Individual Development Plan (IDP)
Why Complete an Individual Development Plan (IDP)?
Taking time to reflect and plan your career path can make your postdoctoral experience more purposeful, productive, and aligned with your long-term goals. An IDP is a forward-looking tool that helps you set career objectives, identify skill gaps, and map out steps for professional growth in collaboration with your mentor. Unlike an annual performance review, which evaluates past work relative to job responsibilities, an IDP focuses on your future development and equips you with career planning skills valued across academic, industry, government, and nonprofit sectors.
Benefits of Completing an IDP
Your IDP can help you:
- Clarify your short- and long-term career goals
- Identify skill gaps and locate resources for professional growth
- Create a structured plan for achieving your goals
- Facilitate regular, focused conversations with your mentor(s) about your progress and development
- Track your accomplishments and assess your growth over time
- Support the creation of mentoring or training plans for external funding proposals
Mentor Engagement and Annual Review
We encourage you to review your IDP with your mentor(s) at least once per year—ideally as part of your annual performance review. These conversations can be an opportunity to receive constructive feedback, align expectations, and set clear priorities for the year ahead.
Getting Started
The Office of Postdoctoral Affairs (OPA) provides a streamlined IDP template designed to support meaningful reflection, planning, and mentor feedback. You’re also welcome to use alternate IDP tools based on your field or preferences, such as: