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The Individual Development Plan was introduced by the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB)'s Science Policy Committee as a tool for postdoctoral researchers to establish structure in their training cycle. The IDP is well established in the life sciences and translates easily to the computer science and engineering postdoc. The purpose of the IDP is to provide a planning process that identifies both professional development needs and career objectives. Furthermore, IDPs can serve as a communication tool between individual postdocs and their mentors. There are four steps to the IDP process: 

 

1. Conduct a self-assessment;

 

2. Write the IDP and, if you choose, share the IDP with your mentor;

 

3. Survey career opportunites;

 

4. Implement plan and revise as necessary (at least annually).

 

 

 

For more detailed information about these steps, see "The IDP Process" below.