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Graduate Programs & Services at the University of Wisconsin–Madison

Individual Development Plan

An Individual Development Plan (IDP) helps graduate students and postdocs:

  • assess current skills, interests, and strengths;
  • make a plan for developing skills to meet academic and professional goals; and
  • communicate with supervisors, advisors, and mentors about evolving goals and related skills.

The IDP is a document to be revisited again and again, to update and refine as goals change or come into focus, and to record progress and accomplishments.

The resources on this page are designed to support graduate student and postdocs mentees. IDP resources for faculty and staff are available in the Graduate School KnowledgeBase.

Basic steps of the IDP

  1. Conduct a self-assessment.
  2. Write your Individual Development Plan goals.
  3. Discuss all or part of the IDP with your mentor.
    • Mentors: Review goals and help mentee revise as needed
  4. Implement the plan.
  5. Revise and update your IDP as needed.
    • Mentors: Regularly review and provide support.

There are many different ways to write an IDP, but the central concept is consistent: the IDP is a process through which you reflect, plan, and discuss in order to achieve academic and professional goals. The onus is on you to develop and maintain your IDP. And since it is your IDP, you choose which parts to share with your mentors.

You’ll want to revisit your IDP at least annually to update and refine it as your goals change or come into focus, and to record your progress and accomplishments.

IDP for Humanities and Social Sciences

ImaginePhD is a free online career exploration and planning tool for graduate students and postdocs in the humanities and social sciences.

IDP for Biological and Physical Sciences

myIDP is a web-based career-planning tool, hosted by the AAAS, tailored to meet the needs of graduate students and postdocs in the sciences.

Download a printable UW–Madison IDP form

This general IDP form is relevant to all disciplines and it integrates with the DiscoverPD framework and online tool.

Why have an Individual Development Plan?

An Individual Development Plan helps with self-assessment, planning, and communication:

  • An IDP can help you communicate your professional development and career planning needs and intentions to others including your mentor, which can lead to helpful advice and resources.
  • You can use the IDP to make sure you and your mentor’s expectations are clearly outlined and in agreement so that there are no big surprises, particularly at the end of your training.
  • The current job market is challenging and research has shown that individuals who perform structured career planning achieve greater career success and satisfaction.

The onus to engage in the IDP process is on you – although your mentor, PI, or others may encourage and support you in doing so. The IDP itself remains private to you, and you choose which parts to share with which mentors. Through the IDP process, you may decide to identify various mentors to whom you can go for expertise and advice.

Is this required?

The university recommends IDPs for all postdocs and graduate students.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) requires PIs’ annual progress reports to include a section on how IDPs are being used to identify and promote the career goals of graduate students and postdocs associated with the award.

The National Science Foundation (NSF) requires funded graduate students and postdocs to have IDPs. PIs will need to certify in annual and final reports that grad students and postdocs “receiving substantial support from such award [have] developed and updated annually an individual development plan to map educational goals, career exploration, and professional development.”

Starting an Individual Development Plan

We recommend using one of the following IDP tools. Each includes a self-assessment of skills, interests, and values; goal-setting guidelines; and reference to skill-building and career exploration resources.

Alternatively, your program may ask you to use a different IDP tool tailored to the learning objectives or core competencies of your field.

  • The UW–Madison IDP outlined below is flexible and appropriate for all disciplines. This IDP process integrates the DiscoverPD professional development framework.
  • ImaginePhD is a career exploration and IDP tool for the humanities and social sciences. It is a free online resource that facilitates career exploration by inviting users to evaluate and reflect on their own skills, values, and interest and to investigate related career opportunities.
  • myIDP is an interactive IDP tool developed by AAAS for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) disciplines.

Start the IDP process by taking some time to reflect on your skills, interests, or values.

Self-assessment tools

DiscoverPD is an innovative online tool developed by the Graduate School Office of Professional Development. If you choose to use it as part of your IDP-writing process, you’ll start by reviewing the eight areas, or “facets,” of professional development, then complete a self-assessment, and get a customized report and recommendations to help you strengthen your ability within each facet.

All UW–Madison community members may use the online DiscoverPD tool. On the homepage, take a moment to read about the eight facets of professional development. Then complete the self-assessment, and view your customized report of areas of strength and weakness. Remember to focus not only on improving weaknesses but also on continuing to grow in areas where you are strong. Within your report, explore the recommended activities and favorite those that seem interesting. These get stored in My Favorites & Development Tracker. Keep these favorited activities close at hand

Other self-assessment options:

  • ImaginePhD for Humanities and Social Sciences
  • myIDP for Biological and Physical Sciences
  • Additional IDP options may be available from your graduate program, department, or professional associations. Explore various IDP tools and use the option that works best for you.

What are your current responsibilities and requirements?

As part of the self-assessment process, ask yourself some questions related to your current responsibilities and requirements. Doing so will lead you to actions or goals to incorporate into your plan. Your aim is to develop skills that will lead to your success in your current position.

  • What are the requirements and responsibilities you must meet during the next year? Two years?
  • Are there particular technical skills or discipline-specific knowledge that you need to develop?
  • Are there scholarly activities you would like to accomplish or work toward during the next year? Two years? (Examples: join a professional organization, present at a conference, co-author a paper…)
  • Other?

What are your career aspirations?

In preparation for creating a truly individualized IDP, ask yourself some questions related to your career goals. Consider using various resources to see how your values and interests align with potential career goals. Some of these resources include: myIDP for STEM fields, Imagine PhD for arts and humanities.

  • What type of work would you like to do? What is important to you in your future career?
  • What competencies are required for your chosen career?
  • How well do your current skills match the competencies required for your chosen career?
  • What are your short-term goals related to career exploration? (Examples: learn about science writing, conduct informational interviews, find out where graduates in my field are working/finding careers…)
  • How will you develop contacts—a network—related to your career exploration goals?
  • Other?

The IDP helps you map out the general path you want to take toward achieving your goals. The goals you include in your IDP are based on the strengths and weakness that you identified in step 1, together with the milestone activities that mark successful progress through your program (e.g., preparing for prelims), plus any other specific skills and knowledge needed to prepare for your career.

Write your IDP

As a starting point, create a table with columns for the following ideas:

  • Objectives or skills to be learned
  • Approaches and strategies
  • Timeframe: Include a timeframe for beginning and completing your approaches and strategies.
  • Outcomes: Make sure to have an outcomes statement that is clear enough to allow someone (including you!) to know if you’ve met your objective.

Fill in rows of your table with goals related to your current responsibilities as well as goals related to your career aspirations.

You can expand and modify your tables to fit your own list of goals and strategies. For example, some mentees have expanded the table into an Excel spreadsheet to track multiple evolving goals over time.

When you create or update your IDP, make sure to include the date.

Create SMART goals

Be sure to identify specific and achievable objectives or skills, and write these in a way that makes very clear what you are going to do. Use a “S.M.A.R.T. Goals” format: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Time-bound.

A specific goal will usually answer the five “W” questions:

    • What: What do I want to accomplish?
    • Why: Specific reasons, purpose or benefits of accomplishing the goal
    • Who: Who is involved?
    • Where: Identify a location
    • Which: Identify requirements and constraints

A measurable goal will usually answer questions such as:

    • How much?
    • How many?
    • How will I know when it is accomplished?

An attainable goal will usually answer the question: how? How can the goal be accomplished?

A relevant goal can answer yes to these questions:

    • Does this seem worthwhile?
    • Is this the right time?
    • Am I the right person?
    • Does this match my/our other efforts/needs?

A time-bound goal will usually answer the questions:

    • When?
    • What can I do 6 months from now?
    • What can I do 6 weeks from now?
    • What can I do today?

And remember, your IDP is a living document that will and should be updated and changed as often as necessary.

Meyer, Paul J (2003). “What would you do if you knew you couldn’t fail? Creating S.M.A.R.T. Goals”. Attitude Is Everything: If You Want to Succeed Above and Beyond. Meyer Resource Group, Incorporated.

Discussing what you discovered from your skills assessment, and talking about your career goals and interests with your mentor might help you identify developmental needs and areas to work on. By helping you compare current skills and strengths with those needed to achieve your career objectives, your mentor can be an important ally.

Some might feel it’s risky to share, for example, their weaknesses or their interest in a career outside academia with their mentor. While it’s not necessary to share all results right away, consider how the feedback from your mentor might support your plan, and provide insights and resource ideas.

It is strongly recommended that you discuss your plan with your primary mentor but also be creative about whom you approach for advice. You can get useful feedback from multiple people with a broad range of experiences and perspectives including friends, family, staff, and faculty other than your primary mentor. See below for other tips on the discussion with your mentor.

Put your plan into action. Stay organized and seek out the support you need to stay on track. Commit to the plan, but also remember that you will need to be flexible and modify your plan as your goals or circumstances change. Keep your IDP in a convenient place and check it often. Add your IDP deadlines to your calendar to integrate them with deadlines for other work and personal events.

Review the IDP with your mentor on a regular basis (on a schedule decided upon together) and revise/ update. At a minimum, you should revisit and discuss your IDP with your mentor annually. And, importantly, celebrate your achievements!

The UW–Madison IDP is adapted from:
Federation of American Societies of Experimental Biology (FASEB) IDP for Postdoctoral Fellows
myIDP
Individual Development Plan for UCSF Faculty
Individual Development Plan for Case Western Reserve University Postdoctoral Trainees
The National Postdoctoral Association Postdoctoral Core Competencies
University of Wisconsin–Madison Graduate School Office of Professional Development, DiscoverPD

More Guidance for Creating Your IDP

While the IDP tools above are designed to be a one-stop resource to completing your IDP, you may also benefit from the following resources.

  • Read tips for discussing your IDP with your mentor, below.
  • Attend a workshop on creating an IDP tailored to graduate students and postdocs.
  • If you are a graduate student without access to career advising from your school or college, you may request an individual career advising session with the Graduate School’s Associate Director of Career Development for advice with goal-setting or creating an IDP.
  • If you are a postdoc, you may request an individual career or skills advising session with the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs including one-on-one advice on implementing and sustaining your IDP.
  • Read about IDPs from AAAS. These articles will refer you to myIDP, but even if you choose to use a different IDP template, the general information about planning, goal-setting, assessments, and making career-related decisions will be informative.

Career Planning for Early Career Scientists

Learn how to create effective and achievable goals using the Individual Development Plan as a framework for career planning with the course Career Planning for Early Career Scientists.

The principles you’ll learn in this course apply to students in any discipline and at any career stage. The course content is based on experiences by scientists and decades of psychology research on career decision making.

By taking this course, you’ll gain:

  • access to tools for career planning,
  • strategies for self-assessment and career exploration
  • knowledge of how to create realistic and achievable goals as part of your career development

Exercises and prompts throughout the course help you to build a personalized career planning roadmap that can be translated into your IDP and refined as you continue your career planning.

Sign up for Career Planning for Early Career Scientists

Why be proactive in career planning?

  • Anticipate and navigate challenges
  • Recognize where you need to expand your network
  • Develop skills
  • Prioritize opportunities and say no
From Career Planning for Early Career Scientists

Who can I consider my mentor for the purpose of discussing the IDP?

Discussing your IDP with your mentor(s) is an important step, as a way to obtain important support, expertise, and advice. Keep in mind that you are not limited to discussing your IDP with just your faculty advisor, PI, or supervisor. The IDP may be an opportunity for you to identify various new mentors. Remember that the IDP remains private to you, and you choose which parts of the IDP to share with whom.

The term mentoring has been used to describe many different types of relationships in the research training context. This includes academic advising, research or laboratory supervision, evaluation, informal support and career coaching. In its most general sense, mentoring is a “dynamic reciprocal relationship” between an advanced career incumbent and a less-experienced professional (protégé) aimed at promoting the development and fulfillment of both.1,2,3 It is designed to support the career and psychosocial development of the mentee.4

1 Healy C.C. & Welchert A.J. (1997). Mentoring Relations: A Definition to Advance Research and Practice. Educational Researcher 19(9), 17-21.
2 Palepu A., Friedman R.H., Barnett R.C., Carr P.L., Ash A.S., Szalacha L., & Moskowitz M.A. (1998). Junior faculty members’ mentoring relationships and their professional development in U.S. medical schools. Academic Medicine: Journal of the Association of American Medical Colleges. 73(3), 318-23. Epub 1998/04/04.
3 Sambunjak D., Straus S.E., & Marusić A. (2006). Mentoring in academic medicine: A systematic review. Journal of the American Medical Association, 296(9), 1103-15.
4 Ehrich L.C., Hansford B., & Tennent L. (2004). Formal Mentoring Programs in Education and Other Professions: A Review of the Literature. Educational Administration Quarterly. 40(4), 518-540.

Tips for mentees

Preparation

  • Give your mentor advance notice that you want to discuss your IDP.  If you just spring it on your mentor, he or she will not be prepared, and feedback and advice will be less constructive.
  • Bear in mind that the IDP is a new activity for many people, and they are learning how to navigate it as well.  You should be prepared to explain the process and direct mentors to the resources that are available to help them prepare.  If your mentor is unfamiliar with IDPs, send them to the UW–Madison IDP website.
  • Approach your mentor at a time when you feel he or she would be most responsive, for example, when the lab is less busy or you have made some progress in your research. Ask other members of your group/department for advice on approaching your mentor.
  • Ask your mentor if you can have a meeting, or a portion of a meeting, to discuss your IDP.  That way you can both focus on it without getting distracted by other projects.
  • Send your mentor your draft IDP in advance of your discussion so that he or she can review it and prepare for the meeting.
  • Remember that it is your plan and you do not have to share all of your goals. You might want to consider introducing some of your goals to your mentor gradually over time.
  • Do not assume you know what your mentor knows. Take advantage of your mentor’s experience and contacts. If you are planning to leave academia, for example, your mentor may be able to connect you to someone he or she knows who works in the area you plan to pursue.

Questions you may want to ask your mentor to start the conversation about IDPs

  • Why were you interested in being my mentor? What did you hope we would both gain from the relationship?
  • How would you describe your relationship with your own graduate/post-doctoral mentor? What did you like/dislike about that mentoring relationship? Did you discuss career planning with your mentor as a graduate student or post-doc?
  • What skills do I still need to learn?  How can I best learn those skills? Discussing this IDP might help us create and prioritize a list.
  • What aspect of my training do you expect me to learn from you and what aspects do you expect me to learn from others or on my own? Reviewing this IDP may help us figure that out together.
  • Are there ways I can help you to better mentor me?  Would reviewing my short and long-term goal help?
  • Do you have a specific list of expectations you want me to meet and a timeline? Could we discuss how those fit into my overall career development plans?

Troubleshooting

Mentor seems reluctant to discuss your IDP

  • Do not assume that your mentor’s reluctance relates to you.  They may not know about the process and you may need to educate your mentor about the value of the IDP.
  • Remind your mentor that the university recommends that all graduate students and postdocs utilize IDPs.  Those graduate students and postdocs supported by NIH and/or NSF funding are required to have an IDP. Point out that your discussion will help meet that NIH/NSF requirement and a section of the annual NIH progress report.
  • Make it clear that the IDP is important to you.

You are nervous that your mentor will not be supportive of a career choice outside of academia

  • Remember that you are not the first person to make that decision.
  • Spend some time ahead of your meeting to think about why you have made that choice and be able to articulate those reasons to your mentor.
  • Find out if other students or postdocs your mentor knows have entered the career you plan to pursue and present them as success stories.

Frequently asked questions

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Does the completed IDP need to be submitted to the mentor, PI, or grants administrator?

No, the IDP remains private to the grad student or postdoc. They may choose to share all or part of the IDP but are not required to do so.

Are grad students and postdocs required to use one of the IDP templates referenced above?

No, the UW–Madison IDP template, Imagine PhD, and myIDP are given as two options. Other formats may be just as effective and grad students, postdocs, mentors, and PIs are encouraged to use whatever format best facilitates the professional development of the grad student or postdoc.

What if a grad student or postdoc doesn't have a mentor?

All graduate students are required to have a faculty advisor; this person may also be their IDP mentor but not in all cases. Most postdocs will have a PI or program director under which they are funded; this person may also be their IDP mentor but not in all cases. The IDP process may be the impetus for graduate students and postdocs to seek additional mentors, offering an advantageous variety of perspectives and guidance.

Do you have a question that's not listed here?

Please contact Alissa Ewer (alissa.ewer@wisc.edu).

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