70-20-10 Employee Development Planning Training Course

Course overview

Performance reviews, succession discussions and engagement surveys often identify development needs, yet employees still receive training plans dominated by course attendance. Managers may struggle to turn performance gaps into practical assignments, coaching conversations and peer-learning opportunities. HR and talent professionals need a repeatable way to connect individual development plans (IDPs) to business priorities while ensuring development activity is realistic, measurable and supported by line managers.

This course teaches participants to design and govern employee development plans using the 70-20-10 framework: 70% experiential learning, 20% learning through others and 10% formal learning. Participants learn to diagnose capability needs, write observable development objectives, select stretch assignments, structure mentoring and coaching support, and specify formal learning where it adds value. The programme also covers manager accountability, development-plan quality criteria, learning evidence, progress reviews, and portfolio-level reporting.

Through facilitated workshops, practical templates and realistic talent-management cases, participants build a complete 70-20-10 development plan for a defined employee or role population. They leave with a reusable IDP template, a 70-20-10 activity menu, manager conversation guides, evidence-capture methods and a measurement plan. The final application workshop converts the plan into a 90-day implementation roadmap that can be used with managers, HR business partners and learning teams.

The course is suited to HR and L&D practitioners, talent managers and people leaders who already contribute to performance, development or succession processes and need a stronger operating method for turning development intent into workplace action.

Course objectives

By the end of this course, participants will be able to:

• Diagnose employee capability gaps using performance evidence, role requirements and stakeholder input
• Write measurable development objectives using observable performance criteria and success indicators
• Design 70% experiential development activities including stretch assignments, job rotations and improvement projects
• Structure 20% social learning interventions using coaching, mentoring, peer review and communities of practice
• Select 10% formal learning options that directly support identified workplace performance needs
• Build a 70-20-10 individual development plan with owners, milestones, support actions and evidence requirements
• Facilitate manager-employee development conversations using a practical coaching question framework
• Create a development-plan dashboard specification for tracking participation, progress, application and capability outcomes

Benefits of attending

Target competencies

Who should attend

• Talent Management Managers — who need to embed development planning within performance and succession processes
• Learning and Development Managers — who must shift investment from course catalogues toward workplace application
• HR Business Partners — who advise managers on capability gaps, employee growth and retention priorities
• Performance Management Specialists — who need to convert review outcomes into measurable development actions
• People Managers — who are accountable for assigning stretch work and supporting employee development
• Succession Planning Practitioners — who build readiness plans for critical roles and emerging leaders

Requirements and prerequisites

Participants should have practical familiarity with performance reviews, individual development plans, competency frameworks or talent discussions in their organisation. They should be comfortable interpreting role requirements, discussing development needs with managers and using standard spreadsheet templates. Experience of coaching, mentoring or learning management systems is helpful but not essential. Participants do not need prior certification in the 70-20-10 model, advanced analytics capability or access to a live HR platform. A laptop with Microsoft Excel or equivalent spreadsheet software is recommended for planning and measurement exercises.

Training methodology

Instructor-led sessions introduce the 70-20-10 model through workforce-development scenarios, annotated examples and short demonstrations of planning templates. Participants work in groups to diagnose capability gaps, design experiential and social-learning activities, and challenge weak development plans against quality criteria. Individual workshops use a selected employee, role or talent population from the participant’s workplace where possible. Case discussions address manager resistance, unrealistic development requests and limited assignment opportunities. The course concludes with peer review and a 90-day implementation plan for introducing the method in the participant’s organisation.

Course outline

Day 1: Positioning 70-20-10 in talent and performance management

• Origins, purpose and practical boundaries of the 70-20-10 framework
• Distinguishing learning activity from demonstrated workplace capability
• Connecting business priorities, role requirements and capability needs
• Using performance reviews and talent reviews as development-data sources
• Diagnosing performance gaps, potential gaps and readiness gaps
• Common failure modes in individual development planning
• Defining governance roles for HR, L&D, managers and employees

Workshop: Participants analyse a performance-review case and produce a capability-gap statement with prioritised development needs.

Day 2: Designing the 70% experiential learning component

• Writing observable development objectives and performance criteria
• Stretch assignment design principles and risk controls
• Job enrichment, job shadowing and cross-functional project options
• Action learning projects linked to operational improvement
• Job rotation and temporary assignment planning
• Scaffolding workplace challenge through milestones and check-ins
• Capturing evidence from work outputs, feedback and reflection

Workshop: Participants create a 70% development activity plan containing a stretch assignment, milestones, safeguards and evidence sources.

Day 3: Building the 20% social learning component

• Selecting coaching, mentoring, peer learning and expert observation methods
• Matching mentor capability, availability and developmental fit
• Structuring manager coaching conversations around performance objectives
• Peer review, buddy systems and after-action review formats
• Communities of practice and knowledge-sharing routines
• Psychological safety and confidentiality in developmental relationships
• Documenting social-learning commitments and feedback evidence

Workshop: Participants run a manager-employee development conversation role-play and produce a coaching record with agreed support actions.

Day 4: Targeting formal learning and measuring progress

• Determining when 10% formal learning is the appropriate intervention
• Selecting courses, digital resources, simulations and certifications
• Sequencing formal learning before, during or after workplace application
• Creating individual development plan templates and activity menus
• Defining leading indicators, application measures and capability measures
• Using Microsoft Excel and Microsoft Power BI for development-plan reporting
• Aligning learning metrics with ISO 30414 human capital reporting concepts

Workshop: Participants build a complete 70-20-10 IDP and draft a dashboard specification covering progress, application and outcomes.

Day 5: Implementing and governing the development planning process

• Development-plan quality assurance criteria and review checkpoints
• Manager enablement materials and communication messages
• Integrating 70-20-10 plans with SAP SuccessFactors development processes
• Using Microsoft Forms for employee check-ins and evidence collection
• Escalating blocked assignments, unavailable mentors and capacity constraints
• Portfolio analysis across critical roles, talent pools and business units
• Building a 90-day pilot, evaluation and scale-up roadmap

Workshop: Participants present a 90-day 70-20-10 implementation plan and receive peer feedback on governance, manager adoption and measurement.

Tools & standards covered

Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Power BI, SAP SuccessFactors, ISO 30414

A typical training day

Live online deliveries follow the same structure in the East Africa Time zone, with shorter screen blocks and longer breaks.

What the fee includes

How you can take this course

Certification

Participants who complete the full five days receive the Skillset Development Certificate of Completion, stating the course title, course code, dates and delivery format — suitable for professional-development records and employer reimbursement.

Frequently asked questions