Definición RápidaA career plan is a structured framework that defines the competencies, skills, and responsibilities at each level of a design team. A performance evaluation is the periodic process through which a manager and a team member review the latter’s performance based on that framework, celebrate achievements, and define goals for the future.
What Are Career Plans?
Imagine you are playing a role-playing video game. Your character starts at level 1. To level up, you need to earn experience points and acquire new skills. The game shows you a “skill tree” where you can clearly see what you need to reach level 2, level 10, and what new abilities you will unlock. It also lets you choose different classes, like “warrior” or “mage.”
A career plan (or “career ladder”) is that skill tree for a designer. It transparently defines:
- The levels: Junior, Mid-level, Senior, Staff, Principal.
- The competencies: The key skills at each level (e.g., Craft, Communication, Business Impact, Leadership).
- The expectations: What is expected of a designer at each level to be considered “successful.”
- The tracks: Generally two: the Individual Contributor (IC) track, for experts in the practice of design, and the Manager track, for those who want to lead people.
Why Are They Important?
- They provide clarity and transparency: They eliminate ambiguity about how to grow in the company. Designers know exactly what is expected of them to be promoted.
- They motivate and retain talent: They show team members that there is a future for them in the company and a clear path to reach it.
- They facilitate performance evaluation: They provide an objective framework for evaluating performance, making conversations fairer and more constructive.
- They help with hiring: They allow you to evaluate candidates consistently and assign them the correct level when joining the company.
Performance Evaluation
If the career plan is the map, the performance evaluation is the conversation about “where we are on the map and what our next destination is.” It is a formal process (usually every 6 or 12 months) that should contain no surprises.
A good performance evaluation:
- Is based on continuous feedback: Important feedback has already been given in 1-on-1 meetings throughout the semester. The evaluation is a formal summary.
- Is a two-way conversation: It is not a manager monologue. The designer should come prepared with their own self-assessment.
- Celebrates achievements: Start by recognizing wins and strengths.
- Identifies growth areas: Discuss improvement areas constructively, always based on the career plan framework.
- Defines future goals: Establish 2-3 clear and actionable goals for the next cycle.
Mentor Tips
- Separate performance conversations from compensation conversations: If you talk about a raise in the same meeting where you give improvement feedback, the person will only hear the former. Have separate conversations.
- The career plan is not a checklist: It is not about checking every box. It is a guide for growth. The evaluation should be holistic.
- Involve your team in creating the career plan: Ask your designers for feedback on the competencies and expectations. This increases buy-in and the quality of the framework.
- Feedback is a gift: Foster a culture where feedback (both positive and constructive) is seen as a tool for growth, not as personal criticism.
Resources and Guides
- Career Plan Examples:
- Progression.fyi: A huge collection of career plans from different tech companies.
- Figma’s Career Ladder: Figma made their career plan public – a great example.
- Books:
- Radical Candor by Kim Scott: Essential for learning to give good feedback.
- The Manager’s Path by Camille Fournier: Although focused on engineering, its concepts about the IC-to-manager transition are universal.