Developing Performance — a step-by-step guide to the Developing
Performance conversation and plan template for school staff
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 school Annual Implementation Plans, 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.
Key work tasks describe the specific activities you undertake in order to meet the major responsibilities
of your role.
Conversation
What are your major responsibilities?
What is expected of you in your role?
What key work tasks 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
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Step 3: Determine professional goals/aspirations
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/standard is essential when considering your strengths
and areas for development.
If you are a public servant in a school (including cleaners, schools officers, administration officers,
business service managers, computer technicians, occupational therapists, physiotherapists, science
operations officers, speech language pathologists), you will need to use the Queensland Public Sector
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.
Your team leader will also refer to the QPS Capability and Leadership Framework to reflect on your
strengths and areas for development prior to the conversation.
If you are a teacher, you will need to refer to the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers. You
might find it useful to use the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL) online
Self-Assessment tool for teachers to determine your strengths and areas for development. Your team
leader will also refer to the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers to reflect on your strengths
and areas for development prior to the conversation.
If you are a school leader or an aspiring school leader, you will need to refer to the Principals’ Capability
and Leadership Framework or the Deputy Principals' Capability and Leadership Framework and the
Head of Programs' Capability and Leadership Framework.
Your team leader will also refer to the relevant framework to reflect on your strengths and areas for
development prior to the conversation.
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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 focus areas for development, 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?
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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 Term 2 I will research, develop and implement a range of strategies to
effectively deal with challenging behaviours in the classroom so that student learning and
well-being is optimised.
OR
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.
Developing Performance plan
Focus areas for
improvement
As identified in relevant
capability framework
Teacher example:
Professional Practice
Standard 4:
Create and maintain
supportive and safe
learning environments
4.3 Manage
challenging
behaviour
Agreed performance and Actions to develop capability
development goals
Indicators for success
Refer to Smart Goals
Framework
Be specific
What will you/others see if
your goal is achieved?
 By the end of Term 2 I
will research, develop
 Identify and observe
colleagues who apply a
range of effective
behaviour management
strategies
 Calm, safe and
productive learning
environment
and implement a range
of strategies to
effectively deal with
challenging behaviours
in the classroom so
that student learning
and well-being is
optimised.
 Set up work- shadowing
with colleague/s
 Access information and
courses on behaviour
management (e.g.
online resources,
teacher resource texts
from school library)
 Apply effective
behaviour management
strategies according to
individual student
needs
 Reflect on and adapt
behaviour management
 Using a greater
range of strategies
to deal with
challenging
behaviour
 Defusing
challenging
situations quickly
and with more
ease
 Evidence of
increased student
participation
resulting in
improved student
outcomes (e.g.
increased student
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techniques and
strategies
 Arrange for peer and/or
mentor observation of
behaviour management
strategies in lesson/s
 Seek feedback from
peer/mentor/supervisor
Public Servant in
school example:
By the end of May I will
 Identify and observe
actively listen to colleagues
good listeners in the
and clients, trying to see
workplace
things from their perspective  Listen carefully in
CLF 3 - 3 Supports
so that my workplace
productive working
conversations to
relationships, team
relationships
understand the words
3.2 c. Actively listens to effectiveness and
and the meanings
performance are enhanced.
colleagues and
clients
3.3 c. Tries to see things
from the other
person’s
perspective
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
Signature and date (team member)
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
engagement and
improved student
data)
 Positive and
constructive
feedback received
from
mentor/supervisor/
colleagues
 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)
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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.
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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 (phase 4).
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)
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