Explore the key features and updates of Culture Amp’s Employee Development Product released in 2025.
Tip: Catch up on key releases from last year in our Employee Development product updates 2024 article.
2 September 2025 – Transition to Competency-Based Development Plans
Starting today, all skills-based development plans have been closed and made read-only as we complete the move to competency-based plans. This change ensures employees and managers benefit from the improved structure, insights, and flexibility that competency-based development offers.
What’s New:
Skills-based development plans are now closed and read-only.
HR administrators and employees were notified via email and in-platform banners.
Employees are encouraged to create a new competency-based plan to continue their growth journey.
For FAQs and more details, visit our support article.
28 August 2025 – Direct Managers Now Linked to Development Plans
All Development Plans in Develop are now automatically connected to an employee’s Direct Manager. This update makes it easier for managers to support their teams and keeps manager roles consistent across Culture Amp.
What’s New:
Development Plans now automatically link to an employee’s Direct Manager.
Employees no longer need to select a Development Manager when creating their Individual Development Plans.
If a Direct Manager changes, the new manager will automatically gain access to the employee’s plans.
Learn more in our support article.
8 July 2025 – Goal Comments Now Available in Develop
You can now collaborate more easily on development goals with goal comments in the Develop module. Employees, managers, and HR admins can add, view, and delete comments—just like in the Goals experience—without needing to switch between modules.
What’s New:
Add, view, and delete comments on development goals in Develop
Commenting experience now matches what you’re used to in Goals created outside of Develop
Keep goal conversations in context, right where development happens
Note: Develop Admins won’t see comments unless they also have Account Admin or Goal Admin permissions.
5 May 2025 – Career Path Enhancements: AI-Powered Role Comparison Summaries
We’ve taken role comparison in Career Paths to the next level! AI-powered Role Comparison Summaries are now generally available in Develop. Building on our earlier release of side-by-side role comparisons, this new feature adds a smart summary section that highlights the key similarities and differences between roles—instantly.
Using generative AI, these summaries make it easier to understand how roles relate to each other, helping employees and managers have more informed conversations about promotions, lateral moves, or career transitions.
It’s a powerful, time-saving way to support meaningful career development across your organization. Learn more.
29 April 2025 - Development Goal Actions Are Now Live in GA!
We’ve rolled out an upgrade to Development Goals: actionable checklists are here!
Instead of broad goals like “Mastering Excel,” you can now break things down into specific, trackable Actions – making your development journey clearer and more achievable.
What You Can Do Now:
Add multiple, specific actions to each development goal
Track progress with simple checkboxes
Show real progress with completed actions
Follow a clearer, more structured path to growth
All new development goals will use Actions by default. Existing goals will still show Key Results – no changes needed on your end. This update works across both the Develop Module and Goals UI – the user interface will automatically show the right format based on your goal type. Check out the guide to creating and aligning goals to learn more.
21 Jan 2025 - Career Paths Enhancements: New Role Comparison and Usability Improvements
We’re excited to announce usability improvements to Career Paths, including a new full-page role view and a side-by-side role comparison feature! These updates make it easier for employees to understand role expectations and compare them directly, helping with career decisions like promotions, lateral moves, or transitioning to new areas. We’ve redesigned the role layout for better readability and streamlined the comparison process based on user feedback. Plus, stay tuned for an AI-generated summary of key role differences coming soon!
For more details, check out out support guide.
8 Jan 2025 - Export Development Plan Raw Data
You can now export a CSV file of raw data from employees' most recent development plans. The export includes non-confidential information, such as goals, plan objectives, and other structured and unstructured data.
This feature helps you:
Integrate data: Combine development planning data with performance outcomes or employee demographics for deeper insights.
Create custom reports: Build tailored reports and visualizations to answer specific questions beyond standard reporting.
Analyze trends: Use AI tools to identify patterns in free-text data, such as goals and growth areas.
Learn more in our How to Export Development Plan Data article.
💬 Need help? Just reply with "Ask a Person" in a support conversation to speak with a Product Support Specialist.