The Stanford IT Experiential Development Program (IT EDP) is a CIO Council-sponsored program intended to support individual learning, growth, and mobility for all Stanford staff who currently work or have an interest in IT roles at Stanford.
Stanford IT EDP gives you opportunities to:
Broaden your skill sets and learn new ways of working
Expand your personal networks
Acquire new work experiences
Explore career mobility and latticing options
Gain exposure to different roles and organizations across Stanford IT
IT EDP consists of three types of opportunities, each with varying degrees of time commitment.
Learn
Informational Conversation
An exploratory conversation with someone in a role or on a team that interests you.
See
Meeting Observation
Attend and observe a project, team, executive or other type of meeting.
Do
Short Term Development Assignment
A temporary assignment* with another team, unit, or project, while maintaining most other regular job duties.
*Up to 20% time (eight hours a week) for six months Development assignments typically last anywhere from one month to one year; six months is best practice.
Eligibility and Guidelines
Participant Eligibility
Any staff member – including Year Up interns* – in a Stanford organizational unit (hereafter called “unit”) is eligible to participate, provided:
The employee is in good standing and meets performance expectations in their current role in their home unit.
They are a benefits-eligible staff member, which includes: full-time, part-time, exempt and non-exempt, and remote staff (contract staff and Bargaining Unit staff are not eligible).
*While not benefits-eligible, Year Up interns may participate in IT EDP due to the developmental nature of their internship
Additional Eligibility Requirements for Short-Term Development Assignments
Staff members participating in a Short-Term Development Assignment must meet the eligibility requirements, as well as:
The employee has been at Stanford for at least five (5) months
The employee’s manager has approved the opportunity.
There is a documented assent (“Agreement Form”) by the home unit, the host unit, and the participant about the parameters and objectives of the developmental assignment. The following templates are available to meet this requirement:
If you see something you’re interested in, you are strongly encouraged to talk to your manager and get their approval to participate in the opportunity. This is a requirement for Short Term Development Assignments.
From there, you will receive a series of emails and instructions to help you connect with the host and get the Opportunity set up.
If support is needed at any point during the process, email the IT EDP project team at it-edp-program@lists.stanford.edu.
Frequently Asked Questions
Informational Conversation and Meeting Observation opportunities: Participants are strongly encouraged to talk to their manager about their interest and obtain any approvals needed, as directed by the manager.
Short-Term Development Assignments: Because these opportunities involve a more significant time commitment (up to 20 percent), manager approval is required. Prior to starting an assignment, participants must submit an Agreement Form – signed by their manager and their host – to the IT EDP Coordination team.
Any staff member – including Year Up interns – is eligible to participate in Informational Conversation and Meeting Observation opportunities, provided:
The employee is in good standing and meets performance expectations in their current role in their home unit.
They are a benefits-eligible staff member, which includes: full-time, part-time, exempt and non-exempt, and remote staff (contract staff and Bargaining Unit staff are not eligible).
Short-Term Development Assignments have additional eligibility requirements, including being employed at Stanford for a minimum of five months before applying. See the Program Guidelines for full details.
After the duration of the assignment, the participant will return to the full scope of their normal duties in their home unit. The home unit is obligated to hold the participant’s original position and FTE unchanged while they perform their Short-Term Development Assignment.
During the assignment, participants are expected to maintain most – but not all – of their regular job duties in their home unit. They should work with their manager to discuss their workload and determine what can be paused or scaled back so the assignment is not additive to a typical 40-hour workweek. Workload should also be regularly evaluated through frequent check-ins between the participant and their manager throughout the assignment.
All Stanford IT employees are encouraged to pursue/explore professional development opportunities as part of their annual performance goals. Participating in the IT EDP can be a great way to grow skills and experiences, and level up performance in one’s current role. IT EDP participants and their managers are encouraged to document participation in the program as part of their annual performance goals.
Because participating in IT EDP is a development-related activity, any unmet goals will have no negative impact on an individual's annual performance rating.
Agreement on funding should be discussed and documented by the host and participant's manager before the start of the assignment. Some options include:
Home unit continues to pay the salary and benefits of the participant, or
Host unit pays the salary and benefits for the percent and duration of the Short-Term assignment, or
Some combination of these options.
The CIO Council, IT EDP sponsors, and IT EDP project coordinators do not prescribe a specific funding model, but are available to discuss best-practices and options.
Tell us about your opportunity by filling out this form. The IT EDP Coordination team will review the opportunity and either approve it or come back to you with questions. Once the opportunity is approved, it will be posted to the IT EDP Opportunity Directory and you will receive notifications when someone expresses interest.
IT EDP offers a high potential return based on a modest commitment and engagement model that encourages participants to "come as they are" and safely explore the vast array of real-world experiences and opportunities available within our technology community.
The IT Experiential Development Program offers opportunities to explore the extensive world of IT at Stanford. This program builds connections across the IT Community, allows for hands-on experience, and opens up pathways for career mobility. I highly recommend everyone take advantage of this unique opportunity to grow professionally, whether as a host or participant.
Program Resources
The EDP IT Program resources include links to worksheets and tools, tip sheets, meeting presentation slides, and other documents that are intended to support the success of your experiential development assignment.
