Idealist’s Guide to Organizing Performance Reviews

In busy workplaces, employees don’t always have time to step back and evaluate how their role connects to an organization’s larger goals. Between completing larger projects and ongoing tasks, it might seem difficult to set aside time for people managers and their direct reports to participate in a thoughtful, structured conversation. Enter the performance review.

Performance reviews are one of the best tools organizations can implement to support employee growth and retention. These two-way conversations allow staff members the opportunity to discuss a holistic view of their work, communication, and career goals.

For managers, performance reviews provide a dedicated space to discuss an employee’s areas for growth, as well as highlight big wins and achievements from the past six months or year. For staff members, having a place to talk about long-term goals, obstacles, and adjustments to ways of working acts as a helpful reset to ensure they find success in their role.  

According to SHRM, 73% of organizations conduct performance reviews on an annual basis, with a majority of respondents stating they have a positive effect on a workplace’s environment. If you want to explore how to incorporate performance reviews into your organization’s operations—or are interested in revamping an existing peer-to-peer feedback strategy—check out Idealist’s guide to organizing performance reviews below. We’ll share some tips for setting up the process, as well as a handy template for getting the information you need to make a performance review effective.

How to organize a performance review

To ensure this process is effective for your organization and not just a one-time exercise, consider checking in with human resources or senior leadership about organizing a regular cadence for performance reviews. We recommend organizations set up performance reviews annually, but your organization may prefer a quarterly or bi-annual process instead.

1 Month Out

People managers should talk to their direct reports about the upcoming performance review, including a timeline of the process and what is expected of each person to complete ahead of time.

It’s useful to provide a standardized document or template for staff members to utilize during performance reviews. If your organization doesn’t have an existing template/form available, we’ll share some ideas for the kinds of questions to ask in the following section.

2 Weeks Out

We recommend that staff members schedule their 1:1 conversations at least two weeks in advance so they have enough time to reflect on career progress or goals. Set aside at least 60 minutes for the performance review, though not every conversation will require the full hour.

1-2 Days Before

People managers and direct reports should complete their written performance review documents a couple of days before the scheduled conversation. Some teams might choose to have people managers and direct reports swap notes prior to meeting in order to prepare to discuss specific topics or projects.

Performance review template

To avoid overwhelming staff with too many topics or questions during their hour-long conversation, structure performance reviews around four key areas: Strengths and Accomplishments, Progress Toward Goals, Areas for Growth, and Future Goals and Support Needed.

The performance review should cover the period since their previous review, and not necessarily the work they’ve managed since starting at your organization. Also, we recommend including parallel questions for both people managers and direct reports to encourage transparency and dialogue. 

Strengths and Accomplishments (15 minutes)

• Staff: What contributions are you most proud of since your last review? (Goals, projects, process improvements, etc.)
• Manager: What contributions or impacts has your staff member made since their last review that stand out as significant? 

Progress Toward Goals (15 minutes)

• Staff: Which goals did you meet, miss, or exceed? What helped or hindered progress?
• Manager: How did your staff perform against the goals set during their last review? Are there any adjustments you’d make to the goals that are still in-progress? 

Areas for Growth (15 minutes)

• Staff: Where would you like to grow? Are there areas where you could use more clarity or support? 
• Manager: What specific improvements or “do differently’s” would be beneficial to your staff member’s work over the next period? 

Future Goals and Support Needed (15 minutes)

• Staff: What goals/projects/priorities do you think should be your focus for the next period? What resources/support will you need?
• Manager: What are the key projects and responsibilities you would like your staff member to focus on for the next period? What does success look like? 

Pro Tip: Start a performance review by reviewing wins and accomplishments, and end with action-oriented goals.

After the review

The real value of a performance review comes from what happens after conversations take place. Save relevant documents in a staff member’s human resource file to make it easier for managers to review before the next performance review. It’s also helpful to regularly check in with staff members about some of the points discussed during their review so they remain on track.

If staff flagged any obstacles to their work during the review, make sure to check in on this, too. Some potential feedback might include they need more clarity, training, or resources before starting work, or more regular check-ins to ensure they are on track to achieve their goals. Encourage people managers to follow through on these points, and schedule time to work with their direct reports. 

People managers can discuss progress toward goals throughout the year by asking questions like, “How’s X coming along?” or “Are there any roadblocks I can help you with?” When new work arises, make sure it aligns with the priorities set during the review.

By following this guide, your organization can quickly and easily set up a performance review process that supports everyone at the organization. Feel free to customize the above template to align with your internal language or goals. It might also be helpful to discuss the process with staff members ahead of time to understand what they want to get out of a performance review.