Developing Performance – a step-by-step guide to the Developing
Performance conversation and plan template for public servants
The step-by-step guide is designed to be used by team members in conjunction with the Developing
Performance conversation and plan template. Team members are encouraged to read the step-by-step guide,
reflect on their work and respond on the Developing Performance conversation and plan template.
Steps 1 to 4 guide you through preparing for your conversation with your team leader, and are best completed
before your Developing Performance meeting. Throughout the Developing Performance conversation,
contributions to the template may be modified. Steps 5 to 8 guide you through the process of articulating your
Developing Performance plan and are completed in collaboration with your team leader.
Step 1: Describe your major responsibilities
Major responsibilities describe the main focus areas of your work, rather than daily tasks. Major responsibilities
can be derived from work unit and team planning, self-assessment of the relevant standard/capability
framework, and through regular interaction with your team leader. Your Developing Performance plan
identifies links between your work and departmental priorities.
Conversation
What are your major responsibilities?
What is expected of you in your role?
What activities are associated with meeting these
responsibilities?
Step 2: Identify highlights, lowlights, challenges and important partnerships
Reflect on your major responsibilities, consider all aspects of your work and identify:
• highlights (what you enjoy most in your work)
• lowlights (what you enjoy least in your work)
• challenges (what you are challenged by in your work)
• partnerships (partnerships that are important to success in your work).
Highlights of your work
Lowlights of your work
Major challenges for you
Important partnerships
Step 3: Determine professional and personal goals
Having identified your major responsibilities, actions associated with meeting these responsibilities and the
highlights, lowlights, challenges and partnerships important to your work, consider your professional goals and
aspirations. When developing goal statements, ask yourself:
• What does success look like for me?
• What would others expect to see?
Professional goals/aspirations
Step 4: Reflect on strengths and areas for development
Reference to the relevant capability framework is essential when considering your strengths and areas for
development. As a public servant, you will need to use the QPS Capability and Leadership Framework (CLF).
You might find it useful to access the Self-Assessment Proforma (under Tools and templates on the Public
Service Commission website) relevant to your role classification, and complete this as part of your preparation
for your Developing Performance conversation.
Team leaders will also refer to the QPS Capability and Leadership Framework to reflect on your strengths and
areas for development prior to your conversation.
Strengths and areas for development (as identified in relevant capability framework selfassessment and as negotiated with supervisor/team leader
Strengths
Areas for development
Step 5: Articulate your focus areas for improvement, agreed performance and development goals,
actions to develop capability and indicators for success.
Using the information you have collated in the conversation section of your plan, you now need to articulate
your planned performance development – phase 2 of the Developing Performance process. It is
recommended that you limit your Developing Performance plan to three or four areas to focus on, with three or
four corresponding performance and development goals. Reflecting on the SMART approach to developing
goals will be useful here (see below).
Having identified the areas for improvement, discuss each area with your team leader and agree on
performance and development goals, actions required in developing this capability and indicators for success.
Remember to apply the SMART (Duncan Haughey, www.projectsmart.co.uk) approach to developing goals:
Specific
Are the
performance goals
specific? A general
statement such as
‘improve student
results’ does not
provide enough
definition about the
area and method of
improvement.
Measurable
Can you measure
the performance
goals? If you can’t
measure it in some
way, you won’t
know whether the
goal has been
achieved.
Achievable
Are the
performance goals
achievable or within
your influence?
Relevant
Are the
performance goals
relevant? Do they
contribute to the
strategic goals of
the school or the
department?
Time based
Is there a time
period within which
the performance
outputs need to be
achieved?
A useful stem to frame goal setting (Growth Coaching International) is:
By (date) …
I will (what you wish to achieve) …
so that (why this is of benefit to self/organisation)….
Examples of goals using this stem are:
By the end of May I will actively listen to colleagues and clients, trying to see things from their
perspective so that my workplace relationships, team effectiveness and performance are
enhanced.
OR
By the end of April I will improve the accuracy of my records and files and seek regular feedback
from my supervisor to gauge satisfaction so that corporate data is accurate and easily accessible.
Developing Performance plan
Focus areas for
improvement
As identified in relevant
capability framework
CLF 3 - 3 Supports
productive working
relationships
Agreed performance and Actions to develop capability
development goals
Refer to Smart Goals
Framework
Be specific
By the end of May I will
 Identify and observe
good listeners in the
workplace
 Listen carefully in
conversations to
understand the words
and the meanings
behind them
 Use questioning to
clarify meaning,
perspective and
understanding
 Avoid interrupting so
others have time to
share their thoughts and
feelings
 Access information on
active listening and
questioning techniques
e.g. online, articles,
reference books
 Seek regular feedback
from peers and/or
mentor
actively listen to
colleagues and clients,
trying to see things from
3.2 c. Actively listens to their perspective so that
colleagues and clients my workplace
relationships, team
3.3 c. Tries to see
effectiveness and
things from the other
performance are
person’s perspective
enhanced.
Signature and date (team member)
Indicators for success
What will you/others see if
your goal is achieved?
 Treating people
respectfully
 Valuing/respecting
differing
perspectives
 Regularly using a
range of listening
strategies
 Regularly using a
range of
questioning
strategies
 Reduced
interruptions in
conversations
 Regular positive
and constructive
feedback received
from
mentor/supervisor/
peers
Signature and date (supervisor/team leader)
Step 6: Articulate your career aspirations, career goals, actions and indicators for success to develop
capability
The final step in preparing your plan is to consider your career aspirations. You will notice in the plan that this
has been broken down into short, mid and long term aspirations. This may help clarify your thoughts and allow
you to put timeframes around each goal.
When you identify your career aspirations, talk with your team leader about the goals, actions and indicators
for success to develop your capability that you could undertake to realise your aspirations.
Career aspirations
Career goals
Actions to develop
capability
Indicators for success
Short term
Mid term
Long term
Signature and date (team member)
Signature and date (supervisor/team leader)
It is important that both you and your team leader sign off on your plan to represent the negotiated, supportive
nature of the Developing Performance conversation, and for accountability purposes.
Step 7: Regular conversations between team leader and team member
Having agreed on your plan and goals with your team leader, it is important to have regular conversations
about your progress. These may be both formal and informal. Your plan should be a ‘living document’ that is
referred to regularly throughout the work period. Formal reviews should be undertaken during the agreement
period (phase 3), and at the end, to review progress and development of capability (phase 4).
The following provides a guide for reflection and discussion during phase 3 of the Developing Performance
process.
Review and recognition of achievement – Mid review
 What are my successes?
 What has challenged me?
 What could I have done better?
 What have I learnt in completing these key work tasks?
 How have I built on my strengths?
 What else do I need to focus on to continue to improve?
 What support and professional development do I need to continue to develop my
performance?
Signature and date (team member)
Signature and date (supervisor/team leader)
Step 8: Reviewing and recognising achievement
Having agreed on your goals and overall plan with your team leader in phase 2, and enacted your plan
through phase 3, it is important to review your progress and recognise your achievement.
Share how you like to be recognised and what reward and recognition strategies work for you with your team
leader. This will help your team leader support and recognise your achievements appropriately and in a
manner that has meaning for you.
The following provides a guide for reflection and discussion during phase 4 of the Developing Performance
process.
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Review and recognition of achievement – Final review
What are my successes?
What has challenged me?
What could I have done better?
What have I learnt in completing these key work tasks?
What are my strengths and how can I build on them?
What areas do I need to focus on next?
What are my career aspirations and what pathways are available to me?
What support and professional development do I need to develop my performance further?
What action is required if I do not meet performance expectations on a regular basis?
Signature and date (team member)
Signature and date (supervisor/team leader)