You can build the foundation for effective CPD by taking stock of your achievements, experiences, skills and qualities in relation to both your personal and professional life.  As with other areas in business, identifying what you have already achieved provides a sound basis for planning for the future.  This stage therefore helps you to get a true picture of yourself as a starting point for action.

If your plans for keeping up to date and developing yourself further are going to work, they need to be based on an honest appraisal in three key areas:

• Core skills – areas of expertise
• Areas for improvement
• Future challenges and opportunities

When you consider these areas, you will probably find it helpful to share your ideas with other people including friends, family, colleagues, your manager or human resources personnel.T

his is the same kind of process that you would use to prepare for an appraisal at work, or for a job interview, ie considering your strengths, your weaknesses and any future opportunities or threats (doing a SWOT analysis).  Rather than starting from scratch, you can use notes from your last appraisal, preparation for an interview, your CV or your job description as the basis of this stage.

REVIEW – Where am I now?                                                          

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