Glossary

The Signify performance management module allows the use of field aliases, meaning you can rename certain system objects to match the terminology used in your company. Find here a list of standard terminology and the meaning Signify attaches to each.

Contract, Performance Agreement and Assessment/Review Period

The best way to explain the Signify definition of the three interconnected concepts of

Contract,
Performance Agreement, and
Assessment Period,

is by referring to the following diagram.

There are one or more assessment periods (also called review periods) in a performance agreement. An employee's performance agreement contains his/her objectives. If other components (e.g. a 360 degree survey) are added to the employee's performance agreement, we refer to the combination as a performance contract. Thus, when referring to a performance contract it implies the performance agreement, but the performance agreement does not include the additional components - it only refers to the performance objectives.

Performance Year / Cycle

A performance year, or cycle, usually lasts for 12 months. A company's performance cycle could e.g. run from January up to December, or from July to June of the next year. One of the considerations in deciding your performance cycle might be to synchronise it with your salary increases negotiations.

Assessment Frequency

A performance year is usually divided into one or more time periods - called review or assessment periods. The number of assessment periods in a performance year is called the assessment frequency. See below for the most used assessment frequencies.

Annual (there will be 1 review or assessment, 12 months in duration)
Bi-annual (2 reviews, usually 6 months each)
Quarterly (4 reviews, usually 3 months in each)

Review Survey

A performance agreement is used to set performance objectives for a period. Occasionally companies combine a performance agreement with a review survey, also called a 360 degree evaluation, in which more general, company-related behaviours are measured.

Contract Phase Statuses

A performance contract follows a process as it goes between an employee and a manager for submission, approval etc. See below the main contract phases you can expect to see on reports and the Performance Management Dashboard.

CONTRACT PHASE	CONTRACT STATUS	MEANING TO THE EMPLOYEE
Contract	Performance Agreement Allocated	A performance agreement was created for the employee but no objectives were loaded yet.
Objective Setting (for each review period in the agreement)	Objective Setting Started	Some objectives were loaded, either by the employee or the manager.
	Objective Setting Completed - Employee	Objectives were loaded and the employee submitted the agreement.
	Objective Setting Completed - Manager	The manager considered the submitted objectives, may have had a discussion with the employee, made changes to the objectives as needed and approved the agreement. The rating fields for employee and manager are now available.
Review (for each review period in the agreement)	Review Started	The agreement was opened in the review phase, but the employee or manager ratings were not submitted yet.
	Review Completed - Employee	The employee completed his/her self-review and submitted the rated agreement to the manager.
	Review Completed - Manager	The manager completed their personal rating of the employee's objectives, considered the employee's self-rated objectives, may have had a discussion with the employee, provided the final objective scores and approved the rated agreement.
Review Survey	Review Survey	If part of the contract, the Review Survey Score is provided, usually by the Performance Administrator.
Contract	Finalised	The agreement and the review survey parts of the contracts have been completed and submitted or approved by manager and employee.

Objective

An objective is a goal to be achieved. In Signify a KPA's KPI, a Stretch Target KPI, a Company Value, a Leadership Behaviour and a Key Competency are all called objectives, or goals, which an employee should achieve and will be measured against.

Objective Setting (Phase)

In the beginning of a performance year, for a certain time period, the employee and their manager will engage to determine what the appropriate objectives will be for the employee's performance agreement. That is, what performance goals are set for the employee. This is called the objective setting phase of a performance contract.

Section Weight

Check-ins

Rating / Score

Personal Development Plan (PDP)

Perspective / Pillar

Key Performance Area

Key Competencies

Stretch Targets

Leadership Behaviours

Values and Behaviours / Company Values

Employee

Manager / Performance Manager / Line Manager

Pre-moderation Rating / Final Rating

Moderation / Calibration

Submit vs. Approve vs. Modify

Dual Approval

Rating Scale

Scoring / Rating

Check-in