Career Planning
The Role-Delta, Proof, and Market Plan (with templates and examples)
Snippet (copy-ready)
A strong career plan has five parts:
- Target role and scope
- Role-Delta Map (gaps vs competencies)
- Proof Plan (artifacts that demonstrate readiness)
- Market Plan (people plus opportunity pipeline)
- Runway and Cadence (time, energy, and review window)
x18.ai is your career tracker, like a smartwatch for your professional life.
Calm, guided progress, milestone by milestone.
1) Choose the Target Role and Scope (Be Precise)
Write two short statements:
Role Statement
“Targeting Senior Product Designer owning discovery through delivery for zero-to-one features in B2B SaaS.”
Scope Statement
“Accountable for outcomes (adoption, quality), not just deliverables; collaborates with PM/Eng; mentors one or two designers.”
Choose your lane:
- Internal track: promotion where you already are
- External track: move via the market
Many people run both in parallel with a separate pipeline for each.
2) Build a Role-Delta Map (What Is Missing, Exactly?)
List the competencies your target role actually uses.
Rate your current level (Now) and needed level (Target).
Pick three deltas to close first.
Role-Delta Map (Example)
| Competency | Now | Target | Delta | Evidence You’ll Produce |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cross-team leadership | 2 | 4 | +2 | Lead initiative -> post-mortem -> stakeholder quotes |
| Product discovery | 2 | 4 | +2 | 6 calls -> insights doc -> experiment readout |
| System design | 3 | 4 | +1 | Approved design doc -> adoption metrics |
Keep it honest and short.
Everything beyond the top 3 sits in the backlog.
3) Design Your Proof Plan (Artifacts > Promises)
Managers and hiring panels trust artifacts more than intent.
For each delta, define:
- Artifact
- Acceptance criteria
- Surface (portfolio, internal wiki, GitHub, talk, etc.)
Evidence Ladder (Example)
| Delta | Artifact | Acceptance Criteria | Surface |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cross-team leadership | Initiative plan -> shipped feature -> post-mortem | On-time launch; defects <2%; stakeholder rating >=4/5 | Internal wiki, LinkedIn post |
| Product discovery | Insights report plus decision | 6 calls, themes synthesized, decision taken | Portfolio case study |
| System design | Design doc plus review | 2 reviews; trade-offs addressed | Repo / Eng document |
Write your achievements like this:
Action -> Impact -> Metric
Example:
“Led cross-team rollout; reduced onboarding time 25% with no NPS drop.”
4) Build a Market Plan (People and Pipeline)
A. Stakeholder Constellation (Internal)
Who must say “yes”? Who shapes the narrative?
| Person | What They Value | How You’ll Show It | Cadence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Direct manager | Outcomes, reliability | Monthly progress note plus demo | Monthly |
| Adjacent lead | Collaboration, speed | Updates plus unblock requests | Bi-weekly |
| Mentor | Quality bar | Review artifacts | Monthly |
B. Opportunity Radar (External)
Map where roles happen and who controls them.
| Channel | Target Nodes | Action |
|---|---|---|
| Warm network | 15 names | 2 messages/week; 1 call/week |
| Communities | 2 groups | Share a case study; ask for critique |
| Companies | 20 targets | Tailored reach-outs; track signals |
C. Pipeline Scoreboard
Visual, measurable: wins, active, stalled.
| Stage | Count | Next Move |
|---|---|---|
| Leads (warm) | 8 | Book 2 calls |
| In-process | 3 | Send artifact follow-ups |
| Offers / Promotions | 0 | - |
5) Calculate Runway (Real Capacity > Fantasy Capacity)
Ask:
- Hours available/week?
- Energy windows (when you do your best work)?
- Budget for a course, conference, coach?
- Stop-doing list (what you’ll drop)?
Rule: If capacity is less than the plan, cut scope, not the mission.
6) Plan 90 Days in Three Arcs (Not One Giant Push)
Break the quarter into three 4-week arcs, each with a theme and proof artifact.
90-Day Arc Plan (Example)
| Arc | Theme | Primary Artifact | Success Signal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-4 | Foundation | Case Study #1 v1 | Published v1; 2 critiques |
| Weeks 5-8 | Ownership | Ship pilot/internal tool | Usage >= target; stakeholder quote |
| Weeks 9-12 | Validation | Insights readout or talk | Decision taken; 1 external share |
7) Conversation Scripts (Manager and Mentor)
Manager (Calibration)
“Here is the role and scope I’m targeting, the proof I’m producing, and the acceptance criteria. If I deliver these by <date>, does that count as ‘ready’ in your view?”
Mentor (Quality)
“This artifact aims to show <competency>. What is missing for a strong yes from a panel?”
Record feedback directly into your Evidence Ladder.
8) Pre-mortem (10 Minutes)
Ask: “Imagine the plan failed in six months; why?”
List 3 causes plus one countermeasure each.
| Risk | Countermeasure |
|---|---|
| No time for artifacts | Block two 60-min deep-work sessions; protect them |
| Proof isn’t visible | Ship imperfect v1 early; iterate in the open |
| Network is cold | 2 warm reach-outs/week; ask for critique |
9) Career Plan Canvas (Drop-In Template)
| Section | Notes |
|---|---|
| Target Role and Scope | One sentence each |
| Internal vs External | Choose track(s) |
| Top-3 Deltas | From Role-Delta Map |
| Evidence Ladder | Delta -> Artifact -> Criteria -> Surface |
| Stakeholder Constellation | Manager/peers/mentors plus cadence |
| Opportunity Radar | Channels, nodes, actions |
| Pipeline Scoreboard | Leads / In-process / Offers |
| Runway | Hours, energy, budget, stop-doing |
| 90-Day Arcs | Foundation / Ownership / Validation |
| Weekly Review Slot | Day/time (10 minutes) |
Prefer interactive? Use the canvas directly inside X18.
Start your mission (free).
Worked Examples (Career-Specific)
A) IC -> Senior Engineer (Internal plus External)
- Top-3 deltas: cross-team leadership, system design, stakeholder comms
- Artifacts: design doc; cross-team rollout plus post-mortem; two stakeholder quotes
- Market plan: 10 target companies; 6 warm intros; publish doc summary
- Success signals (90 days): one shipped phase; two design reviews; one external share
B) Designer -> Product Manager (External)
- Top-3 deltas: discovery, decision-making, analytics storytelling
- Artifacts: six-call insights report; experiment readout; metric case study
- Market plan: 20 PM orgs; two community posts; mock PRD reviewed
- Success signals: two case studies; one pilot; three interviews booked
C) Engineer -> Independent Consultant (External)
- Top-3 deltas: positioning, pipeline, ROI proof
- Artifacts: three ROI case studies; one lead magnet; two testimonials
- Market plan: 15 nodes; weekly outreach; two partnerships
- Success signals: two paid pilots; list to 300; one repeat client
Review Cadence (Distinct from Task Scheduling)
- Weekly (10 min): Update Evidence Ladder, Pipeline, and Arc status
- Monthly (30-45 min): Re-prioritize deltas; adjust arcs and market plan
- Quarterly (60 min): Rewrite Role-Delta Map if target shifts
Let the career plan decide what matters; schedule how elsewhere.
Do / Don’t (Career-Specific)
Do
- Prove readiness with artifacts
- Keep a visible pipeline
- Run internal and external tracks when risk is high
Don’t
- Chase five deltas at once
- Hide drafts until “perfect”
- Measure only by “effort hours”
FAQ
How many deltas at once?
Three max.
Can I skip external networking?
You can, but external pipelines increase leverage.
What if artifacts can’t be public?
Sanitize them; share structure; give private demos.
How does this relate to OKRs/KPIs?
Use OKRs/KPIs for measurement.
This plan emphasizes proof and market motion.
