Growth Studio is a module in 15Five that connects performance insights to structured action. It gives HR leaders, managers, and employees a centralized place to create and manage development plans, performance improvement plans, and succession nominations all within the platform.
Before Growth Studio, the work that follows performance reviews such as development planning, performance improvement, and succession discussions often happens outside of 15Five in documents, spreadsheets, or email threads. This makes it difficult to track progress, ensure consistency, and maintain visibility.
Growth Studio brings this work into 15Five, so teams can take action on performance insights in a structured, trackable, and consistent way.
In this article, you will learn...
- What's included in Growth Studio?
- Growth Studio Explore and Org Chart
- Growth Studio Succession Nominations
- How Growth Studio connects to other 15Five features
- IDP vs. PIP — What's the difference?
Access and availability
⛔️ Required access to Growth Studio.
👥 This article is relevant to HR Admins, Account admins and managers.
📦 This feature is available in the Perform and Total Platform pricing packages.
What's included in Growth Studio?
Growth Studio adds four capabilities to 15Five:
| Capability | What it does | Who uses it |
|---|---|---|
| Explore | A workspace with the Talent Matrix and Org Chart for visualizing talent and taking action | HR, Managers |
| Individual Development Plans (IDPs) | Collaborative development plans for career growth, skill-building, and promotion readiness | HR, Managers, Employees |
| Performance Improvement Plans (PIPs) | HR-governed improvement workflows with locked dates, acknowledgment, and audit logs | HR, Managers, Employees |
| Succession Nominations | Identify critical roles and document internal/external candidates with approval workflows | HR |
Growth Studio Explore and Org Chart
Growth Studio Explore gives HR leaders and managers an always-on space to understand talent outside of review season. From Explore, teams can use the Talent Matrix to see where people stand, identify who may be ready for more, and surface performance concerns earlier. It also makes it easier to move from insight to action by launching an Individual Development Plan (IDP) or Performance Improvement Plan (PIP) directly from the people insights you’re reviewing.
Within Explore, the Org Chart gives HR a visual view of the organization so they can review reporting lines, focus on specific parts of the business, tag critical roles for succession planning, and start succession nominations or plans in context. Add an interlink on Navigate the Org Chart in Growth Studio for the step-by-step walkthrough.
Growth Studio Succession Nominations
Growth Studio Succession Nominations helps HR identify critical roles and document potential successors in a structured, trackable workflow. HR can nominate internal or external candidates, route nominations through approval flows, and monitor role coverage so it’s easier to see where bench strength is strong and where gaps remain.
Succession Nominations also includes readiness indicators so HR can track whether a candidate is Ready now, Ready soon, or Future. Because this work is connected to performance and competency data in 15Five, succession planning stays tied to the same context teams already use for talent decisions. Add an interlink on Succession Nominations: Feature Overview here for a deeper overview. If you want one more supporting link, Configure Growth Studio settings is a good fit for the readiness-label customization piece
How Growth Studio connects to other 15Five features
- Performance Reviews: Plans can be created directly from review cycle results or talent matrix insights
- Check-ins: IDP and PIP action items can be updated through Check-ins
- 1-on-1s: Quick links to active plans appear in 1-on-1 agendas
- Talent Matrix: The always-available Talent Matrix in Explore connects directly to plan creation
IDP vs. PIP — What's the difference?
What is an IDP?
An IDP (Individual Development Plan) is a structured plan created to help an employee grow in their role and career. It focuses on building skills, setting development goals, and identifying actions or learning opportunities to achieve those goals. IDPs are typically collaborative and forward-looking, supporting long-term success.
What is a PIP?
A PIP (Performance Improvement Plan) is a formal plan used to address specific performance concerns. It outlines clear expectations, areas that need improvement, and a defined timeline for progress. PIPs are more structured and time-bound, with the goal of helping employees meet required performance standards.
| Aspect | IDP | PIP |
|---|---|---|
| Intent | Growth-oriented — career development, skill-building, promotion readiness | Improvement-focused — formal performance improvement process |
| Governance | Flexible — configurable approval workflows allow HR governance or manager/employee autonomy | HR-governed — only HR can publish PIPs |
| Who creates | HR, managers, or employees | HR only |
| Acknowledgment | Not required | Required — employee must acknowledge the plan |
| Locked after publish | No | Yes — expectations and milestones lock after publishing |
| Compliance features | Not applicable | Audit log, PDF export, locked dates, section visibility controls |