Assignment: Preparing a Professional Development Plan

A construction crew does not begin to build a new house without the architects blueprint. Though issues may arise during construction that require changes to the blueprint, a blueprint serves as the necessary plan for construction and helps the crew visualize and track the impact of any changes.

Most business initiatives begin with some sort of plan, though type and quality vary. As a business professional, you may have heard of the value of strategic planning and may have even been part of a strategic planning process. Yet, many independent scholars begin a doctoral program without a clear vision or plan for achieving their goals.

Detailing your goals and developing a plan in writing provides you with a document to which you can refer in order to maintain your focus. Having a plan in place will help you visualize the impact of challenges and opportunities that arise so that you can make changes to your plans and goals as often as necessary to ensure your personal and professional satisfaction and success.

To prepare for this Assignment, consider the personal SWOT analysis you completed and the goals you developed in Week 1. Reflect upon your experiences so far in this program and any insights you have gained since you created those goals. In addition, review your PLN plan from Week 4 and the results of The New Drivers of Leadership Self-Assessment that you completed this week. Finally, return to the interactive media Voices of DBA Students. This time, focus on the independent scholars descriptions of their goals, their plans, and the challenges they faced in achieving their goals. You will use the Professional Development Plan template to complete this Assignment.

By Day 7
Submit a 5- to 7-page (excluding a title page and References section) Professional Development Plan (PDP). In your Plan, do the following:

Further develop the goals you crafted in Week 1 of this course. Each goals narrative must incorporate the following:
A statement of your goal
An explanation of your motivation for wanting to achieve the goal and how it relates to your personal values
A brief description of the steps you intend to take to accomplish your goal, including any relevant tools, strategies, or resources
An explanation of how you plan to use technology and/or social media to promote completion of your goal
An explanation of how these steps reflect consideration of personal strengths and weaknesses relevant to the goal
A timeline for completion of your goal
Use your SWOT analysis, PLN, and The New Drivers of Leadership Self-Assessment results as guides to ensure alignment.
Include appropriate references cited in accordance with appropriate APA formatting. Your References section must include a minimum of five APA-formatted, scholarly citations. Your resources must include the following:
Two to three readings (e.g., book, periodical, journal, etc.)
At least two forms of technology and/or social media sites that will contribute to the formation of your own PDP
At least one other resource (e.g., SWOT analysis, The New Drivers of Leadership Self-Assessment results, and/or your Personal Learning Network [PLN] plan)
Be sure to use the Professional Development Plan Template, located in this weeks Learning Resources, to complete this Assignment. Also, refer to the Week 5 Assignment Rubric for specific grading elements and criteria. Your Instructor will use this rubric to assess your work. Please Note: You must include a minimum of five APA-formatted, scholarly citations for this Assignment.