Your review of one employee

Who it's for

Managers and HR running a review round. One form per employee, filled in by their manager.

Who answers

The manager, before the review conversation. Seven questions, two minutes.

What you'll see

• Each person rated on the same set of skills, so the whole team can be compared fairly
• Who is ready to take on more, which is the question succession planning actually needs
• What would help each person most: training, a mentor, different work, more time
• Strengths and areas to improve, written down rather than improvised in the meeting

How to get good answers

• Fill it in before the conversation, not after. A form written afterwards just records what was already said.
• Have every manager use the same form in the same month. Reviews spread over a quarter cannot be compared.
• Write about the work, not about the person. "Missed three deadlines" is usable; "not motivated" is not.
• The readiness question is the one to read across the whole team. It is the only place you find out who can be promoted before somebody resigns.