Development plan helps officers communicate their preferences
Posted 7/15/2011
Email story
Print story
by Debbie Gildea
Air Force Personnel, Services and Manpower Public Affairs
7/15/2011 - RANDOLPH AIR FORCE BASE, Texas (AFNS) -- Officers interested in specific development opportunities should use the Airman Development Plan to communicate their preferences to decision-makers, official said.
Although assignments are based on Air Force needs first, and then professional development, officer preferences communicated via the ADP also play a role.
The development plan is the electronic dream sheet officers use to tell supervisors, commanders and development teams where they want to go and what kind of responsibilities they are interested in, said Capt. Stephen Lawson, the Air Force Personnel Center mission support force development chief.
"If you don't use the ADP, you won't even be considered for some opportunities, like command positions," the captain said. "You will still get assignments when it's time, but without an ADP, you will only be considered based on Air Force needs and professional development, and you will have missed the opportunity for your voice to be heard."
"Be honest on the ADP," said Col. David Slade, the AFPC assignments director. "Don't put something in it that you don't want just because you think the Air Force wants it. You have to determine your real priorities and tell us what you want your future and career to look like. If you don't tell us what you really want, we will send you where we need you, with influences from preferences you list."
The development plan is used for more than telling the assignment team where you want to go, Lawson said.
"It's also a mentoring tool that allows you to share your plan with others who can objectively advise you on where your plan is likely to take you," he said.
Without involving more-experienced mentors in the career plan, officers may end up, again, in a place or on a path they really didn't want.
The tool is also used to vector officers for developmental education, like Air Command and Staff College, Air War College and more.
"There are three reasons to update an ADP," Lawson said. "First, if it's been a year, you should update it. Annual updates are important to make sure the most recent information is included. Situations change and you may not want what you said you wanted last year."
In addition, when an officer is hot for an assignment, he or she should update the ADP.
"It's another look before you're considered for an assignment," the captain said. "Do you really want to go where you said you want to go? If not, it's an opportunity to change your plan before the assignment team looks at you."
Finally, officers meeting a development team board should update their development plan.
"This is a critical time in every officer's career," Lawson said. "The DT is looking at you and making recommendations on your future development based on what you said you want. If you don't update your plan before the DT meets, you'll still get an assignment or get vectored to serve where the Air Force needs you, but without considering your preferences."
Officers who have not yet created a development plan can go to the secure site via the Air Force Portal, select the AFPC secure-applications link, select the ADP link, and follow the instructions to begin laying out their plan.
For more information about the ADP and other personnel issues, visit the Air Force personnel services website at https://gum-crm.csd.disa.mil. |
|
|
