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The Professional Development Cycle

The professional development cycle explains the process of effectively planning, doing, recording and reviewing your development.

Consisting of five phases, this cycle is the same for professionals from a wide range of backgrounds, disciplines and working environments, as well as ages and stages of their careers. However, the level of detail you go into at each phase will vary widely, depending on your needs and circumstances.

Professional Development Cycle Consider the requirements of your professional institution and/or employer Summary log of your achievements Personal assessment of achievements to date Statement of your progress towards acheiving your aims and goals and production Statements from the review phase or analysis of current situation OUTPUT INPUT OUTPUT INPUT A realistic development action plan OUTPUT Consider your method of learning and the time and resource implications INPUT List of the main skills you need to concentrate on OUTPUT Identified and prioritised skills which you need to satisfy your goals INPUT An outline of your goals and the time-frame OUTPUT INPUT Determine the skills you need. What skills do I need now and in the future? Identify your goals. What do I aim to achieve from professional development? Review. Am I making real progress towards achieving my aims and goals? Plan to achieve. How can I raise, maintain or acquire skills to the required le Record your learning. What am I learning and what evidence do I need to keep?

Professional development is about improving your chance of achieving your career aims, being successful in your current job, keeping yourself up to date, and, in effect, remaining employable. Whatever your intended outcome, the use of a planned, focused approach will help you to realise your potential.

You will find that by following the professional development cycle and creating a structured plan, the effectiveness of your development is enhanced. It can be used as an extremely powerful selling tool at all stages of your career.

The cycle is a continuous process - the best place to begin is by reviewing your current position. Then simply follow each step around the cycle, until you are back at review. You do not need to be rigid in your approach, you can review progress, update your plan, or grab a development opportunity at any time. It’s up to you.

Find out more about the individual areas of Planning, Doing, Recording and Reviewing.