Setting development and career goals

Annual plans should contain some immediate development goals, and the proposed means to achieve or progress towards them during the cycle. Annual plans can also contain a statement of the staff member's career goals, and the proposed activities to be undertaken during the cycle to move the staff member closer to the aspirations.

Immediate development goals

These are skills, knowledge and capabilities that the staff member needs to do the current job well, and to improve and grow within the current job.

Staff members and supervisors should begin by thinking about the broad areas of skill, knowledge and capability required to perform all of the requirements of the current position, and particularly to achieve all of the work goals in the current plan. These can include: objective knowledge (eg of legislation, of processes, of rules, of computer programs); skills (eg evaluating applications or claims against criteria, supervising staff, managing projects, writing submissions); experience (eg in running a program or course, in managing an ongoing process or a special project, in handling requests or complaints); and capabilities (eg in leadership, in overall technical requirements, in creativity, etc).

A realistic assessment of the staff member's current skills, knowledge and capabilities should be made by both parties - this will be based on evidence from past performance (and past assessments, if the staff member has participated in previous performance reviews), and on the views of the staff member and supervisor about what the staff member needs to gain or improve on, in order to perform against the current plan.

The 'gap' between the required skills, knowledge and capability and the current skills, knowledge and capability will indicate immediate development needs.

Career goals

Many staff members will also have longer term goals or aspirations related to their careers within Monash University, which can be pursued via their annual plans. Such career goals will normally include progression or movement, or broadened experience, within Monash University.