Personnel Development Planning includes planning future tasks to be performed by employees at the enterprise (career planning), and planning training and job-related actions (training events, periods spent living and working abroad, etc.) to ensure that employees obtain or improve the qualifications they require to perform tasks in the present and in the future (individual personnel development planning).

The enterprise’s need for suitable employees, and the performance and potential of individual employees, constitute the starting point. Employee preferences and dislikes can also be taken into consideration during planning.

Using a personnel development system at an enterprise to determine standardized planning methods, templates for career plans and individual development plans, and a range of development actions ensures that staffing requirements are met by qualified and motivated employees.

The personnel development system determines an enterprise's career planning strategy and the provisions for realizing this strategy. These include:

• Career plan templates (typical sequences of jobs/positions)
• Development plan templates (typical sequences of development actions)
• Provisions for personnel development planning: procedural provisions (frequency, what triggers planning, who is involved, who is responsible for what, and so on), decision-making guidelines and provisions, the information required of personnel development planning (for example, requirements for appraisals of potential)
• An offer of specific development actions can also be defined

To ensure that the personnel development system can be implemented effectively, it is publicized at the enterprise. Offers of specific development actions are also publicized. Implementation actions are performed for potential planners (training events, for example) and

for the employees (information events, for example).

Preparation of career planning consists primarily of obtaining information on the employees and jobs/positions under consideration. This includes information on

• Employees’ profiles (preferences, dislikes, qualifications, potentials, and so on), and their career paths to date
• Jobs and positions to be staffed, resulting requirements, and the current status of staff planning for the relevant positions

If the employee’s profile does not provide the information required, a personnel appraisal must be performed. (This is usually an appraisal of potential.)

An employee’s career path at an enterprise is planned. This is usually done in cooperation with the employee in question. In addition to individual career items (that is, the jobs and positions included in the career plan), it is also possible to determine prerequisites that must be satisfied before items can be achieved, as well as time frames and suitable control mechanisms (personnel appraisals, for example). Alternative career plans are created. The career templates included in the personnel development system can be used to do this. These alternatives are evaluated. Important criteria include the suitability of the employee and the requirements of the enterprise. Finally, a decision is made to adopt one of the alternatives as the career plan. This might necessitate adjusting the staffing plan for the positions affected.

The employee is notified of the career plan adopted for him or her.

Preparation of individual personnel development planning consists primarily of obtaining information on

• Employees’ profiles (qualifications, potential, preferences, dislikes, appraisals received), their career paths to date, and their future tasks
• Development goals and the development volume involved in personnel staff and change planning
• Development actions on offer, and
• The available budget

If employees’ profiles do not provide the information required, a personnel appraisal must be performed. If the information on development actions is insufficient, a request may need to be sent to external or internal service providers.

An employee's individual development plan is created. This is usually done in cooperation with the employee in question. In addition to the development actions (training events, periods spent living and working abroad, etc.), it is also possible to determine prerequisites that must be satisfied before a development action can be performed, as well as time frames and suitable control mechanisms (personnel appraisals, for example). One or more alternative individual development plans are created. The development plan templates included in the personnel development system can be used to do this. These alternatives are evaluated. Important criteria include the employee’s potential and the requirements of the enterprise. Finally, a decision is made to adopt one of the alternatives as the individual development plan.

The employee is notified of the individual development plan adopted for him or her.

The effects of the personnel development system, career planning, and the implementation of career plans are checked at regular intervals or for specific reasons.

On the basis of the analysis, it is decided whether

• The career planning system must be redesigned
• Further implementation actions must be performed
• Career plans must be modified or kept as they are
• Career plans must be terminated and a new plan drawn up, or whether
• The task profile of positions must be adjusted to the skills of the employee

For example, a career plan can be regarded as complete once the employee has successfully held all of his or her intended jobs/positions. If it is possible to foresee that an employee is not suitable for specific jobs/positions, the career plan can be modified or the tasks profile of the jobs/positions in question can be adjusted to the skills of the employee.

The effects of the personnel development system, individual personnel development planning, and the implementation of individual development plans are checked at regular intervals or for specific reasons. On the basis of the analysis, it is decided whether

• The personnel planning system must be redesigned
• Further implementation actions must be performed
• Individual development plans must be modified or kept as they are, or whether
• Individual development plans must be terminated and a new plan drawn up

For example, a development plan can be regarded as complete once the employee has successfully achieved his or her intended development targets, or if it becomes apparent that the employee is not capable of achieving them. A modification might be necessary if the development targets change.