Staff development planning template
A template providing options, guidelines and planning timeframe for preparing a Staff
Development Plan for a Portfolio, School or Group.
Context
Staff Development Plans for Portfolios and Schools/Groups at RMIT are a critical
component of the RMIT Supporting Professional Development Policy and Quality
Assurance System. The Supporting Professional Development Policy states that
Portfolios and Schools/Groups will:
Develop three-year plans for staff development with annual priorities, allocation of
resources and achievement targets by March each year
The Staff Development Plan must be prepared in the context of other planning
processes. It must be informed by the broader plans (University, Portfolio and
School/Group plans). It must also take account of staff development planning for
other University projects and strategies.
To ensure the Staff Development Plan is a valid, workable document it should:
• Recognise input from staff;
• Respond to needs identified in staff and student feedback;
• Be flexible enough to change as priorities shift;
• Be consistent with the organisational unit’s other planning process;
• Support supervisors in their role as developers of staff and provide them with the
appropriate level of discretion in resource allocation and decision-making;
• Guide staff in their pursuit of development options;
• Align the development activities with the strategic direction of the wider
organisation; and
• Highlight any other priority development issues of the organisational unit.
The Staff Development Planning Template can be used as a guide to preparing a Staff
Development Plan. The sections in the template could be combined into one
document, or appear as headings or sections in other documents (eg. Strategic Plan,
Operational Plan, etc.).
The template specifies five major sections, with a range of optional appendices. The
optional appendices could be included if they are seen as necessary to achieve the
purpose of the plan or to improve the plan's overall quality. The template includes a
brief description for each section and includes examples.