Free tool
Build your development plan as a software engineer
A good development plan for a software engineer has a few SMART goals: specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound. It mixes a skill to grow, a wider scope of impact and a step toward where you want to be in a year. Answer a few short questions and this free tool from Pathfinder Career Coach drafts three goals, a first step for each, and tips for taking the plan into your performance review or 1:1. You see the result straight away, without signing up, and nothing you type is stored.
Generated by AI from what you entered — check it before you use it.
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Edit the lines so the card says what you want it to say. The card is made in your browser and is never uploaded.
Work on these goals with the coach
Pathfinder Career Coach turns a plan into steady progress. Try it free.
Start the free trialHow it works
- Tell us your role, level and what you are working on now.
- Describe where you want to be in twelve months.
- Get three goals, a first step for each and tips for the conversation. Edit them before you use them.
Questions and answers
- What is a development plan?
- A development plan lists what you want to learn or change in your work over the next months, how you and your manager will see that it worked, and what support you need. In the Netherlands it is often called a POP (persoonlijk ontwikkelplan).
- What makes a goal SMART?
- A SMART goal is specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound. "Get better at system design" is vague. "Lead the design of one service and have it reviewed by two senior colleagues before the end of Q2" is something you can check.
- Is what I type stored?
- No. The text you enter is sent to an AI model hosted in the EU to write your plan, and is not stored. We keep only technical usage data, such as which tool ran and how long it took. See the privacy policy for details.
- Can I use the result as it is?
- Treat it as a first draft. It is written by AI from what you entered, so check every goal, make it fit your situation and talk it through with your manager.
How we handle your data is in ourprivacy policy.