Overview

Starting or managing your professional growth should be as easy and effective as possible. That's why we've brought back the ability to nominate a Development Manager, a dedicated person who is not necessarily your direct manager, to actively support your development journey.

This feature is perfect for matrix organizations or situations where your formal manager isn't the best person to guide your specific career growth.

Why You'll Love Having a Development Manager:

Dedicated Support: Gain a focused coach to review and support your individual growth plans.
Full Context: Your nominated Development Manager gets consistent access to your past, current, and future development plans and goals, allowing them to coach you with complete context.
Clearer Communication: They receive timely notifications about your plan progress and development cycles, ensuring nothing is missed.
You're in Control: You, the employee, choose who this person is, and you can change or remove them at any time.

How to Nominate Your Development Manager

As an employee, you can select or change your Development Manager. Your Development Manager selection will apply to all your past, present, and future development plans and goals.

If you do not nominate a Development Manager, your Direct (Line) Manager will automatically receive visibility and notifications about your plans.

Path 1: During New Plan Creation (Recommended)

Start a new development plan.
Navigate to the Know Yourself section (Step 1 of the plan creation flow).
In the Development Manager field, use the search bar to find and select the person you want to support your growth.
Continue with setting up your plan. Your selection is automatically saved.

Path 2: From Your Develop Overview Page

Go to the Develop home page or your plan overview screen.
Look for the ellipsis menu in the right hand corner.
Click on the Development Manager option.
A pop-up window will appear where you can search for and select your Development Manager.
Click Save to confirm your choice.

Making Changes and Understanding Visibility

Removing or Changing Your Development Manager

You can change your Development Manager at any time using either of the paths above.

To remove a Development Manager and switch back to using your Line Manager for support and notifications, simply clear the manager in the Development Manager selection field.

How Visibility and Notifications Work

If you set a Development Manager...	If No Development Manager is set...
Notifications for plan progress and development cycles go only to the Development Manager.	Notifications go only to your Direct (Line) Manager.
The Development Manager gets view access to all your past, current, and future plans and linked development goals.	Your Direct (Line) Manager gets view access to all your plans and linked development goals.

Note: Development Managers and Line Managers can view and comment on your development goals. However, for your security and ownership, only you (the goal owner) can delete your own goals.

What Happens When My Direct Manager Changes?

If your Direct (Line) Manager changes in your employee profile, your selected Development Manager remains your dedicated growth partner. This setting acts as a "sticky override."

If your new Direct (Line) Manager happens to be the same person as your Development Manager, the platform will recognize this and consolidate notifications so they don't receive duplicate updates.

Best Practices for Getting the Most Value

✔️ Communicate the Role: Before nominating someone, talk to them! Confirm they are willing and able to take on the Development Manager role and understand that they will receive notifications about your progress.
✔️ Regular Check-ins: Proactively schedule time with your Development Manager to discuss your plans, review your goals, and get feedback. Their visibility is meant to support these conversations.
✔️ Understand the Difference: We use Direct (Line) Manager for the official reporting hierarchy and Development Manager for your dedicated development coach. This distinction ensures clarity, especially in complex organizational structures.

Troubleshooting/FAQs

Question	Answer
Who can assign or change this role?	Only the employee can assign, change, or clear their Development Manager.
Can I assign a different Development Manager for each of my individual development plans?	No, not at this time. The Development Manager role is set for you as a person, not for a specific plan. Your selection applies to all your current, past, and future development plans and goals.
Will the development manager see my past plans?	Yes. Once assigned, the Development Manager can see all your past, current, and future development plans and linked goals.
Can the Development Manager edit or delete my goals?	No. Visibility doesn’t grant delete rights; only goal owners can delete goals. Managers and Development Managers can comment (and delete their own comments) but do not have delete permissions on the goals themselves.
How do I remove the Development Manager?	Go to the selection field (during plan creation or the overview edit modal) and use the Clear control to revert to using your Direct (Line) Manager.
What happens to notifications if I set a Development Manager?	They go only to the Development Manager. Your Direct (Line) Manager will stop receiving them.