Performance Review Checklist
A performance review checklist for managers: gather evidence, write a fair review, run the conversation and agree goals. Works for annual and half-year cycles.
- Typical schedule per review cycle
- The checklist 4 sections, 20 items
- Variables
{{employee_name}}{{review_period}}
Use this checklist each time a manager writes and holds a formal review, whether your cycle is annual, half-yearly or tied to a work anniversary. Run one per employee, so a manager with six reports sees six runs and can tell at a glance which reviews are stuck.
Who owns it
The direct manager owns each run. HR owns the cycle: the timeline, the form, and any calibration or pay decisions that follow. If someone changed manager during the period, the new manager still owns the review but should get written input from the previous one.
Common pitfalls
- Recency bias. Reviews written from memory overweight the last few weeks. Go back through 1:1 notes, goals and delivered work for the whole period.
- Surprises in the meeting. Nothing serious should be heard for the first time in a review. If it is, the feedback during the year failed, and the review will feel unfair.
- Mixing pay and development in one talk. When salary is on the table, people stop listening to feedback. Many teams hold the pay conversation separately.
- Vague goals. "Communicate better" cannot be reviewed next time. Write goals with an observable outcome and a date.
- Undocumented outcomes. A review can matter later for promotions or disputes. Store the signed or acknowledged version. Adapt this to your jurisdiction; it is a practical checklist, not legal advice.
Runbook can schedule the cycle for every manager at once, and the audit trail shows which reviews were finished and when.
The checklist: Performance review: {{employee_name}} ({{review_period}})
Gather evidence
-
Goals agreed for
{{review_period}}pulled up, with their current status -
1:1 notes from the whole period re-read, not only the last month
-
Concrete examples collected: delivered work, incidents, feedback from customers or colleagues
-
Peer or stakeholder feedback requested two weeks before the deadline optional
Ask two or three people specific questions, e.g. "What should they keep doing?"
-
Self-assessment requested from
{{employee_name}}with a clear due date
Write the review
-
Each rating or statement backed by at least one specific example
-
Strengths described as clearly as areas for growth
-
Review checked for vague or personal wording (e.g. "attitude", "not a culture fit")
Describe behaviour and impact, not personality.
-
Rating calibrated with HR or other managers, if your process includes calibration optional
-
Draft shared with
{{employee_name}}a day before the meeting optional
Hold the conversation
-
Meeting booked for at least 45 minutes in a private room or a quiet video call
-
{{employee_name}}starts by talking through their self-assessment -
Main points discussed with examples, and disagreements written down
-
Development wishes and career interests asked about and noted
-
Two to four goals agreed for the next period, each with an observable outcome and a date
Follow up
-
Final review shared and acknowledged by
{{employee_name}}in the HR system -
New goals entered where both of you will see them in 1:1s
-
Training, mentoring or support agreed in the meeting arranged
-
Pay or role change discussed in a separate conversation, if part of your cycle optional
-
Review document stored with restricted access
Checklist as Markdown
Frequently asked questions
What should a manager prepare for a performance review?
Collect the goals for the period, your 1:1 notes, concrete examples of work and any feedback from others. Ask for a self-assessment in advance. Then write the review so every statement points to something that actually happened.
How often should performance reviews happen?
Many small companies run a formal review once or twice a year, with regular 1:1s in between. The formal review works best as a summary of conversations that have already happened, not as the only feedback of the year. Pick a rhythm you can actually keep.
Should salary be discussed in the performance review?
It is often better to separate them. When pay is part of the meeting, the conversation tends to focus on the number and the feedback gets lost. A common pattern is the review first and the pay conversation a week or two later.
Updated