--- title: Development Plans Overview description: Learn what Development Plans are in Acorn, where to find them, how they work with or without Capabilities, and best practices for learners and supervisors. image: https://help.acorn.works/hubfs/acorn-meta-preview.png --- [Skip to content](https://help.acorn.works/help-centre/development-plans-overview#main-content) English - Australia Show submenu for translations [Contact Us](https://help.acorn.works/help-centre/kb-tickets/new?hsLang=en-au) [Customer Portal](https://support.acorn.works/tickets?hsLang=en-au) [![AcornLogo\_Horizontal\_FullColourWhite\_1000px](https://help.acorn.works/hs-fs/hubfs/AcornLogo_Horizontal_FullColourWhite_1000px.png?width=200&height=45&name=AcornLogo_Horizontal_FullColourWhite_1000px.png)](https://help.acorn.works/help-centre?hsLang=en-au) - [Help Articles](https://help.acorn.works/help-centre/help-articles) - [Patch Notes](https://help.acorn.works/help-centre/patch-notes) - [Status](https://status.acorn.works/) Open main navigation Close main navigation - [Help Articles](https://help.acorn.works/help-centre/help-articles) - [Patch Notes](https://help.acorn.works/help-centre/patch-notes) - [Status](https://status.acorn.works/) - English - Australia Show submenu for translations - [Contact Us](https://help.acorn.works/help-centre/kb-tickets/new) - [Customer Portal](https://support.acorn.works/tickets) Welcome to the Help Centre - There are no suggestions because the search field is empty. 1. [Acorn Help Centre](https://help.acorn.works/help-centre?hsLang=en-au) 2. [Help Articles](https://help.acorn.works/help-centre/help-articles?hsLang=en-au) 3. [Development Plans](https://help.acorn.works/help-centre/help-articles?hsLang=en-au#development-plans) 8 October 2026 # Development Plans Overview ## Build a development plan in about five minutes, mix on-the-job work, people and learning, and keep your supervisor in the loop. **Development Plans series: Part 1 of 5** 1. **Development Plans Overview** (you are here) 2. [Create a Development Plan](https://help.acorn.works/help-centre/create-a-development-plan?hsLang=en-au) 3. [Track and Complete Your Development Plan](https://help.acorn.works/help-centre/track-and-complete-your-development-plan?hsLang=en-au) 4. [Support Your Team's Development Plans (Supervisors)](https://help.acorn.works/help-centre/support-your-teams-development-plans?hsLang=en-au) 5. [Development Plans FAQ](https://help.acorn.works/help-centre/faq/development-plans?hsLang=en-au) Development Plans help you turn what you want to get better at into a clear plan, and keep your supervisor in the loop as you go. You write your plan, and only you can edit it. Once you publish it, your supervisor can follow your progress and support you. ### What's new in Release 2.0 - **Build a plan in about five minutes.** A short guided flow takes you from "what do I want to get better at?" to a plan with goals and next steps. - **Plan more than courses.** Mix on-the-job work, time with other people and learning content in one plan. - **Keep your supervisor in the loop.** Publish your plan when you're ready, and your supervisor can follow along and see when you need a hand. - **Connect to Capabilities.** If your organisation uses Capabilities, tie a goal to a capability and choose the level you're aiming for. ### Before you start **Please note:** Development Plans is in open beta. It's ready to use, and more features, including reporting, are on the way. - **Learners:** go to **My Learning** \> **My Development Plans**. - **Supervisors:** go to **Supervisor Dashboard** \> **Team development**. Supervisors can also create their own plans under My Learning. ### With or without Capabilities What you see depends on whether your organisation uses Capabilities. | | **Without Capabilities** | **With Capabilities** | | --- | --- | --- | | **Creating a plan** | Three short screens: your goal, what success looks like, and your first step | One extra screen first, where you pick a capability and the level you're aiming for | | **Your goals** | In your own words | In your own words, linked to a capability and target level | | **Supervisor view** | Published plans and progress | The same, plus a summary of which capabilities the team is working on | Not sure whether your organisation uses Capabilities? If there's a **My Capability** tab in **My Learning**, it does, even if you have no capabilities assigned yet. ### Which article is for you? - **Learners:** [Create a Development Plan](https://help.acorn.works/help-centre/create-a-development-plan?hsLang=en-au), then [Track and Complete Your Development Plan](https://help.acorn.works/help-centre/track-and-complete-your-development-plan?hsLang=en-au). - **Supervisors:** [Support Your Team's Development Plans (Supervisors)](https://help.acorn.works/help-centre/support-your-teams-development-plans?hsLang=en-au). You have your own plans too, so the learner articles apply to you as well. - **Everyone:** [Development Plans FAQ](https://help.acorn.works/help-centre/faq/development-plans?hsLang=en-au). ### Best practices at a glance | When | Practice | | --- | --- | | Before the conversation | Start from evidence: an assessment, a self-reflection or a difference in ratings | | Bring your organisation's priorities and look for the overlap | | | Learners: take 30 minutes on your own first | | | Supervisors: prepare questions, not goals | | | In the conversation | Open with the evidence, ask, and let the learner hold the pen | | Disagree once, then let the learner decide | | | Writing the plan | Keep it to one to three goals | | Describe success as something others would notice | | | Mix Work, People and Learning | | | Use each step's description for the how | | | After publishing | Keep statuses current, and when you ask for a hand, say what would help | | Supervisors: set up the experiences the plan needs | | | Ask about the plan in your usual 1:1s | | | Treat "Need a hand" as an invitation | | | Celebrate progress along the way | | | Revisit the plan quarterly and after each assessment | | --- **Next: [Create a Development Plan](https://help.acorn.works/help-centre/create-a-development-plan?hsLang=en-au)** Ready to build one? Start here. **Development Plans series: part 1 of 5** 1. **Development Plans Overview** (you are here) 2. [Create a Development Plan](https://help.acorn.works/help-centre/create-a-development-plan?hsLang=en-au) 3. [Track and Complete Your Development Plan](https://help.acorn.works/help-centre/track-and-complete-your-development-plan?hsLang=en-au) 4. [Support Your Team's Development Plans (Supervisors)](https://help.acorn.works/help-centre/support-your-teams-development-plans?hsLang=en-au) 5. [Development Plans FAQ](https://help.acorn.works/help-centre/faq/development-plans?hsLang=en-au) - [Help Articles](https://help.acorn.works/help-centre/help-articles?hsLang=en-au#main-content) - [User Management](https://help.acorn.works/help-centre/help-articles?hsLang=en-au#user-management) - [Course Management](https://help.acorn.works/help-centre/help-articles?hsLang=en-au#course-management) - [Live Learning Management](https://help.acorn.works/help-centre/help-articles?hsLang=en-au#live-learning-management) - [Email Management](https://help.acorn.works/help-centre/help-articles?hsLang=en-au#email-management) - [Tenancy Management](https://help.acorn.works/help-centre/help-articles?hsLang=en-au#tenancy-management) - [Reporting](https://help.acorn.works/help-centre/help-articles?hsLang=en-au#reporting) - [Workflows](https://help.acorn.works/help-centre/help-articles?hsLang=en-au#workflows) - [Capabilities](https://help.acorn.works/help-centre/help-articles?hsLang=en-au#capabilities) - [Momentum](https://help.acorn.works/help-centre/help-articles?hsLang=en-au#momentum) - [Resources, Videos, Programs and Pages](https://help.acorn.works/help-centre/help-articles?hsLang=en-au#resources-videos-programs-and-pages) - [Payments](https://help.acorn.works/help-centre/help-articles?hsLang=en-au#payments) - [Multi-Language](https://help.acorn.works/help-centre/help-articles?hsLang=en-au#multi-language) - [Content Sharing](https://help.acorn.works/help-centre/help-articles?hsLang=en-au#content-sharing) - [Widget Dashboards](https://help.acorn.works/help-centre/help-articles?hsLang=en-au#widget-dashboards) - [Forms](https://help.acorn.works/help-centre/help-articles?hsLang=en-au#forms) - [Activities](https://help.acorn.works/help-centre/help-articles?hsLang=en-au#activities) - [Self Registration](https://help.acorn.works/help-centre/help-articles?hsLang=en-au#self-registration) - [End User Guides](https://help.acorn.works/help-centre/help-articles?hsLang=en-au#end-user-guides) - [Single Sign-On](https://help.acorn.works/help-centre/help-articles?hsLang=en-au#single-sign-on) - [Development Plans](https://help.acorn.works/help-centre/help-articles?hsLang=en-au#development-plans) - [FAQ's](https://help.acorn.works/help-centre/faqs?hsLang=en-au#main-content) - [Gamification & Social Learning](https://help.acorn.works/help-centre/faqs?hsLang=en-au#gamification-social-learning) - [Implementation & Onboarding](https://help.acorn.works/help-centre/faqs?hsLang=en-au#implementation-onboarding) - [Roles, Permissions & Access Control](https://help.acorn.works/help-centre/faqs?hsLang=en-au#roles-permissions-access-control) - [Hosting, Infrastructure & Business Continuity](https://help.acorn.works/help-centre/faqs?hsLang=en-au#hosting-infrastructure-business-continuity) - [Learning Paths & Development Plans](https://help.acorn.works/help-centre/faqs?hsLang=en-au#learning-paths-development-plans) - [Competency & Skills Management](https://help.acorn.works/help-centre/faqs?hsLang=en-au#competency-skills-management) - [Support & Customer Success](https://help.acorn.works/help-centre/faqs?hsLang=en-au#support-customer-success) - [Incident Management & Security Operations](https://help.acorn.works/help-centre/faqs?hsLang=en-au#incident-management-security-operations) - [Notifications & Communications](https://help.acorn.works/help-centre/faqs?hsLang=en-au#notifications-communications) - [Network & Application Security](https://help.acorn.works/help-centre/faqs?hsLang=en-au#network-application-security) - [Certifications & Compliance Tracking](https://help.acorn.works/help-centre/faqs?hsLang=en-au#certifications-compliance-tracking) - [Authentication & Single Sign-On](https://help.acorn.works/help-centre/faqs?hsLang=en-au#authentication-single-sign-on) - [Multi-Tenancy & Organizational Structure](https://help.acorn.works/help-centre/faqs?hsLang=en-au#multi-tenancy-organizational-structure) - [eCommerce & Monetization](https://help.acorn.works/help-centre/faqs?hsLang=en-au#ecommerce-monetization) - [Compliance Certifications & Audits](https://help.acorn.works/help-centre/faqs?hsLang=en-au#compliance-certifications-audits) - [Data Security & Encryption](https://help.acorn.works/help-centre/faqs?hsLang=en-au#data-security-encryption) - [User Management & Accounts](https://help.acorn.works/help-centre/faqs?hsLang=en-au#user-management-accounts) - [Personnel & Physical Security](https://help.acorn.works/help-centre/faqs?hsLang=en-au#personnel-physical-security) - [Localization & Language Support](https://help.acorn.works/help-centre/faqs?hsLang=en-au#localization-language-support) - [Mobile Access & Offline Learning](https://help.acorn.works/help-centre/faqs?hsLang=en-au#mobile-access-offline-learning) - [Branding, UI & User Experience](https://help.acorn.works/help-centre/faqs?hsLang=en-au#branding-ui-user-experience) - [Assessments, Quizzes & Surveys](https://help.acorn.works/help-centre/faqs?hsLang=en-au#assessments-quizzes-surveys) - [Integrations & APIs](https://help.acorn.works/help-centre/faqs?hsLang=en-au#integrations-apis) - [Course & Content Management](https://help.acorn.works/help-centre/faqs?hsLang=en-au#course-content-management) - [Workflow Automation](https://help.acorn.works/help-centre/faqs?hsLang=en-au#workflow-automation) - [Instructor-Led & Virtual Training (ILT/VILT)](https://help.acorn.works/help-centre/faqs?hsLang=en-au#instructor-led-virtual-training-ilt-vilt) - [Enrollment & Registration](https://help.acorn.works/help-centre/faqs?hsLang=en-au#enrollment-registration) - [Secure Development & Change Management](https://help.acorn.works/help-centre/faqs?hsLang=en-au#secure-development-change-management) - [Reporting & Analytics](https://help.acorn.works/help-centre/faqs?hsLang=en-au#reporting-analytics) - [Performance Management](https://help.acorn.works/help-centre/faqs?hsLang=en-au#performance-management) - [Privacy & Data Protection](https://help.acorn.works/help-centre/faqs?hsLang=en-au#privacy-data-protection) - [User Management](https://help.acorn.works/help-centre/faqs?hsLang=en-au#user-management) - [Patch Notes](https://help.acorn.works/help-centre/patch-notes?hsLang=en-au#main-content) - [2026](https://help.acorn.works/help-centre/patch-notes?hsLang=en-au#2026) - [2025](https://help.acorn.works/help-centre/patch-notes?hsLang=en-au#2025) - [2024](https://help.acorn.works/help-centre/patch-notes?hsLang=en-au#2024) - [2023](https://help.acorn.works/help-centre/patch-notes?hsLang=en-au#2023) - [2022](https://help.acorn.works/help-centre/patch-notes?hsLang=en-au#2022) - [Developers](https://help.acorn.works/help-centre/developers?hsLang=en-au#main-content) - [API](https://help.acorn.works/help-centre/developers?hsLang=en-au#api) - [Announcements](https://help.acorn.works/help-centre/announcements?hsLang=en-au#main-content) - [New Features & Updates](https://help.acorn.works/help-centre/announcements?hsLang=en-au#new-features-updates) - [Course Management](https://help.acorn.works/help-centre/course-management?hsLang=en-au#main-content) - [Course Settings](https://help.acorn.works/help-centre/course-management?hsLang=en-au#course-settings) - [Enrolments](https://help.acorn.works/help-centre/course-management?hsLang=en-au#enrolments) - [Forms](https://help.acorn.works/help-centre/course-management?hsLang=en-au#forms) - [Course Types](https://help.acorn.works/help-centre/course-management?hsLang=en-au#course-types) - [Troubleshooting](https://help.acorn.works/help-centre/troubleshooting?hsLang=en-au#main-content) - [Workflows](https://help.acorn.works/help-centre/troubleshooting?hsLang=en-au#workflows) - [Course Management](https://help.acorn.works/help-centre/troubleshooting?hsLang=en-au#course-management) - [User Management](https://help.acorn.works/help-centre/troubleshooting?hsLang=en-au#user-management) - [Reporting](https://help.acorn.works/help-centre/troubleshooting?hsLang=en-au#reporting) - [End User Guides](https://help.acorn.works/help-centre/troubleshooting?hsLang=en-au#end-user-guides) - [Quizzes & Assessments](https://help.acorn.works/help-centre/troubleshooting?hsLang=en-au#quizzes-assessments) - [Email](https://help.acorn.works/help-centre/troubleshooting?hsLang=en-au#email) - [Access & Login](https://help.acorn.works/help-centre/troubleshooting?hsLang=en-au#access-login) - [Live Learning Management](https://help.acorn.works/help-centre/troubleshooting?hsLang=en-au#live-learning-management) - [Getting Started](https://help.acorn.works/help-centre/getting-started?hsLang=en-au#main-content) - [Technical Requirements](https://help.acorn.works/help-centre/getting-started?hsLang=en-au#technical-requirements) - [Reference](https://help.acorn.works/help-centre/getting-started?hsLang=en-au#reference) - [Capabilities](https://help.acorn.works/help-centre/capabilities?hsLang=en-au#main-content) - [Reporting](https://help.acorn.works/help-centre/capabilities?hsLang=en-au#reporting) - [Overview](https://help.acorn.works/help-centre/capabilities?hsLang=en-au#overview) - [Assessments](https://help.acorn.works/help-centre/capabilities?hsLang=en-au#assessments) - [Setup & Configuration](https://help.acorn.works/help-centre/capabilities?hsLang=en-au#setup-configuration) - [Administration](https://help.acorn.works/help-centre/capabilities?hsLang=en-au#administration) - [Momentum](https://help.acorn.works/help-centre/momentum?hsLang=en-au#main-content) - [Workflow Builder](https://help.acorn.works/help-centre/momentum?hsLang=en-au#workflow-builder) - [Administration](https://help.acorn.works/help-centre/administration?hsLang=en-au#main-content) - [Email](https://help.acorn.works/help-centre/administration?hsLang=en-au#email) - [Training Records](https://help.acorn.works/help-centre/administration?hsLang=en-au#training-records) - [Certificates](https://help.acorn.works/help-centre/administration?hsLang=en-au#certificates) - [Multi-Tenancy](https://help.acorn.works/help-centre/administration?hsLang=en-au#multi-tenancy) - [Security](https://help.acorn.works/help-centre/administration?hsLang=en-au#security) - [User Management](https://help.acorn.works/help-centre/administration?hsLang=en-au#user-management) - [Reporting](https://help.acorn.works/help-centre/reporting?hsLang=en-au#main-content) - [Reports](https://help.acorn.works/help-centre/reporting?hsLang=en-au#reports) - [User Management](https://help.acorn.works/help-centre/user-management?hsLang=en-au) [![AcornLogo\_Horizontal\_FullColourWhite\_1000px](https://help.acorn.works/hs-fs/hubfs/AcornLogo_Horizontal_FullColourWhite_1000px.png?width=200&height=45&name=AcornLogo_Horizontal_FullColourWhite_1000px.png "AcornLogo_Horizontal_FullColourWhite_1000px")](https://acorn.works/) ###### GET IN TOUCH [support@acorn.works](mailto:support@acorn.works) --- [Asia Pacific: +61 2 6269 3330](tel:+61262693330) 8:30am to 5:30pm AEST, Mon - Fri --- [North America: +1 (888) 419-2505](tel:+18884192505) 8:30am to 5:30pm PT, Mon - Fri [mailto:hello@acorn.works](mailto:hello@acorn.works) Copyright © 2025, Acorn PLMS