Create a fair, practical HR development plan from the information below. Treat it as a planning aid, not legal, medical, immigration, compensation, disciplinary, or protected-class advice. Do not infer performance problems, diagnoses, motives, identity, credentials, or policy requirements that are not provided. Inputs: - [EMPLOYEE OR TEAM CONTEXT] - [ROLE EXPECTATIONS AND GOALS] - [CURRENT STRENGTHS AND EVIDENCE] - [DEVELOPMENT GAPS AND CONSTRAINTS] - [COMPANY POLICIES AND RESOURCES] Produce a 900-1,200 word plan with these sections: 1. Purpose and scope: state whether this is individual development, succession readiness, manager capability, or team development; distinguish development from performance correction. 2. Role-based capability map: list 4-6 capabilities tied to the role’s actual responsibilities, with observable behaviors at current and next-level proficiency. 3. Development priorities: select no more than three gaps. For each, state evidence, business impact, a 70-20-10 development approach, a specific practice assignment, support needed, and a measurable outcome. Do not label someone deficient without evidence. 4. Ninety-day plan: give dated milestones, employee actions, manager actions, check-in cadence, workload protection, and evidence to collect. Include alternatives if a stretch assignment is unavailable. 5. Fairness and consistency check: identify how access to opportunities, feedback standards, documentation, accommodations, privacy, and promotion criteria should be handled consistently under [COMPANY POLICIES AND RESOURCES]. 6. Conversation guide: write neutral manager questions and language that invites the employee’s goals without making promises about promotion, pay, or job security. 7. Risks and escalation: identify issues that require HR, legal, employee-relations, accessibility, or other specialist review. Before answering, check that every action maps to a role expectation and that success measures are observable. Flag any recommendation that conflicts with or cannot be confirmed under company policy. Ask up to three clarifying questions only if a required input is missing.
Fill in
| Placeholder | What to enter | Example |
|---|---|---|
| [EMPLOYEE OR TEAM CONTEXT] | Describe the role, tenure, team setting, and whether the plan is for one employee or a group. | Individual development plan for a customer support team lead with 18 months in role, managing six representatives. |
| [ROLE EXPECTATIONS AND GOALS] | List current responsibilities, expected outcomes, and any next-level role requirements. | Own weekly staffing, coach representatives, report service trends, and prepare for a possible support operations manager role. |
| [CURRENT STRENGTHS AND EVIDENCE] | Provide specific observed work examples, feedback themes, and completed results. | Reduced response backlog by 22% in Q2, received strong peer feedback on coaching, and built a useful weekly quality dashboard. |
| [DEVELOPMENT GAPS AND CONSTRAINTS] | List skills to build, workload limits, timeline, and any known barriers without sensitive speculation. | Needs practice influencing product and operations partners; can devote two hours weekly and one cross-functional project over 90 days. |
| [COMPANY POLICIES AND RESOURCES] | Summarize applicable development, performance, promotion, privacy, accommodation, and learning policies. | Quarterly development check-ins, published manager competency framework, learning budget of $800, internal mentorship program, and HR review for promotion decisions. |
How to use
- Insert observed evidence and the relevant policy language rather than broad impressions.
- Paste the prompt into your AI tool and remove any output that assumes a policy or employment-law requirement.
- Have the manager and employee agree on the few priority actions and what evidence will show progress.
- Follow up with: “Convert the 90-day plan into a manager check-in agenda for weeks 2, 6, and 12.”
Variations
Team capability plan
Use this when several people need a shared skill-building plan.
Create a six-month capability-development plan for [TEAM NAME] based on [TEAM RESPONSIBILITIES], [CURRENT EVIDENCE], [BUSINESS PRIORITIES], and [POLICY OR BUDGET LIMITS]. Identify 3-4 capabilities, current observable behaviors, development activities, owners, milestones, and measures. Balance group learning with equitable access to stretch work. Include manager actions and a simple dashboard. Do not diagnose individuals or make promotion promises. Flag policy, labor-relations, privacy, or accommodation questions for HR review. Check that every activity supports a stated business priority.
Career conversation
Use this before a manager’s career-growth discussion with an employee.
Prepare a career-development conversation guide for a manager meeting with [EMPLOYEE ROLE] about [CAREER INTEREST]. Use [OBSERVED STRENGTHS], [ROLE REQUIREMENTS], [AVAILABLE OPPORTUNITIES], and [POLICY BOUNDARIES]. Provide an opening, neutral questions, ways to discuss readiness evidence, 2-3 development options, and a closing that documents agreed actions without promising promotion, pay, transfer, or timing. Avoid assumptions about personal circumstances. Check that each suggestion is connected to a role skill and an available opportunity.
Manager development
Use this to develop a first-time or struggling people manager without turning it into discipline.
Build a 90-day manager development plan for [MANAGER ROLE] using [TEAM CONTEXT], [OBSERVED MANAGEMENT BEHAVIORS], [PRIORITY SKILLS], and [COMPANY STANDARDS]. Include behaviors for delegation, feedback, workload planning, inclusion, and escalation; weekly practice activities; mentor support; check-in questions; and evidence of progress. Separate developmental coaching from formal performance processes. Do not provide legal conclusions or invent employee concerns. Flag situations requiring HR or employee-relations involvement. Check that success measures can be observed by more than one person.
Tips
- Anchor every development priority to a role behavior such as running a staffing review or influencing a cross-functional decision, not a trait such as “be more strategic.”
- Limit a 90-day plan to a few priorities so the employee can practice them repeatedly while still doing the job.
- Use comparable evidence standards for everyone receiving stretch work, mentorship, and promotion consideration.
- Document development agreements factually, but keep sensitive health, family, and accommodation information out of ordinary manager notes unless policy directs otherwise.
FAQ
Can AI write a performance improvement plan?
It can help organize factual inputs, but performance processes can create legal and employee-relations risk. Use current company policy and have the appropriate HR owner review it.
Should a development plan promise a promotion?
No. It can describe readiness criteria and development opportunities, while making clear that promotion depends on an approved process and business need.
What makes a development goal measurable?
Use observable work evidence, such as leading three stakeholder reviews with documented decisions, rather than vague outcomes such as becoming more confident.