Free Career Path Template (Excel)
What's in the free career path template
The template is a single Development Plan sheet: one row per skill or competency an employee needs for their next role. Each row captures the employee, their current role, their target role, the specific skill, a current level, a target level, a target date, and notes.
Because it's row-per-skill rather than one plan per employee, you can track development plans for your whole team in one sheet, filtering or sorting by employee when you need a single person's plan for a 1:1.
Scoring current vs. target level: the gap, calculated
Score each skill 1-5 for where the employee is now, and 1-5 for where they need to be for the target role. The Gap column subtracts current from target automatically, so a skill that's already at the target level shows 0 (or negative, if they've exceeded it), and conditional formatting flags larger gaps in amber so they stand out.
This turns a vague conversation ('you need to grow into this role') into a specific, numbered list of exactly which skills still need work and by how much.
Using target dates and the summary to track progress
Each skill row has its own target date, so a development plan isn't just a list of gaps — it's a list of gaps with a deadline attached. The summary block counts total skills tracked and how many are already at target, giving you a quick sense of how close an employee is to being ready for the role.
The average gap across all tracked skills is also calculated, useful when you're comparing readiness across a few employees being considered for the same promotion.
Using this template for 1:1s and reviews
Because the sheet is just a skill-by-skill list with numbers, it works well as a living document you revisit in each 1:1 — update the current level as the employee grows, and watch the gap column shrink over time rather than starting a new plan each review cycle.
It also pairs naturally with a performance review: use the review to identify skill gaps, then move the specific skills that need work into this template with a real target date attached.
How to use it
- List each skill an employee needs to move from their current role to the target role.
- Score current and target level 1-5 for every skill — the gap calculates automatically.
- Set a target date per skill so each gap has a real deadline.
- Check the summary for skills tracked, skills at target, and the average gap.
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PTO & Leave Tracker — with Automatic Accrual
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See the full versionFrequently asked questions
Can I use this career path template in Google Sheets?
Yes. Upload the downloaded file to Google Drive, then open it and choose File > Save as Google Sheets. The gap calculations keep working.
Is this template really free?
Yes. You give an email address to download it, and then it's yours to use with no further cost.
How many skills or employees can I track?
The sheet holds up to 60 rows, which you can split across several employees' skill lists or dedicate to one detailed plan per person.
Does it include a Gantt-style timeline chart?
It includes a skill gap chart plotted by skill, not a Gantt timeline. Use the Target date column alongside the gap chart to plan your own sequencing.
Can I use this for succession planning across a whole team?
Yes. Add a row per skill for each employee you're developing, and use the Employee column to filter or sort the sheet by person when you need an individual view.