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Development Plans FAQ

Answers to common questions from learners and supervisors about Development Plans.

Development Plans series: Part 5 of 5

  1. Development Plans Overview
  2. Create a Development Plan
  3. Track and Complete Your Development Plan
  4. Support Your Team's Development Plans (Supervisors)
  5. Development Plans FAQ (you are here)

Answers to common questions about Development Plans. For the full walkthrough, start with Development Plans Overview.

For learners

Can my supervisor change my plan?

No. Your supervisor can read your published plan, follow your progress and endorse it, but only you can edit it.

Who can see my plan before I publish it?

Only you. A new plan starts as a private draft, and notes on your steps stay private until you publish.

Why can't I see a Publish button?

Publish only appears when you have a supervisor in Acorn, because that's who your plan is shared with. If you already report to someone, ask your Acorn administrator to check they're set up as your supervisor.

What happens if I stop partway through creating a plan?

Acorn keeps your plan when you select Continue on the last screen, How will you get there?. If you leave before then, the plan isn't kept and you'll start again next time. Once it's kept, you can come back and change anything. See Create a Development Plan.

Do I have to wait for my supervisor before I start on my plan?

No, you can start straight away. Publishing shares your plan with your supervisor, and endorsement is optional.

What does it mean when my supervisor endorses my plan?

They've seen your plan and they support it. It isn't an approval: your plan doesn't need one, and you can keep editing. While it's endorsed, you can't unpublish it.

Why doesn't my plan show a capability?

Either your organisation doesn't use Capabilities, or you chose Not tied to a specific capability when you created the goal. Not every goal fits one capability.

Why does my plan show a different level from the one I gave myself?

If your supervisor has assessed you, your plan uses their rating. You can see both side by side in My Capability > Capability Assessment.

Will my supervisor be told when I mark a step "Need a hand"?

Not yet. Your supervisor sees it the next time they open your plan or their Team development view, so if you need help soon, tell them directly as well. See Track and Complete Your Development Plan.

Can my supervisor reply to my notes?

No. Your supervisor can read your notes but can't reply to or edit them, so they'll pick things up with you directly.

Why don't I see any suggested steps?

Suggestions only appear when your goal is tied to a capability and your organisation has tagged learning content to that capability at the level assigned to you. Otherwise you'll see No suggested steps for this one yet, and you can add your own.

Can I have more than one plan?

Yes. Each plan can also hold several goals, and each goal several steps. Your organisation may set limits on how many.

I've changed supervisor. Who can see my plan?

Your plan stays visible to the supervisor you published it to. To share it with your new supervisor:

  1. Select the ... menu next to the plan title, then Unpublish, and confirm.
  2. Select Publish again.

Your new supervisor will then see it, and your previous one won't. If Unpublish is greyed out, your previous supervisor endorsed the plan. Ask them to withdraw their endorsement first.

For supervisors

Someone on my team says they've made a plan, but I can't see it.

It's probably still a private draft. Plans only appear on Team development once your team member selects Publish. If they published it before you became their supervisor, it's still shared with their previous supervisor, so ask them to unpublish it and publish it again. See Support Your Team's Development Plans (Supervisors).

Can I create a plan for someone on my team?

Not today. Your team member creates their own plan, and you can help them prepare. Once it's published, you can follow along and endorse it.

Known limitations

  • Assessment results aren't pulled into your plan automatically. Use My Capability to see them, and choose the capability yourself when you create the goal.
  • Someone who has finished their only plan shows as No active plan on Team development, even though their completed plan is still there to read.
  • Learning steps use a single format, Content. You can search the full catalogue or add one yourself.

You've reached the end of the series. Start again at Development Plans Overview, or contact your Acorn Customer Success team for anything not covered here.

Previous: Support Your Team's Development Plans (Supervisors)

Development Plans series: part 5 of 5

  1. Development Plans Overview
  2. Create a Development Plan
  3. Track and Complete Your Development Plan
  4. Support Your Team's Development Plans (Supervisors)
  5. Development Plans FAQ (you are here)