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What this IDP template covers
This is the same individual development plan template we hand to every Huneety consulting client on day 1. It is not a blank form. It is pre-structured around a single competency, a current-to-target level delta, a measurable year-end outcome, and the 70/20/10 action split that stops a plan from collapsing into a pile of courses.
If you are new to individual development plans, the pillar covers the full methodology. This page is the artefact: preview the empty template, see a filled example, learn how to fill each column, and see how the same structure runs inside the Huneety platform when Excel gets in the way.
Preview: the empty template
The template has eight columns. Four describe the gap (competency, current level, target level, year-end achievement). Three describe the plan (activity type, action plan, timeline). One describes the measurement (KPI). The three activity rows are pre-labeled on-the-job, through others, formal, so you never forget the 90 percent that is not training.
Download the file below. Open it in Excel, Google Sheets, or Numbers. Copy the structure into your HRIS if you prefer. There is no sign-up, no email capture, and no license restriction.
Empty template
8 columns, 3 pre-structured 70/20/10 action rows. Fill in four fields below and the Excel file downloads straight away.
| Selected competency | Current level | Target level | Key achievement by year end | Activity type (70/20/10) | Action plan | Timeline | Measurement / KPI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| . | . | . | . | On-the-job assignment (70%) | . | . | . |
| . | . | . | . | Learning through others (20%) | . | . | . |
| . | . | . | . | Formal learning (10%) | . | . | . |
Preview: a filled example
Here is a real IDP built for an HR lead whose target competency is Talent and Career Management. The current level sits at 2 (advanced beginner) and the target is 4 (fully responsible, able to manage complexity). The year-end achievement is concrete: improve the retention rate of high-potentials by 10 percent.
Notice the shape of the action plan. The 70 percent is a single multi-quarter assignment (train managers, run workshops, review quality). The 20 percent is a structured feedback loop with line managers each quarter. The 10 percent is one aligned course, not five unrelated ones. The KPI is formulaic and testable. The quarterly tracker turns the plan into a review cadence, not a one-off document.
For a worked template walkthrough across more roles (engineering, sales, first-time manager), the companion blog takes the same template through four different personas.
Filled example
A real HR manager IDP built with the template — one competency, three reinforcing actions, one measurable KPI, three quarterly checkpoints.
Competency
Talent & Career Management
Ability to enable people development by providing tailored skilling plans and personalised career paths.
Key achievement
Improve retention rate by 10%
Action plan (70/20/10)
- On-the-job assignment(70%)
Train all managers (with high-potentials in their teams) on how to build IDPs by end of Q2. Run IDP workshops with 5-7 managers maximum. Review IDP quality after each session, and check progress in the HRIS before the mid-year review.
- Learning through others(20%)
Get feedback from line managers after each IDP is produced. Collect their input on IDP quality and effectiveness every quarter, and use it to improve the next cycle.
- Formal learning(10%)
Complete the Huneety IDP training by the end of the month. Produce a full IDP following the 70/20/10 structure as a working artefact.
Measurement
Q2 2025
On trackFeedback on competency plan, action plan adjusted
Q3 2025
On trackFeedback on competency plan, action plan adjusted
Q4 2025
On trackFeedback on competency plan, action plan adjusted
Outgrowing Excel? The same template, automated
Gap-driven IDPs generated from your 360 or competency assessment. Manager approval, quarterly status, role-aligned targets. No more version chasing.
Field by field: how to fill each column
Filled badly, an IDP becomes a compliance form. Filled well, it becomes a quarterly operating plan for the employee. The difference is in how each column is written.
- 1Selected competency One, maybe two. Not six. Development requires sustained attention over a quarter, not a rotating menu. Pull this from the latest assessment or role profile, not from a wish list.
- 2Current and target level Use a 0 to 5 scale (we use Dreyfus). The target is the next adjacent level, not three levels up. A gap bigger than 1.5 rarely closes in one cycle.
- 3Key achievement by year end A specific, observable outcome the business cares about. Improve retention 10 percent, cut onboarding time 30 percent, own the Q4 launch. If it is not measurable, it is a vibe.
- 4Activity type (70/20/10) Pre-filled. The only rule: all three rows get content. Skipping the 20 percent coaching row is the most common failure mode.
- 5Action plan For the 70 percent, a real stretch assignment with a date. For the 20 percent, a coaching or feedback cadence with a named partner. For the 10 percent, one book or one course that maps to the vocabulary the stretch assignment needs.
- 6Timeline Quarterly by default. Every action has a due date or an 'ongoing' cadence. If everything is 'ongoing', nothing is tracked.
- 7Measurement / KPI One number. Write the formula so a new manager can compute it without asking you. Vague KPIs (improved collaboration) become unfalsifiable at review time.
- 8Quarterly tracker Three columns. On track, at risk, or off track. Plus a one-line note. This is what the manager actually uses in 1:1s, not the action plan text from Q1.
The background on the 70/20/10 learning mix explains why the three channels have to coexist. Courses alone leak 70 to 85 percent within 30 days. Adding coaching roughly doubles retention. Adding on-the-job application stabilizes it.
From Excel to Huneety
Excel works until it does not. Once you are running IDPs for more than 20 people across 3 managers, the file starts to break: versions diverge, KPIs never roll up, the quarterly tracker gets lost in an inbox, and nobody is sure which plan is the current one.
Huneety keeps the exact same template structure (competency, gap, 70/20/10, KPI, quarterly status) and removes the file management. Gaps come from the assessment, so the competency and current level are pre-filled. Targets come from the role profile. The platform drafts a first 70/20/10 action plan from the gap, the manager edits and approves, and progress rolls up to a dashboard HR actually reads. See how IDPs are generated from assessment gaps.
Individual Development Plan
Sarah Chen
Lead the Q3 cross-team initiative
Own the next quarterly business review
Bi-weekly 1:1 with VP Strategy
Strategic Leadership 101
The same 70/20/10 structure, auto-generated from a Huneety assessment. Managers review, employees tick off completions, and progress rolls up to HR dashboards.
QUICK ANSWERS
Quick answers
- Can I use this template without Huneety?
- Yes. The download is free, unbranded where it matters, and unrestricted. Copy it into your HRIS, keep it in Excel, or rebuild it in Notion. We wrote it to be useful on its own, because a good first cycle in Excel beats a slow procurement cycle for software.
- What changes between the Excel and the Huneety platform version?
- Three things. Gaps are pre-filled from the assessment, so the first two columns stop requiring manual entry. The 70/20/10 action plan has a first draft generated from the gap and role profile, which the manager edits. And the quarterly tracker rolls up to HR dashboards, so the status of 50 IDPs is one screen instead of 50 files.
- Do I have to use 70/20/10 for every IDP?
- No, but the template pre-structures it so you do not forget the 90 percent that is not training. A plan that is 100 percent courses is the single most common failure mode in L&D. The template makes skipping the coaching row a visible choice instead of a silent one.
Continue learning
70/20/10 Framework
The history, the research, and a practical guide to balancing the three categories in real plans.
Read the guide
Gap Analysis for IDPs
How to translate assessment results into the two or three priority gaps that anchor every plan.
Read the guide
IDPs for Managers
Writing development plans for people who manage people. Scorecards, execution dimensions, and the link to succession planning.
Read the guide