BMAD-METHOD/src/modules/career-coach/checklists/career-planning-checklist.md

Career Planning Checklist

Overview

This checklist ensures your career development plan is comprehensive, actionable, and aligned with your long-term goals. Use this checklist to validate your career planning process and identify any gaps or areas for improvement.

Career Vision and Goals

Long-term Vision

• Clear 5-10 year vision - Do you have a specific vision of where you want to be in 5-10 years?
• Role specificity - Is your target role clearly defined with specific responsibilities?
• Industry alignment - Does your vision align with your preferred industry or sector?
• Geographic considerations - Have you considered where you want to work geographically?
• Impact goals - Do you have specific goals for the impact you want to make?

Medium-term Goals (1-3 years)

• Specific milestones - Do you have clear, measurable milestones for the next 1-3 years?
• Realistic timeline - Are your goals achievable within the specified timeframe?
• Skill development targets - Have you identified specific skills to develop?
• Career advancement steps - Do you have a clear path for career progression?
• Network building goals - Have you set specific networking objectives?

Short-term Objectives (6-12 months)

• Immediate actions - Do you have specific actions to take in the next 6-12 months?
• Measurable outcomes - Can you measure progress toward each objective?
• Resource requirements - Have you identified resources needed for each objective?
• Timeline specificity - Do you have specific deadlines for each objective?
• Priority ranking - Have you prioritized objectives by importance and urgency?

Current Situation Assessment

Self-Assessment

• Strengths identification - Have you identified your key strengths and competencies?
• Weaknesses awareness - Are you honest about areas needing improvement?
• Values alignment - Do your career goals align with your personal values?
• Motivation factors - Do you understand what motivates you professionally?
• Work preferences - Have you considered your preferred work environment and style?

Market Analysis

• Industry research - Have you researched current industry trends and opportunities?
• Salary benchmarking - Do you understand market compensation for your target roles?
• Demand analysis - Have you assessed demand for your target skills and roles?
• Competitive landscape - Do you understand the competitive landscape?
• Geographic market - Have you researched opportunities in your target locations?

Skills Assessment

• Current skills inventory - Have you documented all your current skills?
• Skill level evaluation - Have you honestly assessed your proficiency levels?
• Required skills identification - Do you know what skills are needed for your target roles?
• Skill gap analysis - Have you identified gaps between current and required skills?
• Development priorities - Have you prioritized skills for development?

Action Planning

Learning and Development

• Learning objectives - Do you have specific learning objectives for each skill?
• Learning methods - Have you identified effective learning methods for each skill?
• Resource identification - Do you have access to the resources needed for learning?
• Timeline planning - Have you created a realistic timeline for skill development?
• Practice opportunities - Have you identified opportunities to practice new skills?

Networking Strategy

• Network assessment - Have you evaluated your current professional network?
• Target connections - Have you identified people you need to connect with?
• Outreach plan - Do you have a plan for reaching out to new connections?
• Relationship building - Have you planned how to build and maintain relationships?
• Value proposition - Do you know what value you can offer to your network?

Career Advancement

• Internal opportunities - Have you explored advancement opportunities within your organization?
• External opportunities - Have you researched opportunities in other organizations?
• Promotion criteria - Do you understand what's needed for promotion in your field?
• Lateral moves - Have you considered lateral moves that could advance your career?
• Timing strategy - Have you planned the timing of career moves?

Implementation Planning

Timeline and Milestones

• Quarterly milestones - Do you have major milestones for each quarter?
• Monthly activities - Have you broken down goals into monthly activities?
• Weekly tasks - Do you have specific weekly tasks to work toward your goals?
• Progress tracking - Have you established methods to track progress?
• Adjustment points - Have you planned when to review and adjust your plan?

Resource Planning

• Time allocation - Have you allocated sufficient time for career development activities?
• Financial resources - Have you budgeted for career development expenses?
• Support systems - Do you have support from family, friends, or mentors?
• Professional development - Have you identified professional development opportunities?
• Tools and resources - Do you have access to necessary tools and resources?

Risk Management

• Obstacle identification - Have you identified potential obstacles to your career goals?
• Contingency plans - Do you have backup plans for major obstacles?
• Market risks - Have you considered risks related to market changes?
• Personal constraints - Have you addressed personal constraints that might affect your plan?
• Flexibility planning - Is your plan flexible enough to adapt to changes?

Success Metrics and Evaluation

Progress Indicators

• Quantitative metrics - Do you have measurable indicators of progress?
• Qualitative feedback - Have you planned how to get qualitative feedback?
• Skill assessments - Do you have methods to assess skill development?
• Network growth - How will you measure network expansion and quality?
• Career advancement - How will you measure career progression?

Evaluation Schedule

• Monthly reviews - Do you have a schedule for monthly progress reviews?
• Quarterly assessments - Have you planned quarterly comprehensive assessments?
• Annual planning - Do you have an annual career planning review process?
• Adjustment process - Have you established a process for making adjustments?
• Goal revision - Do you have criteria for when to revise goals?

Documentation and Communication

Plan Documentation

• Written plan - Do you have your career plan documented in writing?
• Goal clarity - Are your goals clearly stated and specific?
• Action specificity - Are your actions specific and actionable?
• Timeline clarity - Is your timeline clear and realistic?
• Resource documentation - Have you documented required resources?

Communication Strategy

• Mentor communication - Have you shared your plan with mentors or advisors?
• Manager alignment - Have you aligned your plan with your manager (if applicable)?
• Network sharing - Have you shared relevant parts of your plan with your network?
• Family support - Have you discussed your plan with family members?
• Accountability partners - Do you have accountability partners for your goals?

Quality Assurance

Completeness Check

• All areas covered - Does your plan address all major career development areas?
• No gaps identified - Have you identified and addressed any gaps in your plan?
• Consistency check - Are all parts of your plan consistent with each other?
• Realism assessment - Is your plan realistic given your constraints and timeline?
• Motivation alignment - Does your plan align with what motivates you?

Actionability Check

• Specific actions - Can you take immediate action on your plan?
• Clear next steps - Do you know exactly what to do next?
• Resource availability - Do you have access to the resources you need?
• Timeline feasibility - Is your timeline realistic and achievable?
• Success probability - Do you have a reasonable chance of success?

Final Validation

Commitment Check

• Personal commitment - Are you personally committed to executing this plan?
• Time commitment - Are you willing to invest the time required?
• Resource commitment - Are you willing to invest the resources required?
• Flexibility commitment - Are you willing to adapt the plan as needed?
• Long-term perspective - Are you thinking long-term about your career?

Readiness Assessment

• Immediate readiness - Are you ready to start implementing your plan immediately?
• Support readiness - Do you have the support you need to succeed?
• Resource readiness - Do you have the resources you need to succeed?
• Skill readiness - Do you have the foundational skills needed to succeed?
• Mindset readiness - Are you in the right mindset to pursue your goals?

Scoring and Action Items

Quality Score

• Excellent (90-100%): All critical items checked, comprehensive and actionable plan
• Good (80-89%): Most critical items checked, good plan with minor gaps
• Needs Improvement (70-79%): Some critical items missing, plan needs refinement
• Requires Significant Work (Below 70%): Many critical items missing, plan needs major revision

Next Steps

Based on your checklist results:

1. Address any unchecked critical items - Focus on high-priority gaps
2. Refine your plan - Make adjustments based on checklist findings
3. Set implementation timeline - Create specific timeline for plan execution
4. Establish accountability - Set up systems to track progress and maintain accountability
5. Schedule regular reviews - Plan regular reviews to assess progress and make adjustments