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People Development Diagnostic

Your People Development Diagnostic report

Example organisation

Head of People / HR Director / CPO · 26 October 2026

  • 46Talent infrastructureBuilding
  • 17Talent impactSignificant Concerns
  • 25Delivery readinessCapacity Under Pressure

Your summary

The essentials on one page: what your answers show, what to focus on, what to do first and what it will take. The detail and evidence follow, with a printable starter tool linked from each priority.

Your main finding

Learning is mostly about compliance

Most of your learning effort, or your learning platform, goes on mandatory training. A first step is to move some of it to the capabilities the business needs.

Talent infrastructure 46/100 (Building) · Delivery readiness 25/100 (Capacity Under Pressure)

Your three priorities

  1. 1Free up capacity before adding more prioritiesYour team has more to deliver than the time and expertise it has, and several areas need work.
    Now: next 30 daysAgree the few priorities that matter most and what can pause.
  2. 2Protect the people you can least afford to loseYour answers suggest you don’t yet have a clear, shared view of who your critical people are and what is keeping them.
    Now: next 30 daysIdentify your critical roles and the people in them you would most want to keep.
  3. 3Make good management the normEngagement and management quality are closely linked in your answers, and standards may not yet be applied consistently.
    Now: next 30 daysPick the two or three teams where the problem is most pressing and listen to what is going on.

What this will take

Time
Your answers suggest your team is mostly reacting. Protect a regular block of time each week for these priorities, or day-to-day work will crowd them out.
Ownership
Give each priority one named owner with the authority to make decisions, not HR alone, and review progress with your leadership team once a month.
Support
You are likely to need extra capacity or specialist help to make progress at the pace you want.

Talk your results through

Book a 30-minute call with Anneka to go through your results together. We'll test your priorities against what the business needs, agree realistic first steps for your team and talk through where support could help.

The rest of this report explains each score, your foundations and each priority in full, with a link to its printable starter tool, followed by your plan on a page.

At a glance

Talent infrastructure

46

out of 100

Building

Where you sit

Some good practice exists, but it is uneven or not yet joined up.

Talent impact

17

out of 100

Significant Concerns

Where you sit

The outcomes you reported point to significant concerns.

  • 4 of 4 outcomes known

Delivery readiness

25

out of 100

Capacity Under Pressure

Where you sit

Your team is mainly reacting. Progress on priorities will need protected time or support.

  • Data visibility: Good visibility (1 “I don't know” answer)
  • Answered by: Head of People / HR Director / CPO

How to read this report

These results are based on one person's answers about how things are now. Start with the three scores, then your seven people development areas and the basics. Your priorities set out a few practical steps for the next 30 days, 3 months and 6 to 12 months.

Your Seven People Development Areas

The further a point sits from the centre, the stronger that area. The rings mark 40, 60 and 80, where one band moves to the next.
  1. 1Business Priorities & Future Skills50% · Building
  2. 2Leadership & Management50% · Building
  3. 3Talent, Succession & Retention42% · Building
  4. 4Career & Internal Mobility35% · Starting Out
  5. 5Learning & Development46% · Building
  6. 6Performance50% · Building
  7. 7Talent Data, AI & Technology49% · Building

Strongest areas

  • Business Priorities & Future Skills
  • Leadership & Management

Areas to look at first

  • Career & Internal Mobility
  • Talent, Succession & Retention

“I don't know” answers by area

  • Career & Internal Mobility: 1

Your foundations

These eight basics hold everything else up. Each one is shown as a gap, partly in place or in place, with what it means for the organisation and a practical next step. You can share this page as it stands.

Gaps: 0 · Partly in place: 8 · In place: 0

Basics in place: 0 of 8

Partly in place (8)

Something is in place, but it isn't consistent or doesn't reach everyone yet.

  • People strategy

    Partly in place
    Where you are
    There is a written people strategy, but it isn't closely linked to the business plan.
    Why it matters
    Without a people strategy tied to the business plan, people decisions are made one at a time and it is hard to show leaders what the People team is delivering.
    What good looks like
    A people strategy linked to the business plan, reviewed regularly and used to decide where time and budget go.
    Next step
    Link each people priority to a business goal and agree how progress will be reported to leaders.

  • Talent and succession discussions

    Partly in place
    Where you are
    Talent discussions happen in some areas of the organisation but not others.
    Why it matters
    Without regular talent discussions, there is no shared view of who your critical people are, who could step up and who you might lose, so departures come as a surprise.
    What good looks like
    Leaders meet regularly, in most areas, to review critical roles, key people, successors and retention risk against agreed criteria for performance and potential, and agree actions.
    Next step
    Agree one definition of potential and one set of talent review criteria, so every area judges talent the same way, then roll the format out to the areas that don't yet hold talent discussions.

  • Career conversations

    Partly in place
    Where you are
    Career conversations happen once a year, as part of the appraisal.
    Why it matters
    When people can't see a future with you, they tend to look for it elsewhere. Career conversations are one of the simplest ways to keep good people.
    What good looks like
    Regular career conversations for most colleagues, with the outcomes noted and followed up.
    Next step
    Separate career conversations from the appraisal and hold them at least once more in the year.

  • Learning and development offer

    Partly in place
    Where you are
    Learning is mainly mandatory and compliance training.
    Why it matters
    If learning is ad hoc or mainly compliance, it isn't building the capabilities the business needs next.
    What good looks like
    Compliance training plus planned development for priority groups, based on the capabilities the business needs.
    Next step
    Plan development for one or two priority groups, beyond compliance, based on the capabilities you need.

  • Learning platform

    Partly in place
    Where you are
    The learning platform is mainly used to deliver and record compliance training.
    Why it matters
    A learning platform that is unused or compliance-only is a cost that isn't helping people grow. Without one, you need another reliable way to plan and record learning.
    What good looks like
    Compliance training plus development for priority groups, recorded and planned, whether through a platform or a simple learning calendar.
    Next step
    Add one or two development paths linked to your priority capabilities, and report on their use.

  • Coaching and mentoring

    Partly in place
    Where you are
    Coaching is available for some senior leaders only.
    Why it matters
    Coaching and mentoring are among the most effective ways to grow managers and future leaders; without them, development depends on luck.
    What good looks like
    A coaching or mentoring programme for managers and priority groups.
    Next step
    Extend coaching or mentoring to managers and one other priority group.

  • Performance reviews

    Partly in place
    Where you are
    There is an annual review, but not everyone completes it.
    Why it matters
    Without consistent performance reviews, people don't know what is expected of them and you can't fairly spot strong or struggling performance.
    What good looks like
    An annual review plus a mid-year check-in, completed by everyone.
    Next step
    Get every review completed, add a mid-year check-in and report completion to leaders.

  • People data systems

    Partly in place
    Where you are
    There is an HR system for core records only.
    Why it matters
    Without reliable people data, it is hard to answer basic questions about turnover, absence or skills, or to show leaders the case for action.
    What good looks like
    Reliable people data in one trusted place, whether that is an HR system or a simple, well-kept record, with a people dashboard that leaders see and use.
    Next step
    Use the HR system you have to build a simple people dashboard of turnover, absence and vacancies, and share it with leaders each quarter.

What you told us

You told us about 4 issues you're seeing. Here is what each one can point to, what it can cost you if it carries on, and a practical first step.

How soon you want to act: Within 3 months

That fits the 3-month steps in your plan. Agree owners now so the work is under way within the quarter. Your delivery readiness score is 25/100, which suggests your team will find this hard to fit around day-to-day work without extra capacity or support.

Your top three

  1. 1

    Difficulty retaining high performers or key talent

    Losing key people can point to critical roles and talent that leaders can't yet see clearly, or to people who can't see a future for themselves with you.

    What it can cost you

    Each key person who leaves can take knowledge, client relationships and momentum with them. Replacing them takes months, recruitment costs and management time, and the rest of the team carries the gap.

    A first step

    List your 10 to 15 most critical roles and the people in them, and ask their managers how likely each person is to stay over the next year.

    • Talent, Succession & Retention
    • Career & Internal Mobility
  2. 2

    Low or declining engagement scores

    Engagement reflects people's day-to-day experience of work: how they are managed, whether expectations are clear and whether they feel heard.

    What it can cost you

    Lower engagement tends to show up later as less discretionary effort, more absence and more people leaving, and it gets harder to turn round the longer it runs.

    A first step

    Pick the two or three teams with the lowest scores and hold short listening sessions to find out what is behind them, before launching anything new.

    • Leadership & Management
    • Performance
  3. 3

    HR team stretched by day-to-day demands

    When the People team is taken up with day-to-day work, the improvements that would reduce that load don't get started.

    What it can cost you

    The team stays reactive, fixing the same problems again and again, leaders don't get the strategic people support the business needs, and good HR people can burn out or leave.

    A first step

    Track where the team's time goes for two weeks, then agree what to stop, simplify or hand over, and protect time for one priority.

    • Delivery Readiness
    • Talent Data, AI & Technology

Also seeing

  • Performance or productivity concerns

    What it can cost you: Performance left unaddressed drags on team results and morale, and strong performers notice when it is tolerated.

    A first step: Check that every team has clear goals for this year, and that managers hold regular feedback conversations, not just the annual review.

    • Performance
    • Leadership & Management

Your priorities

1

Priority 1

Free up capacity before adding more priorities

Your team has more to deliver than the time and expertise it has, and several areas need work.

Why it matters

Delivery is the constraint here, so adding more plans without capacity is unlikely to help.

  1. Now: next 30 days

    Agree the few priorities that matter most and what can pause.

  2. Next: 3 months

    Assign owners and secure protected time or specialist support for them.

  3. Longer: 6 to 12 months

    Build repeatable processes and internal capability so progress doesn’t depend on heroics.

What you'll have:
Priorities, owners and capacity plan
2

Priority 2

Protect the people you can least afford to lose

Your answers suggest you don’t yet have a clear, shared view of who your critical people are and what is keeping them.

Why it matters

You told us “Difficulty retaining high performers or key talent”. Without a clear view of critical roles and key people, losses tend to be a surprise rather than something you can act on.

  1. Now: next 30 days

    Identify your critical roles and the people in them you would most want to keep.

  2. Next: 3 months

    Hold short retention conversations with key people and agree specific actions with their managers.

  3. Longer: 6 to 12 months

    Track retention risk and reasons for leaving for critical roles, and review progress each quarter.

What you'll have:
Critical people list with retention actions
3

Priority 3

Make good management the norm

Engagement and management quality are closely linked in your answers, and standards may not yet be applied consistently.

Why it matters

You told us “Low or declining engagement scores”. Where management standards vary, teams experience very different working lives, which usually shows up in engagement and performance.

  1. Now: next 30 days

    Pick the two or three teams where the problem is most pressing and listen to what is going on.

  2. Next: 3 months

    Agree practical expectations for managers and target support at the biggest gaps.

  3. Longer: 6 to 12 months

    Embed the standards, review behaviour and team outcomes, and report progress to leaders.

What you'll have:
Management expectations and targeted support plan

Later

Worth picking up once your priorities above are under way. They are not part of your plan for the next 30 days.

  • Performance practice and manager support
  • Goals and development plans for everyone
  • AI and employee data governance
  • Protect talent information

Your plan on a page

PriorityNowNextLonger
Free up capacity before adding more prioritiesAgree the few priorities that matter most and what can pause.Assign owners and secure protected time or specialist support for them.Build repeatable processes and internal capability so progress doesn’t depend on heroics.
Protect the people you can least afford to loseIdentify your critical roles and the people in them you would most want to keep.Hold short retention conversations with key people and agree specific actions with their managers.Track retention risk and reasons for leaving for critical roles, and review progress each quarter.
Make good management the normPick the two or three teams where the problem is most pressing and listen to what is going on.Agree practical expectations for managers and target support at the biggest gaps.Embed the standards, review behaviour and team outcomes, and report progress to leaders.

What could pause?

To make room for these priorities, what could stop or wait?

Who will own each priority?

The wider picture

Four further areas available. Each takes about two minutes.

  • Organisation & Work Design

    How roles, teams and workload are designed to get the work done.

    Add this area

  • Attraction, Recruitment & Onboarding

    How you attract, hire and settle in new people.

    Add this area

  • Academy, Apprenticeships & Qualifications

    How you use academies, apprenticeships and professional qualifications.

    Add this area

  • Culture, Values & Colleague Voice

    How your values show up day to day, and whether colleagues feel heard.

    Add this area

How this was scored

  • These answers are one person's view of how things are now.
  • Each area's score is the share of the available points for the questions asked. Questions that didn't apply are left out.
  • “I don't know” scores zero and is counted as a finding about visibility, not performance.
  • Talent impact is only shown when at least three of the four outcomes are known. Unknown answers are left out rather than treated as poor.
  • The bands (such as Building or Connected) are Evolv Up's own interpretation rules.
  • The talent information in this report is only what was entered in the diagnostic.
  • Scores and recommendations come from fixed rules and content written by Evolv Up. Your answers aren't sent to an AI model, and this report supports planning: it isn't an independently verified assessment of your organisation.
Evolv Up

Next step

Know what needs to improve, but short on time to deliver it?

Your diagnostic gives you a starting point. You may already know some of these issues need attention. The challenge is finding the time, specialist expertise and capacity to make progress alongside everything else your People team is managing.

You keep ownership of your people strategy. I bring the expertise and capacity to help deliver it.

How Evolv Up can help

Evolv Up brings senior Talent, L&D and OD expertise into your organisation, hands-on and without the commitment of a full-time senior hire. For each of your priorities, this is the practical support we would start with, and the programme that could follow if you need it:

  1. 1Free up capacity before adding more priorities

    Where we'd start

    We'd help you sort your current priorities into what to keep, pause or stop, and agree owners and realistic timescales for the few that remain.

    If you need more

    Fractional Head of Talent, Learning and Culture

    An experienced Head of Talent and Learning working in your organisation a few days a month, taking ownership of your agreed priorities and delivering them alongside your team.

  2. 2Protect the people you can least afford to lose

    Where we'd start

    We'd help you name the people you can least afford to lose, prepare their managers for honest stay conversations and work out what is behind the risk, whether that is career prospects, workload or the way they are managed, so the first actions fit the real reason.

    If you need more

    Career Pathways

    We'd map clear routes for how people can progress with you, and build the talent management infrastructure behind them, such as talent reviews and development plans, with development opportunities like stretch projects and secondments, so your best people can see a future here rather than elsewhere.

  3. 3Make good management the norm

    Where we'd start

    We'd spend time with the two or three teams where the problem is most pressing, listen to managers and their people, and agree a short set of practical expectations for managers.

    If you need more

    Leading from the Inside Out

    We'd start by defining what good management looks like in your organisation as a clear set of leadership competencies. Your managers would then raise their self-awareness through 360 feedback and change how they lead by practising on real situations from their own teams, so the difference shows in how their teams are managed.

Anneka Spence, Founder, Evolv Up

About Anneka

Anneka Spence has spent more than a decade building leadership, talent and succession solutions inside organisations across manufacturing, housing, logistics and the charity sector. She has designed and delivered leadership development programmes for over 500 managers, from first-line supervisors through to senior executives, alongside developing organisational capability, talent and succession frameworks. Anneka is MCIPD qualified, an ILM Level 7 Executive Coach and the creator of the Leading from the Inside Out leadership development methodology.

We'll look at what stands out, what your team can realistically tackle and where extra support could make the biggest difference.

Privacy notice · Contact: Anneka Spence, Founder, Evolv Up, annekaspence@evolvup.co.uk · www.evolvup.co.uk