How to Create a 70-20-10 Development Plan That Boosts Workplace Growth

The 70-20-10 development plan offers a strategic framework to optimize employee growth and learning. It blends practical, social, and formal learning methods in a weighted approach that promotes well-rounded development.

Based on the results of a survey conducted in 1996, respondents reported the following influences on successful learning:

• 70% from practical assignments
• 20% from social relationships
• 10% from formal training

Morgan McCall, Michael M. Lombardo, and Robert A. Eichinger created the 70-20-10 learning philosophy, which you can adopt in your organization by following this eight-step process.

Step 1: Evaluate existing learning resources and materials

Start by taking a magnifying glass to understand how learning and development currently works in your organization. Ask yourself:

• What kind of learning resources and materials do you currently use?
• Do they support a range of learning styles—for example, auditory, visual, read/write, and kinesthetic?
• Is learning and development accessible to all employees?
• How often do your employees commit to formal upskilling?
• Who can employees work with internally to further their development?
• Do your learning materials align with organizational goals?
• Has your learning and development strategy been updated recently?
• Are there any obvious skill gaps or areas for improvement?

Step 2: Assess organizational needs

Next, determine your organizational goals to ensure you’re developing employees toward a future both they and the company need.

For example, if your organization plans to pivot to data analysis, your training focus must also shift to ensure your employees have the necessary machine learning, AI, and data science skills to support this change.

Map your organizational goals with the information you collected in step one, and then identify if any skill gaps exist. Knowing the most important skills will ensure individual development plans align with business needs and goals.

For an accurate assessment of your skills gaps:

1. Map out the key competencies required for each role (for example, advanced customer service skills, basic numerical skills, etc.)
2. Conduct surveys or interviews to gather insights from managers and employees about the skills they lack or want to enhance
3. Analyze performance data and feedback to identify further trends in skill deficiencies
4. Deploy assessment tools to pinpoint gaps

Step 3: Structure experiential learning opportunities (70%)

The bulk of your employee development will come from practical on-the-job training methods that take place in the flow of work. These might include:

• Stretch assignments, projects, or tasks that challenge employees to step outside of their comfort zones and develop new skills
• Cross-functional projects that group employees from different teams together, providing exposure to different areas of the business
• Leadership opportunities, for example, taking the lead on a specific project
• Job shadowing or cross-training with experienced employees to learn from their expertise and skills

While you may offer a diverse range of experiences, it’s important to hand-select opportunities for employees based on their individual development needs and the skills gaps identified in step two.

Step 4: Create social learning opportunities (20%)

Strong collaboration between peers is the beating heart of any organization. So, it makes sense that social learning should form part of your development plan. Research by psychologist Albert Bandura reveals that people can acquire knowledge and skills by observing others. Here are a few ways to help foster social learning in your organization:

• Mentorship or coaching programs where more experienced employees mentor newer or less experienced employees
• Peer-to-peer learning, such as lunch and learn sessions, book clubs, or job-specific training between colleagues
• Communities of practice, which bring together individuals with shared interests to exchange knowledge and best practices
• Team-based learning, where a team works together to solve problems or complete tasks, allowing for collaboration and knowledge sharing
• Leadership roundtables, implemented by companies like Freeletics, allow managers and leaders to share their experiences with each other.

Again, make sure you select these experiential opportunities according to the individual learner. For example, if they’re in a well-established team and have good relationships with their peers, then lunch and learn sessions may be highly effective.

Step 5: Leverage formal learning programs (10%)

Many people hear the word “development” and automatically think of formal classroom-based courses. But these comprise only 10% of the 70-20-10 development model.

Tip: As formal learning generally requires dedicated time, make sure employees have hours blocked out for these activities to ensure they can participate without interfering with their daily responsibilities.

Some suggested various formal training options include:

• Instructor-led training, in-person or virtually
• Online learning, such as e-learning courses or webinars
• Certifications, like the PHR or SHRM paths for HR professionals

Step 6: Define success metrics (for measuring ROI)

A key part of setting up a 70-20-10 strategy for your employees is being able to understand if they effectively progress them from their current to desired skill sets.

Adopt relevant metrics to track employee development and performance improvement over time. These might include:

• Progress toward specific skill goals, measured through assessments or evaluations
• Retention rates, as employees who feel supported and developed are more likely to stay with the company
• Performance metrics, such as sales numbers, customer satisfaction ratings, or project success rates
• Return on investment calculations comparing the cost of development to the value it brings to the organization.

Tip: In addition to tracking how your organization benefits from the 70-20-10, track engagement and satisfaction to measure how employees perceive their development journey and growth opportunities—Are they happy with their internal development path, or will they seek professional opportunities elsewhere?

Step 7: Compile and customize individual 70-20-10 development plans

We’ve walked you through a high-level overview of what the 70-20-10 rule achieves. But now, it’s time to zoom in and apply your plan at an individual level. Here’s how:

Ensure a collaborative process

Each of your 70-20-10 templates must be tailored to each employee’s needs, considering their career aspirations, strengths, and areas for growth.

An effective conversation must be a two-way street, allowing the employee space to describe their goals and experiences while guiding them toward a path that aligns with the organization’s needs.

Define individual development goals

Goal-setting is critical to employee development, providing a specific objective to measure progress toward. If you’re struggling to determine a meaningful target, try using the SMART framework to create full-bodied goals that are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound.

An example would be: “Within six months, I would like to improve my public speaking skills so I can give confident product demonstrations to our customers and obtain an X% increase in sales.”

Tip: Support your goal-setting by analyzing 360-degree feedback from peers, supervisors, and direct reports to give employees a broader view of their performance and development needs.

Determine a timeline

Every development plan needs a clear timeline. If you’ve used the SMART model to set your goals, you’ll already have a deadline to work toward. But to stay on track, break your timeline down into achievable milestones and check-ins.

Using the example above, if you need to improve your public speaking skills within six months, your month-by-month timeline might look like this:

1. End of month 1: Research and enroll in a public speaking course
2. End of month 2: Attend the first session and practice techniques learned with coworkers
3. End of month 3: Give a presentation at an internal meeting to receive feedback from colleagues
4. End of month 4: Request opportunities to speak at external events or conferences
5. End of month 5: Analyze performance and make necessary adjustments to improve skills
6. End of month 6: Give a confident product demonstration to customers (with X% increase in sales)

Consider individual learning preferences

Different job learning styles should significantly influence a 70-20-10 plan. One person may soak up knowledge by listening to a recorded webinar. In contrast, others will learn better from hands-on projects that enable them to see the theory of a topic in action. This is where you may soften the rigidity of the 70-20-10 structure and perhaps give more weight to different areas.

For example, if you have a neurodiverse employee who struggles with social anxiety but thrives from reading textbooks, you may adopt a 70-5-25 model instead.

Commit to continuous feedback and adjustment

Employees need feedback from their peers, managers, leaders, and customers to understand if they’re progressing well and meeting expectations. But we’re not talking about one-off feedback. A 70-20-10 plan doesn’t have a fixed endpoint, so the cycle of learning, applying new skills, receiving feedback, and making adjustments should continue throughout an employee’s entire tenure at the organization.

Timely, relevant feedback could include:

• Informal one-on-one meetings
• Structured performance reviews
• Peer evaluation and recognition
• Customer feedback on projects or products

The goal is to create an open dialogue where employees can share their progress, ask for advice, and make any necessary adjustments to their development plans. This will maintain the relevancy of your 70-20-10 strategy and make it effective for each individual employee’s growth journey within the organization.

Step 8: Track the success of your plans

You’ve equipped your employees with individual development plans, and they’re marching toward their goals. But how do you know if the 70-20-10 approach is the best L&D approach compared to another strategy, such as the 3-to-1? Follow these steps:

• Set baseline measurements: Gather data about your employees’ current skill levels, behaviors, and performance to compare against later
• Monitor development progress: Keep track of how much time is spent on each component (70%, 20%, and 10%) and record any new skills or growth opportunities acquired
• Track plan competition rates: If employees aren’t engaging with your strategy, they may not have enough time to focus on the growth initiatives you’re offering
• Collect feedback from employees and managers throughout the process: Use surveys, focus groups, or one-on-one conversations to gather insights on the effectiveness of the plan
• Measure post-development improvements: Compare current data with your baseline assessments to see if there’s any noticeable improvement in performance or skill levels. If growth is lacking, consider updating your training resources or digging deeper to understand what’s going wrong
• Continuously adjust and improve: Use the data collected to make adjustments to your 70-20-10 plans and further optimize the learning and development process
• Gather feedback and adjust the plan: Discuss the importance of gathering feedback from employees and managers and adjust development plans as needed

Develop your workforce with Deel Engage

The 70-20-10 model is an effective framework for learning and development, but it requires commitment, strategy, and resources to be successful. With Deel Engage, you can easily create individualized development plans for your employees, track real-time progress, and gather feedback to continuously improve their growth journey. Our platform enables you to:

• Develop competency frameworks specific to each department or role and link learning opportunities to role levels
• Assess individual’s current competencies with 360-degree feedback or performance reviews
• Generate competency-based learning courses—you can accelerate this process using our built-in AI assistant to save time and reduce the legwork
• Tailor professional growth to the individual with a personalized development plan

Bonus feature: Deel HR, our truly global HRIS solution, is always included for free.

Book a demo to see how our solutions will help you build a high-performance workforce.