Individual Development Plans are designed to:

• A. Support skill growth and career development
• B. Increase salary automatically
• C. Punish underperformers
• D. Replace performance reviews

Answer: (A)

Individual Development Plans are designed to support skill growth and career development. An IDP is a collaborative plan that identifies the skills you want to build, the gaps you need to close, and the concrete steps, resources, and timelines to reach those goals—such as training, mentoring, stretch assignments, or on-the-job learning. The purpose is to develop capabilities for better performance now and to prepare for future roles, not to automatically increase salary or to punish someone. Salary changes aren’t guaranteed and depend on multiple factors, while performance reviews assess past results. IDPs and performance reviews work together by turning feedback into development actions and tracking progress over time.