Network Computing is part of the Informa Tech Division of Informa PLC

This site is operated by a business or businesses owned by Informa PLC and all copyright resides with them. Informa PLC's registered office is 5 Howick Place, London SW1P 1WG. Registered in England and Wales. Number 8860726.

Professional Development Strategies: Page 4 of 9

A good road map comprises a measurable or definable sequence of events. In the "training-only" mentality, such events are limited to occurrences like conferences and training classes. These should be balanced by other important events, such as ongoing professional reading and classes on nontechnical business skills like project management, teaching others and preparing documentation.





Professional Services Engineer Development Path



Click to Enlarge

How is this different from a conventional work plan? A typical work plan has specific goals that vary among individuals, whereas a development road map lists nonspecific, ongoing events that help round out the individual. Also, with a conventional work plan, most of the goals that are set are mandatory. A good development road map provides some choices.

But defining road maps for roles rather than employees doesn't mean you shouldn't track activity types through the career of the employee. Tracking activities such as lab time, professional writing and teaching is appropriate for most IT employees. Looking to other disciplines such as medicine and law enforcement, employers keep track of formal training hours, which is a good idea for IT as well. As you can see in our sample development plan, some IT professionals may also want to keep track of lab hours as a metric of professional development.

A road map doesn't do anyone any good if nobody's navigating. If you're a manager, it's up to you to consistently and regularly follow up on your staff's progress. If you're a staffer, you must follow the map, identify roadblocks you're experiencing and speak up if you think the road map needs revising.