Your personal achievement portfolio
Why you need a Bragdoc
Have you ever been in a performance review and struggled to remember your accomplishments from the past year? Or maybe you've felt uncertain about your professional growth? Enter the "Bragdoc" - your personal achievement tracking system that could boost your career development.
What is a Bragdoc?
A Bragdoc is a living document tracking your professional achievements, successes, and meaningful contributions - think of it as a strategic professional diary. At its core, it's a list of accomplishments with key details like dates, actions taken, impact, and lessons learned. It can be as simple as bullet points or as detailed as journal entries. Before diving into specifics, let's understand the why.
Why Should You Maintain a Bragdoc?
1. Performance Reviews Made Easy
Many companies conduct annual or semi-annual performance reviews. Usually these reviews are based on the past year's achievements. Often, people tend to spend the days leading up to the review trying to remember what they've accomplished. A Bragdoc eliminates this stress by providing a comprehensive record of your achievements throughout the year. As you will be updating it regularly, you'll have a clear, detailed record of your successes when review time comes.
2. Build Your Promotion Case
Similar to performance reviews, promotions are often based on past achievements. In most companies you or your manager will be asked to prepare a case, highlighting your achievements and why you deserve the promotion. A Bragdoc is a powerful tool to help you build your case.
3. Self-Motivation and Reflection
In our busy lives, we're so focused on what's ahead that we forget how far we've come. During challenging periods, you might feel stuck or unable to make progress on key projects and initiatives. This feeling can lead to frustration and demotivation, further slowing progress. Your Bragdoc serves as a powerful reminder of your accomplishments, boosting confidence and motivation. Reviewing it helps you see your growth and achievements, providing the momentum to keep pushing forward.
4. Strategic Focus
To maximize your impact, your efforts should align with your organization's strategy. Otherwise, you risk wasting time and energy on low-priority work. By regularly documenting your achievements, you'll naturally become more mindful of whether your daily activities align with the organization's goals as well as your own career objectives. This strategic focus can help you prioritize tasks and projects that contribute to your growth and the company's success.
5. Skill Gap Analysis
A Bragdoc helps identify patterns in your work achievements. You may notice your accomplishments are mostly tactical rather than strategic, highlighting an opportunity to take on more strategic projects. You might also recognize that certain skills, if improved, would have enhanced your performance. This insight can guide your professional development, either through upskilling or by seeking collaboration with colleagues who possess complementary abilities.
How to Start Your Bragdoc
Creating a Bragdoc doesn't have to be complicated. Start with a simple document that includes, per project:
Name of the project
Goal: What you aim to accomplish with this project
Crew: Your project team members and collaborators
Artifacts: The tangible results and materials produced during the project
Metrics: The key performance indicators and success measures for evaluating project outcomes
Feedback: Comments, constructive criticism and praise you've collected from stakeholders and team members
This template provides a structured approach to project documentation. First, define your project's goal clearly and assemble your team. As work progresses, document the artifacts you create. Artifacts can consist of documents, code, media, presentations, etc. Measure your progress against initial goals using concrete metrics like revenue impact, time saved, customer satisfaction scores, or user engagement rates. Gather stakeholder feedback, both qualitative ("The new interface is much more intuitive") and quantitative (satisfaction ratings), to assess the project's success and impact.
Making it a Habit
The key to a successful Bragdoc is consistency. Set aside regular time to update it, perhaps during your weekly planning or review sessions. Remember, it's better to over-document than to miss important achievements.
Conclusion
In today's fast-paced professional world, maintaining a Bragdoc isn't just helpful - it's essential for career growth. It's your personal success tracker, motivation booster, and career development tool all in one.
Don't wait until your next performance review or promotion discussion to start tracking your achievements. Start your Bragdoc today, and take control of your professional narrative.
Remember: Your achievements deserve to be documented and celebrated. A Bragdoc helps you do just that, while setting you up for future success.
Ready to start? Download our simple Bragdoc template and begin documenting your journey to success!
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