Personal Development Plan - Case Study Example

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN Student’s Name Course Professor’s Name University City Date Summary The following paper first focuses on the importance of self-directed learning process in order to give support in creating a professional development plan. Therefore, the paper has been developed bearing in mind the process has additional benefits in the future. In order to make ensure that the program matches the needs, personal analysis has been done so as to identify the gap that exists. The plan has identified three gaps that require additional skills. The openings have served as the goals to be accomplished in the future. The personal development plan has been created based on the weakness that exists in the current skills. Personal and Professional Development Plan Self-Managed Lifelong Learning Self-directed learning is a process through which grownups control their learning. It just refers to the way the adults set their learning objectives and also choose the appropriate resources, make decisions on which learning methods they are going to use and also evaluate their progress (Gibbon 2002). In lifelong learning, the tutor just plays the role of guidance or acts as a facilitator. Self-managed learning has some advantages that make it crucial. It helps in building confidence in and enhance the problem-solving skills. Also, the process allows individuals to be able to adapt to the changes that happen within their environments. Since the method involves managing oneself, it is therefore important to persons as it helps them to realize their potential as leaders. Personal Development Plan Individual Analysis Having an opportunity to be in leadership positions in various teams, attaining a balance between direction and learning will be possible. Heading different teams has sharpened my management skills that might be needed in the future. Multitasking will also be easy as I have been used to it. Therefore, serving as a manager and at the same time trying to improve my skills by acquiring education in other courses will be easy. Another strength is the ability to cope up with the pressure that comes along with being engaged in many tasks. For instance, improvement of skills requires one to attend classes and also performs tasks in the workplace. However, this will be easy for me as I have been used to it before while assuming leadership roles and at the same time learning. Areas That Require Improvement Management involves making decisions which vary from one scenario to the other. Therefore, the strategy that will be used to solve one problem might not be the same. As a result, an improvement is needed in order to be able to come up with strategies for tackling problems under different cases. Also, an improvement is required in planning. Scheduling helps in knowing what is going to be done at a particular time and how the activity is going to be done. However, if an individual is not able to plan well, confusion might be experienced in the future where making decisions might not be made correctly (Gerardi 2011). It has been noted that there is a weakness in planning and therefore it requires improvement in order to allow smooth flow of the activities. Another sector that needs improvement is the project management area. I had an opportunity to lead smaller projects which do not require a lot of expertise. However, high standard of knowledge is needed in managing bigger projects. As a result, I feel that I still require more skill in order to be able to head teams involved in larger tasks. Setting Goals The Purpose Of Widening Leadership Knowledge Broadening knowledge about is the first goal that I plan to achieve. Therefore, a plan of what to do in order to improve in this area is needed. Furthermore, to achieve this goal, I have to ensure that other team members have trust in me. Believing in me means that the team member will give me a chance to lead the team to various situations. Moreover, heading different teams will help me get to experience that is required to make decisions. Support and Resources Needed The support that is necessary for this level refers to that of the senior management. I also required to attend classes, and therefore I need to allocate time in order to balance between learning and working. Having support from the senior employees will give me the courage to go ahead and allocate time for learning about management. Also, training opportunities that might be offered will provide an excellent opportunity to me. Obstacles Not all senior employees will support the idea of acquiring more knowledge. Some of the senior managers have used other means to succeed in their plans, and they might not, therefore, accept what I intend to do. Also, there are those who will view the idea of widening my knowledge in the field of governance as a threat to them since I might outdo them after attaining the required skills. About this, the idea might not receive support, and therefore I might not get time to go and learn since senior workers must approve this. Solutions Solution to the obstacle above is discussing with the senior managers. Talking to the higher level employees will help in solving the above problem. However, I need to convince the managers that every individual has his way of attaining professional development. Therefore, overcoming the obstacle of not receiving support from the senior management requires a discussion with them on how obtaining more skills is important to me. How to Measure Success The first method of measuring success will be that of getting feedback from my fellow colleagues. It will be effortless for my fellow members to note an improvement and therefore it would be advisable if I get an assessment from them. Also, an assessment test done in training may be used as a tool to measure success. The Goal of Planning I require learning more on how to be able to plan activities before actual tasks are done. Since I have noted that an improvement is needed in this area, I have to implement ways of dealing with this problem before I advance to higher levels where it is mostly required. Therefore, I will start practicing scheduling as early as possible so that I do not frustrate my employers after I am unable to plan. Support and Resources Required One of the resources necessary in order to achieve the goal of planning is taking a course that is related to planning and management. Forecasting lies in the governance area, and it would be advisable if the course is taken relating to the same field. I also need to have a mentor who will coach me on how to do it well without any problems. Obstacles Taking courses at the college might be expensive for me. Therefore, this might hinder my dream of learning about planning before I join the job market. In short, money might act as an obstacle for me, and I might not be able to afford to pay for the course that I need to take in order to sharpen my skills. Traveling to school might also require some additional money and as a result, make the too expensive. Also, I might lack a mentor who might offer the services free of charge, thereby making the process to be costly. Solutions The solution to the money problem is undertaking an online course. An online course is cheaper than attending training at a college. The only requirement that is needed in the online classes is being connected to the internet. As a result, the process might be cheaper as I might use the internet at the school computer labs to train on planning. Additionally, learning from the web does not require traveling to the college, thereby making the process less expensive. How To Measure Success I will request my mentor to offer feedback relating to my progress. Depending on the kind of feedback from the instructor, I will be in a position to decide where an improvement is needed. The assessment from the online classes will also act as a measure of success in this area. The Objective of Improving in Project Management I have an intention of broadening the skills in project management. However, I have little skills in managing smaller projects, but my objective is to gain more expertise such that my senior employees can have trust in me in managing higher projects. Managing bigger projects require additional skills (Richman 2006). By doing so, this will prepare my mind in advance so as to avoid the fear that might come along with the delegation of more duties in the future. Support and Resources Required An online course in project management is required. Also, coaching from team members in the workplace will be needed to support my knowledge in heading bigger projects. Time of two weeks is required in order to practice project management. Hindrance Relying on the member of the team in order to receive coaching might not be favorable. The reason is that other individuals might lack enough time. As a result, I might find myself at a crossroads not receiving any training from colleagues, and I might not achieve my goal of attaining more skills to manage bigger projects. How to Solve the Problem Finding a senior manager who is committed to his work is the only solution to this issue. The commitment of the top boss will help me to become motivated. Additionally, having an individual who is experienced in the job will offer me an opportunity of carrying out practical skills in the field of project management. Measuring Success Line managers will offer feedback on my progress about managing the projects. Also, formal together with free appraisal are techniques that will be used in measuring the progress of professional skills improvement. The self-appraisal method is also a way that will be used to measure success. Conclusion The above personal development plan has been built by first focusing on the personal level of skills and what I need to attain in the future. As a result, weaknesses have been analyzed in order to identify where additional skills might be required. Accordingly, three goals have been identified. The first objective that needs more attention in order to benefit me in the future include the leadership goals. The second and the third goal include planning and extensive project management respectively. If the plan is implemented as scheduled, it will be very beneficial in the future as I will be able to assume professional growth. References Gibbons, M. (2002). The self-directed learning handbook: challenging adolescent students to excel. San Francisco, Calif, Jossey-Bass.  Gerardi, B. (2011). No-drama project management: avoiding predictable problems for project success. [Berkeley, Calif.], Apress.  Richman, L. L. (2006). Improving your project management skills. New York, American Management Association. Read More