A practical guide to building balanced development plans
Greenbeam highlights the skills best suited for learning opportunities, but how do you turn those insights into an effective development plan?
Real growth does not come from training courses alone. It comes from a blend of on-the-job experience, learning from others, and formal education.
This guide shows managers how to turn Greenbeam's capability insights into practical development plans that support real work and measurable progress.
Greenbeam's development plan workspace helps managers and employees document goals, agree on actions, and keep development connected to capability gaps identified through the assessment and alignment process.
The 70:20:10 Approach
A balanced development plan should include three types of learning:
Learning type | Recommended balance | What it means |
Learning through work | 70% | Stretch tasks, new responsibilities, project rotations, or real work where the employee can apply the skill directly. |
Learning through others | 20% | Mentoring, coaching, peer-to-peer knowledge sharing, shadowing, feedback conversations, and collaboration. |
Learning through structured programs | 10% | Training,
workshops, courses, certification, or formal learning that reinforces what
the employee is applying in practice. |
Learning Through Work (70%)
Encourage employees to take on stretch tasks, new responsibilities, or project rotations. Growth is most powerful when employees apply skills directly in their day-to-day roles.
Conversation prompt - Where would you like more stretch in your current role?
Examples:
- Lead a small workstream or project task.
- Take responsibility for a new process or customer outcome.
- Apply the target skill in a current piece of work and review the result with a manager.
Learning Through Others (20%)
Support mentoring, coaching, and peer-to-peer knowledge sharing. Build learning moments into team discussions, feedback conversations, and shadowing opportunities.
Conversation prompt - Who could you learn from or collaborate with to build this skill?
Examples:
- Pair the employee with a mentor or more experienced colleague.
- Set up shadowing with someone who already demonstrates the capability well.
- Use regular feedback conversations to reinforce progress.
Learning Through Structured Programs (10%)
Add formal training, workshops, courses, or certification where specific knowledge or credentials are needed. Use these to reinforce what employees are already learning through practice.
Conversation prompt - Which formal training will provide the foundation you need?
Examples:
- Complete a short course linked to the target skill.
- Attend a workshop that supports the development goal.
- Use certification only where it is relevant to the role or capability requirement.
Manager Tip: Start with work experience as the foundation, add collaboration to build momentum, and use structured programs for reinforcement.
Turning plans into action
After the conversation, managers can help maintain progress by:
- Agreeing on a check-in rhythm, such as monthly or quarterly.
- Tracking evidence of growth, from project outcomes to completed training.
- Celebrating milestones and adapting the plan as role needs evolve.
Keeping development connected to the capability gap or role requirement that prompted the plan.
Balance is only part of the equation - Collaboration makes development stick.
Greenbeam's development plan feature provides a shared, collaborative space where employees and managers can build, track, and adjust plans together.
Greenbeam's development plan feature provides a shared, collaborative space where employees and managers can build, track, and adjust plans together.
Use the plan as a living agreement, not a one-off document.
As work changes and capability grows, update the plan so it remains useful and connected to real outcomes.