Personal Development Plan (PDP): Skills Audit Report for Business

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Study and Employment Skills Audit Report and PDP
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Table of Contents
1.0 Introduction..............................................................................................................................3
2.0 Audit and Evaluation of key skills............................................................................................3
3.0 Conclusion.............................................................................................................................10
Reference list...............................................................................................................................12
Appendix......................................................................................................................................13

1.0 Introduction
There are different types of skills and developments that an individual acquires and goes
through while performing any task or group activity. In this report, a detailed discussion will be
made on the skills acquired and developed from being the member of Mili’s Charity and raising
funds for Teenage Cancer Trust. It will reflect on the individual contribution, the overall team
performance, the experiences gathered from this team project along with stating the areas of
development and the avenues for bringing about improvement. The report also states the
opportunities that are present for learning and developing while being at the university.
2.0 Audit and Evaluation of key skills
2.1. Examination and evaluation of the development of your skills through this formative
exercise through the consideration of the key study and employment skills for business
Any sort of work, be it in the form of teams or individually done, helps an individual in the
development of different types of skills and experiences (Jackson, 2015). According to Judge
(2017), teamwork is one of the most significant ways with which the skills of a person can be
developed in an effective manner. The environment of a teamwork not only helps individuals in
building relationships among one another but also help them in the development of their
communication skills, focusing on their strengths and weaknesses, enhancing their talents and
understanding what are the skills that they require developing for performing better.
The Teenage Cancer Trust is a charitable trust operating in the UK (Teenagecancertrust.org,
2019). It is dedicated towards helping out young people affected with cancer who are in the
need of support and specialized nursing care. The organisation is the only charitable trust
providing such services and health care support to young people affected with cancer. However,
the organisation Teenage Cancer Trust, due to the lack of enough funds, is currently able to
provide help only to half of the young people who have been diagnosed with cancer. As a team
of 3 people including me, Mili’s Charity (the name of our group), was trying to raise funds for
teenage cancer research. In order to raise the funds, we had arranged for a table, which was
placed on the third floor of our university building. Through this table, cookies were sold. Each of
us had spent 10 pounds for arranging the table and making the cookies. However, when the
table was arranged, our group was able to collect only 13 pounds for Teenage Cancer Trust.
This amount was transferred to the organisation as our support to it.

However, through this teamwork and collection of money for Teenage Cancer Trust, each of the
team members has developed various skills. The following are the list of the skills that have
been developed through this formative exercise of collecting and raising funds for Teenage
Cancer Trust -
 Teamwork - It is necessary for all individuals to develop and enhance their teamwork
skills (Morton and Weinstein, 2015). While working as a group of three, starting from
conducting research, communicating with one another to making decisions and
collaborating with each other, each step taken has been helpful for developing teamwork
skills. I have learnt the requirements that I need to possess within myself in order to be a
part of a team and work effectively within it to achieve the goals for which the team had
been formed.
 Communications - Through the medium of working as a group, communication is one
of the key skills, which an individual can be developing (Arnold et al., 2015). While
working as a team for raising funds for Teenage Cancer Trust, we had to maintain a
constant communication with one another in order to coordinate our tasks and keep
ourselves updated regarding the steps or activities that we would be performing. Due to
this reason, I was able to develop effective skills of communication.
 Research - In order to perform or execute any task, it is important to conduct a detailed
research (Hair Jr, 2015). For executing the fund raising task that was performed, we had
to conduct a research on the demand of cookies within youngsters as well as elderly
people, as we had planned to sell cookies within the university premises for raising the
funds. Hence, I have been able to develop effective research skills.
 Planning - Planning is also considered as a skill that individuals working as a team or as
an individual require possessing, as without planning, it becomes difficult to execute any
sort of work successfully (Osburn et al., 2015). For the fund raising task for Teenage
Cancer Trust, I had to sit with my team and prepare a clear and effective plan with which
all the tasks involved in the group task could be performed. Thus, planning is yet another
skill that I was able to develop through this group task.
 Decision-making - Apart from the importance of decision-making as a task, decision-
making is also a skill, which individuals require developing within themselves
(Romiszowski, 2016). Making good and effective decisions is a skill since an individual
requires having the capacity and the intellect to make correct decisions. In order to raise
funds for Teenage Cancer Trust, we had to make several decisions as a group. Through
these decisions, I have been able to develop effectual skills for decision-making.

 Time management - Skills are also required being developed by an individual for time
management (Kerzner and Kerzner, 2017). For the fund raising task for Teenage Cancer
Trust, time management was one of the main issues that was being faced and due to
which the group was able to generate only 13 pounds. However, since this issue
occurred due to improper management of time, I have been able to understand why is
time management important and how can time be managed even while working within a
team.
According to World Economic Forum (2016), there are different kinds of skills that employers try
to find or prefer having within a candidate while selecting him or her for employment. The skills
that have been discussed above are the key skills that employers of a company look into while
hiring a candidate. Thus, these skills developed from the group task or the formative exercise
has been helpful for developing employment skills for business.
2.2 Assessment of the individual contribution and the overall team performance
Personal and professional development is an important factor to be considered for all
individuals. This is because personal and professional development not only helps in the
management of one’s learning and growth but also helps him or her to analyze the contribution
they made in a specific task or teamwork. According to Morrow Jr et al. (2015), in addition to the
analysis of the individual contribution, it is also necessary to evaluate the overall team
performance. This is going to help an individual in evaluating the performance of their team and
their own performance in respect to the entire team.
From the evaluation of the performance and the tasks that had been performed while being a
member of Mili’s Charity and raising funds for Teenage Cancer Trust, it can be seen that the
overall performance of the team was neither too good nor too bad. However, it can be seen that
the team has not been able to achieve its targets of raising funds. While the investment of the
group members was 30 pounds, the earnings from selling the cookies were only 13 pounds.
This shows that the overall performance of the team was not that great. However, it was not that
poor as well. Since the target of the group was to earn 20 pounds but it has ended up earning
13 pounds, it cannot be said that the team has not at all been able to come close to the target.
Thus, it can be said that the overall team performance was satisfactory in nature.
Each of the team members were cooperative in nature and everyone performed the tasks they
had been assigned to perform. There was a good coordination among the members of the
group. However, due to the lack of experience among all the members of the group, there

aroused the issue of time management, thereby leading to lower amount of funds raised than
the amount that had been targeted.
Coming to my individual contribution, I would say that I had a considerable contribution to the
fund raising activity or task. This is because I had the entire responsibility of research on what
can be possible ways with which our group can raise funds for Teenage Cancer Trust. I came
up with the idea of preparing and selling cookies for raising funds. It was also my responsibility
to purchase all the materials to sell the cookies within the university campus and find out the
recipes of preparing different types of cookies along with staying at the stall while they were
being sold. According to me, the first two responsibilities I had and the tasks I performed were of
utmost importance in this group task. Hence, this was my individual contribution towards the
group task.
2.3. Demonstration of the development that took place with specific examples and
evidence
While performing or executing a certain task, there are various developments, which take place
within an individual (Evans and Eys, 2015). Before starting with this group task, there were
certain skills possessed inside me such as willingness to learn, a positive attitude, self-
management, thinking skills and resilience. However, through the medium of this task, I have
been able to develop and acquire different kinds of skills. They are as follows -
 Teamwork
 Communication
 Research
 Planning
 Decision-making
 Organizing
All these skills have been developed through different instances. For example, when one of my
group members arranged the table through which we sold cookies and organized the way in
which we would be selling them, I developed an understanding and got an experience of what
organizing skills are. On the other hand, the research I made and the plan I provided to sell
cookies helped me in the development of both research skills as well as planning skills. Before
being a part of this group task, I have never performed any task in a team. By working with
everyone together and coordinating with them, I have been able to develop my teamwork skills.

On the other hand, the different decisions that we made as a team helped in understanding how
decisions must be made, thereby helping me in the development of my decision-making skills.
2.4. Reflection upon 2-3 experiences in the team project process using a cycle / model of
reflection to support your discussions, e.g. Honey & Mumford, Gibbs Reflective Cycle etc
There are different kinds of processes involved in a team project. These processes can be
reflected with the support of different types of theories and models. For example, the Honey &
Mumford theory and the Gibbs Reflective Cycle are the two most common models, which can
be used for reflecting upon the processes of a team project (Bassot, 2015). One of the most
interesting experiences I had during this team project is brainstorming the idea of selling
cookies, conducting group discussions for planning, and playing the role of a campaigner. This
experience of mine in the project process can be related to the Honey & Mumford model.
According to Deb and Bhattacharya (2018), the Honey & Mumford model refers to four types of
learning styles - activist, theorist, pragmatist and reflector. As per these four learning style, I can
relate them to my experience in the team project process as an activist, as I learned by doing
and my roles involved brainstorming, holding group discussions and role-play.
Another experience of mine in the group task is that in this task, I was supposed to conduct a
research and then plan what would be our action plan, followed by a discussion with group
members for finding out their opinions about the plan and finally implement it. This process in
the team project of developing the idea and preparing the action plan can be related to the
Gibbs Reflective Cycle. According to Smith and Roberts (2015), the Gibbs Reflective Cycle
encourages an individual in thinking systematically about the activities and experiences to
structure one’s reflection. The following figure shows the Gibbs reflective cycle -

Figure 1: Figure showing the Gibbs Reflective Cycle
(Source: Tanaka et al., 2018)
The cycle shown above precisely comprises of the steps through which I have went while
performing my role in the team project. Thus, these were the two main experiences I had in the
process of team project.
2.5. Reference to the qualitative and quantitative evidence to support the above, e.g.
feedback from peers, team targets (statistics)
In addition to self analysis, there are often the needs of acquiring feedbacks from other people
and peers in order to understand their opinions regarding one’s own performance and consider
what they feel regarding the role you played in a team project (Patchan et al., 2018). Due to this
reason, after the team project was completed, I had set different targets for the team. Through
the comparison of the team targets and the results, that the team has actually ended up with is
going to be useful for supporting the evaluation of the performance of the team. The quantitative
evidence of the targets of the team includes the following -
 Raising funds worth minimum of 20 pounds
 Completion of all cookies within 10 am to 5 pm
 Effective management of time and preparation of cookies within 2 hours

However, from the comparison of these targets of the team with the actual results show that the
team has not been successful in achieving any of these targets. On the other hand, the
qualitative evidence that had been ensured for acquiring feedback related to the team project is
the feedback provided by peers. The team had provided a feedback form to four of its peer in
order to see what their opinions were regarding the tasks performed by it. Each of the peers, in
their individual feedback forms, stated that the cookies sold by the team were quite tasty, the
idea was unique and the concept was great. However, all of them also mentioned that there
were time management issues from the group and there were no proper supply of cookies,
resulting into buyers waiting for cookies being prepared. Thus, these are the quantitative and
qualitative evidence of supporting the discussions made above.
2.6. Discussion of the areas for development and the avenues for improvement that is
intended to be pursued in the PDP.
According to Cottrell (2015), a personal development plan, also called a PDP, is a personal
mean through which individuals set out strategies, goals, and outcomes of their own learning
and training for developing skills and improving their competencies. As per the reflection on the
team project, there have been several areas found in which development and improvement is
needed. The following table shows the areas and the avenues for improvements intended on
being pursued in the personal development plan -
Personal developments that took
place in the project
Areas in which Learning and
Development is needed
Timescale for
the skills to be
developed
 Teamwork skills  Time Management Skills 12 months
 Communication skills  Thinking skills 12 to 13 months
 Research skills  Problem solving skills 13 to 14 months
 Planning skills  Leadership skills 6 to 12 months
 Decision-making skills  Negotiation skills 3 to months
 Organizing skills  Conflict management skills 2 months
2.7. Determine the areas that need to be developed with regard to these skills.
In order to develop the certain skills, there are different areas that require being developed. For
example, in order to develop time management skills, an understanding on how much time can
be consumed for each task can be developed. Similarly, in order to develop problem solving,
negotiation and conflict management skills, thinking skills and decision-making skills require

being enhanced. On the other hand, for the development of leadership skills, an understanding
on the behavior and needs of team members is needed to be developed. In this way, different
areas require being developed with regarding to the above skills.
2.8. Exploration and consideration of the opportunities to learn and develop whilst at
University
In order to learn new things and develop certain skills, there are certain opportunities needed.
While studying in the University, one can get a large number of opportunities, which they can be
using in order to learn and develop themselves. For example, while being in the university, there
are different kinds of seminars held in it. Attending these seminars help the students in gaining
an in-depth knowledge on a wide number of facts. At the same time, there are different types of
lectures and presentations provided to students in their classes for making them understand
different things. This is yet another opportunity for learning and developing. On the other hand,
various types of activities such as the group task for raising funds are a good way through which
students can be getting opportunities whilst they are at the university. This is yet another way in
which students get opportunities of learning and developing themselves. Various colleges also
offer internships, which is yet another good way of learning and developing.
3.0 Conclusion
Hence, from all the discussions made in this report and its findings, it can be concluded that
being a member of the Mili’s Charity group and raising funds for Teenage Cancer Trust has
been a great experience. It has not only helped in developing a wide range of skills but has also
helped in understanding the skills that are require to be developed in the future. The discussions
also helped in the preparation of a personal development plan that consists of a detailed
statement of the skills needed to be developed in the future and the time that will be needed to
develop them. Thus, this report has been of great importance for gaining an understanding on
employment skills.

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