Growth Studio connects performance insights to structured action plans in 15Five. It provides tools for talent visualization, individual development, performance improvement, and succession planning.
Available in: Perform and Total Platform packages.
Feature Structure
Growth Studio contains four capabilities:
- Explore — Two visualization tools: the Talent Matrix (9-box grid of review cycle ratings) and the Org Chart (hierarchical org view). Both surfaces support direct plan creation.
- Individual Development Plans (IDPs) — Collaborative, growth-oriented plans for career development, skill-building, and promotion readiness.
- Performance Improvement Plans (PIPs) — Formal, HR-governed workflows for structured performance improvement with locked expectations, required acknowledgment, and audit logging.
- Succession Nominations — An HR-only tool for identifying critical roles and documenting potential successors with readiness indicators and approval workflows.
IDP vs PIP Comparison
| Attribute | IDP | PIP |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose | Career growth and skill development | Formal performance improvement |
| Who can create | HR, managers, or employees (configurable) | HR and managers (managers submit for HR review) |
| Governance | Collaborative — flexible, no locked dates | HR-governed — locked expectations after publishing |
| Employee access | Immediate | Blocked until the start date |
| Acknowledgment | Not required | Required |
| Approval workflow | Optional and configurable | Required |
| Audit log | No | Yes |
Key Rules
- Growth Studio requires Growth Studio access enabled for the account.
- IDPs are collaborative and growth-oriented. PIPs are formal and HR-governed.
- PIP expectations and milestones lock after HR publishes the plan.
- Employees cannot access a PIP until the plan's start date.
- Succession Nominations are restricted to HR and Admin roles.
- The Talent Matrix displays data from the most recent review cycle only. Manager visibility is scoped to the review cycle assignment, not the current reporting hierarchy.
- When an employee changes managers, the new manager does not automatically inherit visibility of the employee's Talent Matrix placement, active IDPs, or active PIPs. HR or Account Admins can view and share this information. See Talent Matrix: Feature Overview for details.
What You Can Do
Set Up
- Configure Growth Studio settings
- Configure IDP settings and templates (Admin)
- Configure PIP settings and templates (Admin)
- Configure Succession Nomination settings (Admin)
Manage
- Create an Individual Development Plan
- Track and update an Individual Development Plan
- Create a Performance Improvement Plan (HR)
- Manage an active Performance Improvement Plan
- Acknowledge a Performance Improvement Plan (Employee)
- Nominate a successor for a critical role (HR)
- Review and approve a succession nomination
Analyze
- Use the Talent Matrix in Growth Studio
- Navigate the Org Chart in Growth Studio
- Export a PIP packet for compliance
Common Questions
- Individual Development Plans: Feature Overview
- Performance Improvement Plans: Feature Overview
- Talent Matrix: Feature Overview
- Succession Nominations: Feature Overview