As stated previously, appraisal is about helping the appraisee to succeed, and to perform well or better in the future. So it is vital that the appraisal discussion produces a personal development plan (PDP) for the appraisee to take forward into the next review period. The PDP should consist of a set of carefully tailored clinical, educational and personal development objectives.

There may be a mixture of work objectives focusing on the appraisees agreed and expected contribution to the teams goals over the coming period and personal development objectives based on areas of agreed improvement in job performance in clinical and non-clinical contexts. The word improvement can, unfortunately, suggest that objectives are purely about correcting poor performance. In fact, personal development objectives can be used to manage performance in a number of ways:

The general emphasis when setting objectives should certainly be on seeking improvements. However, continuous development is as much about maintaining standards as it is about more, better, faster, smarter. In this context, the term improvement should be viewed widely to incorporate the three development areas: remedy, consolidation and growth.

Much has been written about how to write good, effective objectives. The SMART or SMARTER acronym is well known and provides a valuable aide-mmoire for those with the challenge of composing them. Three of the letters are particularly key: the s for specific, the m for measurable and the a for agreed or achievable.

It is up to the appraisee to ensure objectives are reviewed. Writing and agreeing objectives that are never referred to again is a supreme waste of effort. Ideally the appraisee should look at them and discuss them in a timely manner as events arise; amend and update them as circumstances change; and above all keep them alive and current as a useful and relevant tool helping to guide their performance. Remember, appraisal should be a process and not just an event.

See Setting Learning Objectives for more details on setting learning objectives and Assessing Educational Needs for more information around personal and professional development plans.

Print module to PDF

Save a PDF of this module, so you can print it and read it in your own time.

Further information

More information about this module, further reading and a complete list of glossary terms.

Read the original post:
Work and personal development objectives E-Learning Modules