progress. Without documented evidence, growth feels uncertain. Was that project a stepping stone, or just another task?
• Misaligned expectations. The engineer thinks they're ready for promotion; the manager disagrees. Without shared criteria, this creates surprise and frustration.
• Opportunity hoarding. Stretch assignments go to the same people because there's no system for distributing them equitably.
• One-size-fits-all development. Different people need different things. A growth plan personalizes development rather than defaulting to generic advice.

Growth plans create alignment between individual aspirations, manager expectations, and organizational needs. They make progress visible and ensure that development happens through intentional action, not hope.

When to use growth plans¶

Use growth plans when:

• An individual contributor wants to grow toward a new level or role (senior IC, tech lead, manager).
• Someone is preparing for a promotion case and needs to build evidence.
• A new hire is ramping up and needs clarity on expectations.
• Someone is struggling with performance and needs a structured improvement path.
• You want to distribute stretch opportunities more equitably.

Growth plans are most effective when they're living documents—reviewed regularly, updated based on progress, and connected to actual work.

When growth plans aren't enough¶

Growth plans assume the person wants to grow and the organization can support it. They don't solve:

• Fundamental role mismatches. If someone is in the wrong job, a growth plan won't fix that.
• Performance issues requiring formal intervention. Use performance management processes for accountability; growth plans are for development.
• Organizational constraints. If there's no path for advancement, a growth plan can only do so much. Be honest about ceilings.
• Motivation problems. If someone doesn't want to grow or change, a plan won't create desire.

Roles and responsibilities¶

The individual owns the plan; the manager supports it. This distinction matters. If the manager drives the plan, it becomes another task. When the individual owns it, growth becomes intrinsic.

The anatomy of a growth plan¶

A good growth plan has five components:

1. Target state¶

Where are you headed? This could be:

• A new level (e.g., Senior Engineer → Staff Engineer)
• A new role (e.g., IC → Tech Lead)
• A new skill set (e.g., backend engineer → full-stack)

Be specific. "I want to grow" isn't a target. "I want to be ready for Staff Engineer promotion within 12 months" is.

2. Gap analysis¶

What's the difference between current state and target state? This requires honest assessment of:

• Skills: Technical and non-technical capabilities.
• Experience: Projects, scope, and exposure.
• Behaviors: How they work, communicate, and influence.
• Impact: The scale and visibility of their contributions.

Use your career ladder or leveling rubric as the reference. If you don't have one, create a lightweight version for this person.

3. Development actions¶

How will you close the gaps? Actions fall into categories:

• Stretch assignments: Projects that require new skills or greater scope.
• Learning: Courses, reading, pairing, mentorship.
• Exposure: Presenting to leadership, joining cross-functional work, shadowing.
• Feedback loops: Regular check-ins on specific skills.

Each action should be time-bound and connected to a specific gap.

4. Evidence criteria¶

How will you know growth is happening? Evidence should be:

• Observable: Something others can see, not just self-assessment.
• Documented: Artifacts like design docs, code, feedback, or outcomes.
• Connected to the gap: Directly addresses the skill or behavior in question.

Examples: "Led a design review with minimal manager input," "Received positive feedback from partner team on cross-functional communication," "Delivered project X on time with measurable impact Y."

5. Review cadence¶

When will you check progress? Typically:

• Weekly or biweekly: Light touch in one-on-ones.
• Monthly: Deeper review of evidence and progress.
• Quarterly: Formal checkpoint—update the plan based on what's learned.

Process: creating and running a growth plan¶

Step 1: Aspiration conversation (60 minutes)¶

Schedule dedicated time—not a one-on-one—for an in-depth conversation about growth. Cover:

• Where do they want to be in 1–2 years?
• What does success in that role look like to them?
• What excites them? What drains them?
• What's getting in the way today?

Listen more than you talk. The goal is to understand their aspirations deeply, not to impose your view.

Step 2: Gap analysis (manager prep + 30-minute discussion)¶

Before the discussion, review their work against the target level's expectations. Identify:

• Strengths to leverage.
• Gaps to close.
• Blind spots they may not see.

In the discussion, share your assessment and calibrate together. Agree on 2–3 priority gaps to focus on.

Step 3: Action planning (30 minutes)¶

For each priority gap, identify:

• What actions will close this gap?
• What opportunities exist in current or upcoming work?
• What support do they need from you?
• How will progress be evidenced?

Document this in a shared growth plan doc.

Step 4: Integration with work¶

Connect growth actions to real work. This is where plans often fail—development becomes "extra" rather than embedded.

Look for:

• Projects that stretch the person in the right direction.
• Responsibilities that can shift to create growth opportunities.
• Visibility opportunities (presenting, leading meetings, representing the team).

Step 5: Ongoing review¶

In one-on-ones, check progress on growth actions regularly. Monthly, do a slightly deeper review:

• What evidence has been gathered?
• What's working? What's not?
• Do we need to adjust the plan?

Quarterly, update the plan formally. Some gaps will close; new ones will emerge.

Templates and artifacts¶

Growth plan template¶

# Growth Plan: [Name]

**Target state:** [Role/level they're working toward]
**Timeline:** [e.g., "Ready for Staff promotion consideration by Q4 2026"]
**Last updated:** [Date]

## Gap Analysis

| Area            | Current state                       | Target state          | Priority |
| --------------- | ----------------------------------- | --------------------- | -------- |
| Technical depth | Strong in backend; limited frontend | Full-stack capability | Medium   |
| Leadership      | Leads projects; doesn't mentor      | Actively grows others | High     |
| Scope           | Team-level impact                   | Cross-team influence  | High     |

## Development Actions

### [Gap 1: e.g., Cross-team influence]

**Actions:**

- Lead the API standardization initiative (Q2)
- Present proposal to platform team; get buy-in
- Document approach for future reference

**Evidence criteria:**

- Initiative adopted by at least one other team
- Positive feedback from stakeholders
- ADR published and referenced

**Support needed:**

- Manager to make introduction to platform lead
- Time allocated (20% of sprint)

### [Gap 2: e.g., Mentorship]

**Actions:**

- Onboard and mentor new hire (Q2-Q3)
- Lead weekly pairing sessions
- Provide written feedback after 30/60/90 days

**Evidence criteria:**

- New hire productive by end of Q2
- Feedback from new hire on mentorship quality
- Manager observation of coaching conversations

## Review Schedule

- Weekly: Light touch in one-on-ones
- Monthly: Progress review (30 min)
- Quarterly: Plan update and recalibration

## Progress Log

| Date       | Update                    | Evidence added |
| ---------- | ------------------------- | -------------- |
| 2026-01-15 | Kicked off API initiative | —              |
| 2026-02-01 | First proposal shared     | Link to doc    |

One-on-one prompt for growth plan review¶

## Growth Plan Check-in

- What progress have you made on your growth actions this week?
- Any evidence to add to the log?
- What's blocking you?
- Any support you need from me?

Quarterly growth review agenda¶

# Quarterly Growth Review: [Name]

**Date:** [Date]
**Attendees:** [Name], [Manager]

## Review

1. **Progress on each gap** (10 min per gap)
   - What actions were completed?
   - What evidence was gathered?
   - What didn't work?

2. **Feedback calibration** (10 min)
   - Manager shares observations
   - Discuss any gaps in perception

3. **Plan update** (15 min)
   - Which gaps are closed or reduced?
   - What new priorities emerge?
   - Update actions for next quarter

4. **Timeline check** (5 min)
   - Still on track for target state?
   - Any adjustments needed?

Connecting growth plans to performance¶

Growth plans and performance management are related but distinct:

• Growth plans focus on development—closing gaps to reach a future state.
• Performance management focuses on expectations in the current role.

A growth plan shows someone is developing toward the next level. Meeting current-level expectations is a prerequisite for advancement, not the growth plan itself.

When preparing a promotion case, the growth plan provides the evidence narrative: "Here's what growth was needed, here's what actions were taken, here's the evidence that gaps have closed."

Signals that growth plans are working¶

Failure modes and mitigations¶

Equity considerations¶

Growth plans can improve equity—or reinforce existing bias. Watch for:

• Who gets stretch assignments? Track distribution. Don't let opportunity flow only to the most visible or vocal.
• Whose plans get attention? Ensure all direct reports have active plans, not just squeaky wheels.
• Are expectations consistent? The same evidence should satisfy the same criteria, regardless of who presents it.
• Sponsorship vs. mentorship. Mentorship is advice. Sponsorship is advocacy. Ensure underrepresented individuals have sponsors, not just mentors.

See Diversity in Leadership for more on equitable development practices.

Related pages¶

• One-on-Ones — Where growth plan reviews happen
• Feedback Frameworks — The input that shapes growth plans
• Performance Management — Formal review process informed by growth
• Succession Planning — Developing the next generation of leaders
• Diversity in Leadership — Ensuring equitable growth
• Templates: Growth Plan — Ready-to-use template