Stop Dreading Performance Reviews—Build a System That Actually Works
Most companies approach performance reviews with a mix of dread and procrastination. Managers don’t know what to say. Employees don’t find them useful. HR (or whoever is trying to run the process) fights to get anyone to complete reviews on time. The whole thing feels like a compliance exercise that everyone endures but nobody values.
The problem isn’t performance reviews themselves—it’s poorly designed performance review programs that don’t match your company culture, provide unclear guidance, or use generic forms that don’t reflect what actually matters in your roles.
Our Performance Review Program Design & Buildout service creates a complete, customized performance management system that works for your company—not a one-size-fits-all template that feels corporate and disconnected from your reality.
Perfect for:
- Growing companies with 15-75 employees implementing formal performance reviews for the first time
- Businesses that tried performance reviews before and it didn’t work (low completion, unhelpful feedback, employee dissatisfaction)
- Organizations where compensation decisions feel arbitrary because there’s no structured performance documentation
- Companies preparing to scale and need consistent performance standards across managers
- Businesses where employees are asking for more feedback and career development clarity
What’s Included
Customized Performance Review Form:
Not a generic template—a review form built specifically for your company:
Competency Assessment:
- Core competencies that matter in your company culture (collaboration, communication, ownership, etc.)
- Role-specific competencies for different job families
- Rating scale that makes sense (avoid ambiguous 1-5 scales that mean different things to different managers)
- Clear definitions for each rating level
Goal Achievement Review:
- Framework for evaluating progress on annual or quarterly goals
- Assessment of goal achievement vs. stretch targets
- Space for discussing obstacles and learnings
Development & Growth Discussion:
- Career development aspirations and growth areas
- Skills to develop in the next review period
- Learning opportunities and stretch assignments
- Promotion readiness assessment (if applicable)
Manager Assessment Section:
- Overall performance summary
- Strengths and areas for improvement
- Development recommendations
- Compensation implications (promotion, raise, bonus considerations)
Employee Self-Assessment Template:
Parallel form for employee self-reflection before the review:
- Self-rating on competencies with examples
- Self-assessment of goal achievement
- Accomplishments and contributions
- Challenges faced and how they were addressed
- Career goals and development interests
- What support they need from manager
Manager Guide for Conducting Reviews:
Comprehensive guide covering:
Preparation:
- How to prepare for review conversations (gathering examples, reviewing goals, collecting feedback)
- Timeline for preparation and scheduling
- How to review employee self-assessment
- Documentation to reference
Conducting the Review Conversation:
- How to structure the 60-90 minute review meeting
- How to discuss difficult performance issues constructively
- How to avoid common manager mistakes (recency bias, halo effect, comparison to self)
- How to make the conversation developmental, not just evaluative
- How to discuss compensation changes (if tied to reviews)
After the Review:
- How to document the conversation
- How to set goals for the next period
- Follow-up and accountability
- How to communicate review outcomes to HR or leadership
Goal-Setting Framework & Templates:
SMART Goal Template:
- Structure for writing specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, time-bound goals
- Examples from different roles and functions
- Common goal-setting mistakes to avoid
Goal Types & Balance:
- Performance goals (results and outcomes)
- Development goals (skills and competencies)
- Behavioral goals (how work gets done)
- Appropriate number and scope of goals
Goal Tracking:
- How to track progress throughout the year
- When and how to adjust goals mid-year
- Quarterly check-in discussion guides
Performance Improvement Plan (PIP) Template:
For addressing underperformance:
- Structure for documenting performance concerns
- Specific improvement expectations and metrics
- Timeline for improvement (typically 30-90 days)
- Support and resources provided
- Consequences if improvement doesn’t occur
- Manager guide for conducting PIP conversations and monitoring progress
Timeline & Rollout Communication Plan:
Annual Review Timeline:
- When to launch the review process
- Self-assessment completion deadline
- Manager review completion deadline
- Review conversation scheduling window
- HR review and calibration process (if applicable)
- Compensation decision timeline
Communication Templates:
- Announcement to employees explaining the review process
- Manager communication about expectations and timeline
- Reminder emails throughout the process
- FAQs for employees and managers
Manager Training Outline:
60-minute training session guide you can deliver internally:
- Why performance reviews matter
- How to use the review form and assessment criteria
- How to gather examples and documentation
- How to conduct effective review conversations
- How to set goals with employees
- How to give constructive feedback
- Common mistakes and how to avoid them
- Q&A and role-play scenarios
What’s Not Included
This service designs your performance management program—it does not include ongoing implementation or compensation consulting:
- Actually conducting performance reviews for your employees
- Delivering manager training (we provide the outline, you deliver it)
- Compensation structure or merit increase budgeting (that’s a separate service)
- 360-degree feedback program (more complex, requires separate design)
- Competency modeling for all roles (we include core competencies, not exhaustive competency frameworks)
- Performance management software or HRIS implementation
- Ongoing coaching for managers on difficult performance conversations
How This Service Works
Week 1: Discovery & Design Requirements
- 60-minute discovery call to understand your company culture, values, and performance priorities
- Discussion of what’s worked and what hasn’t in past review attempts (if any)
- Identification of key competencies and success factors
- Review cycle timing decision (annual, semi-annual, quarterly)
Week 2-3: Program Design & Form Creation
- We design your customized performance review form
- We create employee self-assessment template
- We develop manager guide with your company examples
- We build goal-setting framework and templates
- We create PIP template
Week 3-4: Timeline, Communications & Training
- We develop your review cycle timeline
- We draft rollout communications for employees and managers
- We create manager training outline with facilitation guide
- We compile everything into organized program package
Week 4: Review & Finalization
- You review the complete program
- We refine based on your feedback
- We deliver final program ready to launch
Total timeline: 4 weeks from kickoff to final delivery
Why Custom Performance Review Programs Work Better Than Templates
Generic forms don’t reflect what actually matters: Template review forms ask about “leadership” and “communication” but don’t define what those mean in your company. Custom forms reflect your values, culture, and what success actually looks like in your organization.
One-size-fits-all rating scales cause confusion: When “meets expectations” means different things to different managers, ratings become meaningless. Custom programs define rating criteria clearly so everyone evaluates consistently.
Template programs ignore your company stage: A performance review program for a 500-person company doesn’t work for a 25-person company. We design for your actual size, structure, and management maturity.
Off-the-shelf programs feel corporate and disconnected: Employees disengage when review programs feel like generic HR bureaucracy. Custom programs use your language, reference your roles, and connect to your company reality.
Common Performance Review Challenges This Service Solves
“We tried annual reviews but no one took them seriously” When review processes are poorly designed or feel disconnected from real performance, both managers and employees treat them as paperwork exercises. Custom programs that connect to actual work, goals, and compensation drive engagement.
“Managers don’t know how to give feedback” Most managers have never been trained to conduct performance reviews. Our manager guide provides step-by-step guidance and our training outline prepares them to have effective conversations.
“Reviews are too subjective—different managers rate completely differently” Without clear rating definitions and calibration, managers apply their own standards. Custom programs define what each rating level means with examples, creating consistency.
“Employees get surprised by negative feedback in reviews” When reviews are the only time feedback happens, problems go unaddressed for months. Our program includes mid-year check-ins and ongoing feedback guidance to prevent surprises.
“We don’t know how to connect reviews to compensation” Many companies struggle to link performance ratings to raises, bonuses, or promotions. Our program provides guidance on how performance discussions inform compensation decisions.
What Happens After Program Design
You’ll have:
- Complete, ready-to-use performance review program
- All forms, templates, guides, and training materials
- Clear timeline and process for running reviews
- Manager training materials to prepare your team
You’ll be ready to:
- Announce and launch your performance review process
- Train managers on conducting effective reviews
- Roll out self-assessments and manager reviews
- Conduct review conversations using structured guidance
- Set goals for the next performance period
- Address underperformance with PIP process when needed
You’ll still need to:
- Actually implement the program (announce it, run it, enforce deadlines)
- Deliver manager training using our outline
- Decide how performance will inform compensation decisions
- Provide ongoing coaching to managers who struggle with reviews
- Refine the program after the first cycle based on feedback
Timeline & Investment
Program design price: $1,124
Typical timeline: 4 weeks from kickoff to final delivery
To get started:
- Purchase this service
- Schedule discovery call (sent immediately after purchase)
- We’ll design your complete performance review program
- You’ll review and provide feedback
- We’ll deliver final program ready to implement
Planning to implement soon? We recommend purchasing this service at least 6-8 weeks before you want to launch reviews, giving you time to train managers and prepare employees.
Is This Service Right for You?
This service is ideal if you:
- Have 15-75 employees and need structured performance management
- Have tried performance reviews before and it didn’t work well
- Have managers who lack guidance on conducting reviews
- Need to connect performance to compensation decisions
- Want consistent performance standards across your organization
You might need something different if you:
- Have fewer than 15 employees (informal feedback may still work at that size)
- Already have a functioning review program and just need minor updates
- Need 360-degree feedback program (more complex design)
- Need compensation structure designed alongside performance program (consider adding that service)
- Have 100+ employees and need enterprise-scale performance management (contact us for custom scoping)
Questions about whether this service fits your needs? Contact us first—we’re happy to discuss your performance management goals.
Related Resources:
- See the Compensation Launch Hub for linking reviews to pay decisions
