Performance Management


Chapter 1: Important concepts

Chapter 1: Important concepts

Glossary

Definitions

 

The 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 we attach to each.

Contract, Performance Agreement, and Assessment/Review Period

We define the three interconnected concepts of

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, reference to a performance contract implies the Performance Agreement, but the Performance Agreement does not include the additional components - it only refers to the performance objectives. 

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Performance Year / Cycle

A performance year, or cycle, usually lasts for 12 months. A company's performance cycle could 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 increase negotiations.

Assessment Frequency (Review Frequency)

A performance year is usually divided into one or more time periods - called the 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:

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.

Contracting

The process between employee and manager during which a performance contract is drawn up and approved. This happens at the beginning of the performance year, during the contract's first objective setting period.

Re-contracting

At the beginning of the second (and third, and fourth, etc.) objective setting periods, the employee and manager have the opportunity to amend the contract objectives, should it be needed due to a change in role, job circumstances, etc. The review period is opened (by clicking MODIFY OBJECTIVES) by the manager (first) and employee (second). It is then amended, re-submitted and re-approved. 

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 discussed them with the employee, amended the objectives as needed, and approved the agreement. 

The rating fields for the 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 discussed them 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 the 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 during a performance year, and against which the employee will be measured.

Objective Setting / Setting of Objectives (-Phase)

At 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 Agreement.

Rating (-Phase)

Towards the end of an assessment (or review) period in a performance year, the employee and their manager will engage to discuss the employee's self-review ratings, the manager's personal review ratings of the employee's performance, and then discuss the final ratings for each objective. This is called the rating phase of a Performance Agreement.

Section Weight

A Performance Agreement consists of one to 5 different sections:  Key Performance Areas, Stretch Targets, Company Values, Leadership Behaviours, and Key Competencies. Each of these carries a weight to indicate its relative importance to the agreement. In the image below, in the Key Performance Areas section, the weight is 50%. Simply put, if you get an average score of 4 (out of 5) for the KPA section, its contribution to your overall agreement score will be 50% x 4 = 2.

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See below typical section weights for an agreement.  Note that section weights must always add up to 100%.

SECTION TYPICAL SECTION WEIGHT
Key Performance Areas 70%
Stretch Targets 10%
Company Values 5%
Leadership Behaviours 5%
Key Competencies 10%
TOTAL 100%

 

Rating / Rating Scale / Score

At the beginning of a performance year, a manager and employee discuss the employee's objectives for the year ahead. At the end of each review or assessment period (of which there could be 1 or more in a year), there follows a review. During the review, the employee provides a personal rating or score for each of his/her objectives. This is only seen by the manager once the employee submits his/her ratings. The manager also provides a personal rating for each of the employee's objectives - also not immediately seen by the employee. Each section could potentially have its own rating scale, but usually, they are kept the same. See below for an example of a typical rating scale.

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During a joint discussion, the manager and employee talk about their personal ratings, and especially any rating discrepancies. The manager provides a final rating or score for each objective and this becomes the final rating for the employee's review period.

Perspective / Pillar

Perspectives are categories used to group KPAs together and have their origin in the Balanced Scorecard approach to Performance Management. Typical examples of perspectives are: 

If the system is configured as such, a user must select a perspective before any KPAs can be added. Perspective categorisation can be disabled by a setting which means only KPAs and KPIs are then required in the Key Performance Area and Stretch Targets sections. Some people prefer to use the word 'pillars'.

Key Performance Area (KPA)

Key Performance Areas refer to the areas within the business for which a person is responsible e.g., Process Improvement, Safety and Health, Security, etc. A KPA is further defined by one or more Key Performance Indicators (KPI). Refer to Key Performance Indicators for further examples.

Key Performance Indicators (KPI)

A Key Performance Indicator is a type of performance measurement that acts as a compass, helping you understand how you are performing towards strategic goals or objectives. To be effective, a KPI must be well-defined, quantifiable, and crucial to achieving your goal. See below for examples of how a KPI can further define a KPA.

Also refer to the SMART model for compiling KPIs, as outlined in the reference below.  

https://www.hydratemarketing.com/blog/the-importance-of-setting-smart-goals

 

KEY PERFORMANCE AREA

(Area of work)

KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATOR

(Outcome/impact to be achieved)

Customer complaints

Reduction in time response to resolve complaints, per quarter

Cost effective procurement

Reduction in cost spend on items sourced per supplier, per year

 

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https://www.hydratemarketing.com/blog/the-importance-of-setting-smart-goals

Measures

The observable/measurable “proof” that will confirm a specific outcome/impact has been achieved.

Example 1

KPA: Customer Complaints

KPI: Reduction in time response to resolve complaints per quarter

Measure: Customer index rating on response time in the previous quarter

 

Example 2

KPA: Cost effective procurement

KPI: Reduction in cost spend on items sourced per supplier per year

Measure: Percentage saving per cost item to the previous year

Targets / Ratings

Performance targets (as a descriptor for a KPI) help:

When establishing performance targets, be specific in terms of:

 

Example 1

KPA: Customer Complaints

KPI: Reduction in time response to resolve complaints per quarter

Measure: Customer index rating on response time in previous quarter

Target: Decrease from 10 days to 8 days

 

Example 2

KPA: Cost effective procurement

KPI: Reduction in cost spend on items sourced per supplier per year

Measure: Percentage saving per cost item to the previous year

Target: Savings improvement on the previous year of 2%

 

Example 3

KPA: Month-end financial reports

KPI: Reports delivered on time

Measure: Due 28th of each month

Target/Rating: 

Delivered 26th -> Rating = 5/5

Delivered 27th -> Rating = 4/5

Delivered 28th -> Rating = 3/5

Delivered after 29th -> Rating = 1/5

Key Competencies

Competencies can be used in an appraisal process to describe the major skills, abilities, and attributes that a staff member needs to be successful in a job and/or organization. (Penn Human Resources)

In the system, competencies can be defined for, and loaded against each job from where they become available in the Performance Management product.

Stretch Targets

A stretch target (also called a stretch goal) in the Performance Management product functions the same as a Key Performance Area objective, although the intention with a stretch target might be different. This section is called 'Stretch Targets', but by making use of the system aliases, it can be renamed to anything else. One example is a company that renamed this section to Personal Development Plan to create a space for their training initiatives on the employee's agreement.

Leadership Behaviours

Leadership behaviours are objectives in a Performance Agreement that only applies to employees in a leadership position, i.e., if the employee has other people reporting to him. Should an employee not be a manager, the section's weight will be distributed pro-rata among the remaining sections, and the section will become unavailable to the employee. 

See below for examples:

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Company Values and Behaviours

Company values and behaviours are clear statements of how you expect people in your company to act. By identifying your values and behaviours and making them explicit, you shape your company's culture. This is important because the company values and behaviours provide a moral compass for the employees, establish a basis for consistent decision-making by everyone, and can give some guidelines for internal processes. Company values and behaviours are used to measure an employee’s performance against the company’s internal values and will automatically form part of each employee's performance contract. 

See below for typical examples:

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Employee / User / Learner

In the system, we refer to system users, or just users, when we speak about people using the system in a non-administrative and non-managerial capacity. If the product under discussion leans towards the training suite, we may refer to users as learners. When a product clearly functions in a manager-subordinate environment (e.g., Performance Management), we prefer to talk about employees and their managers as that is usually the relationship. Please see employee, user, and/or learner as interchangeable. 

Manager / Performance Manager / Line Manager

A manager in the sense of the system is a person with other people reporting to him/her.  Organisationally, a manager might be called a line manager. Considering the Performance Management product, your manager is your Performance Manager. Going towards the training suite, you may encounter a training manager. In respect of the products in the system, all these kinds of managers could be the same person or completely different people. Please refer to a user/employee's Reporting Lines to see who is fulfilling each of these roles. Please see manager, performance manager, and/or line manager as interchangeable. 

Pre-moderation Rating / Final Rating

During the review discussion between a manager and employee, a final rating or score is determined by the manager and entered into the system. For the review period this is the final rating, but technically speaking any 'final rating' is subject to the company's moderation committee's decisions and potential amendments. Therefore, we prefer to label the final rating in a review period as the pre-moderation rating, alerting users to the fact that this might not be the final rating. 

Moderation / Calibration

After completion of a full performance cycle's review periods, and the subsequent calculation of the final contract scores, these scores - and the employee contracts supporting them - are usually sent to a moderation committee, also called a calibration committee. They have the mandate to ensure fairness across employees, managers, departments, etc. and they may amend final scores. 

Submit vs. Approve vs. Modify

When an employee is done loading agreement objectives, he/she needs to submit the objectives to their manager for consideration. Submit does not imply approval - only the manager can approve an employee's objectives. The manager considers, discusses, and changes (if needed) the objectives and eventually approves the agreement. Should changes to an approved agreement be needed, the manager (first) and employee (second) must modify the agreement, opening it up for editing. 

The same three actions are required when going through the agreement review process:

  1. Employee self-rates his/her objectives and submits the scores.
  2. Manager does a personal rating, then provides the final scores and approves the review period.
  3. Should a change be needed, both manager (first) and employee (second) must modify the review before changes can be made.

 

Notes

An employee submitting objectives, or rated objectives does not imply the employee's approval of the objectives or their scores - it is only an acknowledgement of the fact that it is now on paper. The manager does the approval of the objectives and their scores. In this sense, the system is merely a paper copy of the physical Performance Management process followed by a company. 

If an employee is unhappy with what is in the contract, a separate process is followed outside of the system, and as stipulated by the company's dispute resolution procedures. 

Dual Approval

The employee contributes and collaborates 100% with the manager but is not expected to approve anything - he/she only submit the agreement or the agreement scores for consideration by the manager. The manager approves - whether it be objectives or scores. 

DUAL APPROVAL = ON

The employee contributes and collaborates 100% with the manager but is not expected to approve anything - he/she only submits the agreement, or the agreement scores for consideration by the manager.  The manager approves - whether it be objectives, or scores.

DUAL APPROVAL = OFF

If dual approval is not active, the manager can create and approve the contract without needing the (system) acceptance of the employee.

Check-in

After submission and approval of an employee's Performance Agreement objectives at the beginning of a review period, several months could pass before the objectives are reviewed and scored. During this silent period, a manager could do regular check-ins on employee objectives, and give direction and guidance as needed. This is what the Check-in functionality was created for: a tool for managers to keep an employee focused on his/her objectives, and to get feedback from employees on guidance given. 

Value Survey

In addition to an employee's Performance Agreement (which mainly measures the employee's performance in his/her job), some companies also measure other factors, e.g. customer satisfaction (external), or to what extent an employee is living up to the company values (internal), and combine these scores with employee job performance scores to get to an employee contract score, which is clearly then not only dependent on an employee's own personal performance. A typical performance contract may therefore have these components.

Performance Agreement (containing the job performance objectives) = 90%

Value Survey (containing other non-job related measurements) = 10%

These external scores have various names, depending on what they measure. Some companies call them Value Surveys, Customer Satisfaction Questionnaires, etc. 

This is an optional section in the system but should be added to an employee's Performance Agreement early in the performance process as it will affect the employee's overall score. 

Switch User

A performance manager can assist an employee (or user) with certain tasks on a Performance Agreement e.g., adding objectives, but this is always done by the manager who can only see and do what a manager is allowed to see and do. 

When a user is stuck and needs advice on how to proceed with the information on their screen, a Performance Management Administrator (or another person with sufficient rights assigned) can physically switch to the user's profile and see and do what the user can do. Note that all transactions completed in this way are logged against the name of the person doing the transactions - whether it is the user him/herself, or the performance administrator assisting. 

 

 

Abbreviations & Acronyms

 

KPA Key Performance Area
KPI Key Performance Indicator
KC Key Competency
CWA

Calculated Weighted Average

The total contract score is first calculated separately for the agreement sections, then for the agreement, and then for the contract overall. The weight per section and objective item is incorporated into this final calculation.
RA Revised Average. A manager can manually review the sections’ final scores. The RA then becomes the new CWA.

 

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Chapter 1: Important concepts

Roles and Responsibilities

The performance management product supports three primary role players. See below for a breakdown of their responsibilities. 

The diagram shown here outlines the typical responsibilities of a manager and employee in a two-review-period performance year.

 

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User / Employee

 

Performance Manager

 

Performance Management Administrator

 

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Chapter 1: Important concepts

The Performance Management Process

This module does not only allow for small transactional operations. It supports a full Performance Management process, or life cycle. Three roles play an active part in the process namely:

Typical timelines for a 12-month performance process are shown in the diagram below. Note in this example the performance year runs from July to June.

 

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Going into a bit more detail, the review periods and their phases can be illustrated as follows, again for a typical 12-month performance cycle having 2 review periods.

Employees start setting their performance objectives (called contracting) in the beginning of the performance year.

When the objectives have been approved by a manager, the manager and employee can start to collaborate via the Check-in functionality.

When the review/rating phase starts, the check-ins are locked - only allowing access for the reviews.

Going into the year's second review period, a brief re-contracting is done to confirm the existing objectives.

Again, the process is supported by the check-in functionality.

And followed by the final, or second review phase.

Optionally, a value survey could be run concurrently with the second review period.

 

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Chapter 1: Important concepts

The Place of Performance Management in the Employee Lifecycle

Performance Management plays an integral role in the employee lifecycle at a company.  See below where Performance Management fits into the picture.

 

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Chapter 2: Using the product

Chapter 2: Using the product

How to Make it a Success

Process: Step 1

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Lesson duration

About 5 minutes

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What you will learn:

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Communication and Change Management

Managing expectations (and sometimes even fears) is crucial when embarking on a Performance Management process. More so if a new system is part of the package. Therefore, we recommend the following types of communication when you get to this point in the process.  The system has a general email that can be configured and scheduled to go out to all involved in the performance management project.  See below for a typical example.

 

Send System Notifications

 

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Other useful information to communicate to users includes:

What do the deadlines mean e.g. "The Performance Contract must be loaded, submitted, and approved by the manager by 31st August"?

How many KPAs should there be on a typical Performance Contract?

Is there a guideline for how many KPIs there should be under a KPA?

Should the users make use of standard (e.g., industry-specific) KPAs and KPIs, or can they compose their own?

Will the company be populating the KPA and KPI libraries with examples?

Can the employees build their own contracts, and only afterwards discuss them with their managers? Or should there be a joint discussion before the contract is created?

Can the employee and manager make use of contract templates in the library? Are there any templates in the library?

 

Conduct Short Training Sessions

Sometimes users get stuck on some tiny detail which they are unsure off.  Arrange online training sessions, which people can attend at will, and there deal with short, impactful topics which are relevant at this stage of the process. These topics are usually supplementary to the standard training material or emphasise their importance. Examples of training sessions are:

 

Share Process Statistics

Besides the relevant upfront communication and guidelines, once the process has started, be sure to keep the momentum by encouraging employees and managers with little bits of information, and more guidance as to what is expected from them.

Use the system reports to extract process statistics and use these to create momentum. See below for an example. This can be sent every week during the peak periods of the process - usually when approaching a deadline.

Remember, your users do not engage with the system daily and people forget a system after a month or two of inactivity. Use every opportunity to push training and guidelines and encouragement to them.

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Recommended further reading

 

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Chapter 2: Using the product

The Performance Management Dashboard - For employees

Process: Step 1

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Lesson duration

About 5 minutes

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What you will learn:

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The Performance Management Dashboard for Employees

Every employee, forming part of the Performance Management process, gets access to their own Performance Management Dashboard. This dashboard is a high-level summary of an employee's Performance Contracts. Normally, an employee can have one performance contract for any given performance cycle.

There are however differences between what an employee can do from his/her dashboard, and what managers can do from theirs. The manager's dashboard is discussed in the following pages.

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Employee's Performance Management Dashboard                              Manager's Performance Management Dashboard

 

Employees can perform the following tasks from the Performance Management Dashboard:

 

On top of these primary functions, the dashboard also enables a user to do the following:

 

These are discussed in more detail in the following pages.

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Recommended further reading

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Chapter 2: Using the product

The Performance Management Dashboard - Open an existing contract

Process: Step 1

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Lesson duration

About 5 minutes

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What you will learn:
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Open an Existing Performance Contract

What the performance dashboard tells us...

The dashboard pictured below tells us:
  1. The performance cycle the employee is busy with e.g., 2022.
  2. The employee's Performance Contract is displayed. As an added option, the dashboard could indicate whether the employee is a manager, managing a team of people, each having their own contract. 
  3. The general timelines for each period and phase of the performance year. 
  4. Your progress in the performance process e.g., Review Period 1.
  5. The suggested next step for the user, e.g., 'Complete the objective setting'.
  6. The amount of time you have left to complete the current phase.
  7. Whether you still have to START the contracting process (meaning you don't have a contract at the moment), or can just CONTINUE its population (if you did manage to start the contracting), or have arrived at the CHECK-IN and RATE-ing phases already.
  8. The components (and their relative importance or weights) of the contract e.g., the Performance Agreement (90%) and a value survey (10%). 
  9. The final overall score, including all review periods and additional components e.g., a Value Survey.

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If an employee has an existing contract for the current performance cycle

If you have already created a contract for the current performance cycle, the dashboard might feature a CONTINUE button at #7 (if you have not yet submitted your agreement), or CHECK IN and RATE buttons (if your agreement was already submitted and approved), and even a VIEW button if the agreement was fully scored and approved.

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Click:

the CONTINUE button if you want to open the agreement and continue setting your objectives. The screen opens in the first review period, and you are supposed to finish listing performance objectives before submitting the agreement.
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the CHECK-IN button if your agreement was already submitted and approved and you would like to start checking in on your objectives.  (See the following section for more information)
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the RATE button if your agreement was already submitted and approved and you have moved into the rating phase of the review period.  (See the following section for more information)
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the VIEW button if your agreement was fully scored, submitted, and approved by your manager and is now only available for viewing.
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When you exit the assessment period (using the BACK TO DASHBOARD button), you will return to the Performance Dashboard.
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Recommended further reading

 

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Chapter 2: Using the product

The Performance Management Dashboard - Create a new contract

Process: Step 1

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Lesson duration

About 20 minutes

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What you will learn:
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Create a New Performance Contract

In the previous section, we assumed an existing Performance Contract and looked at ways of engaging with it e.g., by clicking CONTINUE to continue listing the performance objectives.
On this page, the assumption is that you don't have an existing contract for the current performance year and would like to create one.

If an employee doesn't have an existing contract for the current performance cycle:

If you haven't yet created a contract for the current performance cycle, the dashboard will feature a START button at #7 above.

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An employee has the above three options available; a manager also has access to the fourth option below.

  1. Create Blank - which means the user will have to type, or select every objective required.

  2. Copy From Template - which means start your contract from a template example and then customise it as needed.

  3. Copy From Previous - which means reusing, or starting with last year's performance contract.

  4. Copy an agreement of one of my employees - only available to a manager, should he/she want to copy contracts between employees.

Decide which option suits you best and then follow the guidelines for each below. We discuss them in order of convenience.

Can I copy one of my historical contracts to start from?

If you have a previous contract which is still relevant, given your current role, choose the tile Copy From Previous, and then select the contract to copy from. All the agreement's contents will be copied to your new performance cycle's contract, except for the approval statuses, ratings, and comments. Then, continue editing and/or adding objectives as needed.

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A list of all previous agreement review periods is presented. Note you can, for instance, select a Performance Agreement's first or second (or third or fourth - if applicable) review periods.

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Notice that by copying from a previous period you have...

... created the contract

... created the agreement's review period(s)

... populated all the agreement sections with the same content as in the original agreement.

Adding and amending objectives is discussed in another section.


Is there a contract template in the library that closely fits my role?


Use your job title or any other keywords to try and locate a contract template that may fit your job profile. Before choosing the template, ensure to preview its contents to ascertain its relevance to your current job. Then, continue editing and/or adding objectives as needed.

Agreement templates are predefined and prepopulated agreements, set up by the System Administrator, which can be used as a convenient way to create a new agreement.

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  • Click the tile Copy From Template.
  • Search for the required template from the library.
  • Use the PREVIEW button if you are unsure about the contents of a template.

     

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The field USE TEMPLATE WEIGHTS has the following impact on new agreements.

TICK ON: You will start with the template's section weights when creating a new agreement.

TICK OFF: You will start with the default company performance management section weights when creating a new agreement, i.e., override the template section weights.

Notice that by copying from an agreement template you have...

... created the contract

... created the agreement's review period(s)

... populated all the agreement sections with the same content as in the template agreement.

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Does another employee's agreement closely fit my current role?

This option is only available to managers. Managers have access to copy contracts between employees and then edit them as needed. If you are aware that a colleague's role (i.e., Performance Agreement) is similar to yours, ask your manager to copy it to you and then change it as needed. Your manager will perform the following steps on your behalf.

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 The new agreement is created and is opened in the first review period.

Notice that by copying from another employee's agreement, your manager has...

... created the contract

... created the agreement's review period(s)

... populated all the agreement sections with the same objectives as in the source agreement.


Is there no other option but to start with a blank agreement?

If you don't have any previous contracts, there are no matching templates in the library, and your work is unlike any of your colleagues', then choose this tile to create a blank agreement for you. You will have the opportunity to create a new Performance Agreement from scratch in cooperation with your manager.

To create a new blank agreement for the selected performance year:

  • Choose the Create Blank tile,
  • then click START to create your contract. 

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Your Performance Agreement screen will display, showing the different sections, but without any objectives. Adding objectives is discussed in another section.

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What can I expect to see once I have created a contract for a new performance cycle?

Whatever you choose from the above options, the system might ask a question or two to identify the most appropriate template or historical contract. But, once that has been settled, the contract is either copied or created and the following will happen.

The new contract is created (including its one, two, three or perhaps four assessment periods).

The screen opens in the first review period.

If a template or historical contract was selected as a source, its contents will reflect in the first assessment period. 

When you exit the assessment period (using the BACK TO DASHBOARD button), you will return to the Performance Dashboard and see the contract stages and phases reflected there.

See below for a typical Performance Agreement. Depending on your choices above there may be some objectives loaded.

The details of the screen are discussed on another page.

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Recommended further reading:

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Chapter 2: Using the product

The Performance Management Dashboard - Functionalities and layout

Process: Step 1

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Lesson duration

About 15 minutes

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What you will learn:

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Additional Functionalities on the Performance Management Dashboard

In previous pages, we discussed some of the functionalities available to employees and managers, but we focused specifically on creating a new Performance Contract.

On this page, we will highlight a few additional functionalities and the general layout of the dashboard screen. In our discussion, we will refer to the screen and pointers below.

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#1. Performance years

At the top of the Performance Management Dashboard you will find a dropdown with the existing and previous performance years. The default value is the current performance year. Page back to historical contracts by choosing the applicable performance year.

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#2. My contract / My team's contracts

The toggle button is used to easily switch between your Performance Contract, and those of your team - should you be managing a group of people.

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#3. The periods and phases in my contract

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A contract is made up of contract items of which at least one is a review period (containing your performance objectives), and an optional component e.g., a Value Survey.

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Each review period comprises two phases:  during the Objective Setting phase your agreement objectives are determined, and during the Rating phase the objectives are evaluated and scored or rated.

Optionally you may have access to a Check-in phase which allows the employee and manager to do ad-hoc check-ins (informal evaluations) of the employee's progress in reaching the employee's objectives.

Furthermore, each review period and its phases are time-bound, as indicated by the timeline. Some may be available for access, some may still be locked, as indicated by their grey colour.

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If an employee's contract contains more than one review period, the same phases will repeat for each review period.

The optional contract item, called Value Survey above, has only one phase.

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#4. My progress in the review periods

Together, the review periods in your performance contract form your Performance Agreement i.e., the agreement or consensus between you and your manager about your objectives for the year ahead.

Each review period goes through two formal stages (objective setting, and rating) with an optional check-in functionality or phase supporting them. A review period's status or progress must be read with the official timelines in mind. Hover on a review period's progress and date range bar to get the specific dates for a phase.

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On the images above, note the following:

The instructions about your next step in a phase. Here are a few instructions from the perspective of an employee.

Load, amend and/or confirm the review period's objectives.

Finish setting your objectives and submit them to your manager.

Do frequent check-ins on your objectives until it is time for your self-rating.

Do your self-rating and submit it to your manager.

 

The countdown to a deadline. As you can see from the Timelines, each phase has a date range. Usually, a review period's phase is only open for changes while you are within the phase date range. Before and after the date range, a phase might be locked.

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The action(s) that corresponds with the suggested next step. Here are some of the action buttons you can expect to see.

BUTTON YOUR ACTION
image-1645702995085.png Click to create your Performance Contract.
image-1645702978351.png Click to open your agreement's review period and then either add or amend your objectives and/or submit the objectives to your manager.

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 Click to open the Check-in functionality where you and your manager can evaluate your progress against your set objectives. A check-in is a more informal evaluation of objectives to give guidance before the formal review is done.

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 Click to open your review period and do a self-rating of your performance against each objective. Your self-ratings will become visible to your manager only once you submit the agreement.

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 The review period was finalised and closed out. Click to view your manager's personal ratings as well as the final agreement ratings.

 

#5. Further actions available during a review period

Besides the usual activities during a review period, you also have access to all documents uploaded against KPIs and other objectives in the review period, and to print a copy of your review period.

 

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View Documents:

All documents uploaded during the contracting period can be found here. They are available for viewing or downloading.

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View / Print:

Printing a document is standard functionality. Due to the potential size of a Performance Agreement, note the following trick to contain the size of what is going to be printed.

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Delete Objectives:

 

Your Performance Contract's number of review periods is fixed. Therefore, clicking the DELETE button below does not delete the review period; it clears out all objectives you may have loaded into any section of your agreement.

 

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#6. If something seems locked

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If you find a lock symbol or icon in a review period, it means your manager or employee is busy working on the review period, either loading objectives or scoring the objectives. Only one person is allowed to work in a review period at any given moment.

 

#7. In summary

When a contract has been finalised, it implies the following has been done. This is shown in the Overall Summary part of the performance dashboard.

  1. All the review periods have been populated with objectives - and approved by the manager.
  2. All the review periods have been rated - and approved by the manager. (There is a score for each period)
  3. If applicable, the scores from any additional components (e.g., a Value Survey) have been entered into the system and incorporated into the employee's contract.
  4. A final overall score was calculated and is available.

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Recommended further reading

 

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Chapter 2: Using the product

The Performance Management Dashboard - For Managers

Process: Step 1

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Lesson duration

About 15 minutes

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What you will learn:
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The Performance Management Dashboard for Managers

 

Every user forming part of the Performance Management process gets access to their own Performance Management Dashboard. If a person manages other users or employees, the person fulfils the role of performance manager and gets access to a Performance Management Dashboard for Managers.

The activities described below are from the viewpoint of a performance manager, assisting their employees during the performance management process. Except for the submission of objectives (done by an employee themselves) and the submission of self-rated objectives (also done by an employee), a performance manager has control over all aspects of an employee's Performance Contract. If you are a performance manager, we recommend also viewing The Performance Management Dashboard for Employees section. On this page, we will focus on additional functionalities only.

 

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What can a manager do on the Performance Management Dashboard for Managers?

 

Manage their own Performance Contract (in their capacity as a regular user).

Manage the performance contracts of the manager's own, direct reporting lines.

Manage the performance contracts of ad-hoc groups of people - if assigned to this manager.

Create a new performance contract for their employees.

View existing and previous Performance Contracts of employees.

Determine the progress of a Performance Contract phase of an employee and determine the next step.

Get overall progress stats for his/her department.

Print employee contracts.

Perform Check-ins on employee performance agreement objectives. And view the reply from the employee.

 

#1 Switch between groups of people

A performance manager has access to their own Performance Management Dashboard, similar to those of other users, as seen below.  However, a manager can also switch to a separate view which allows for the management of the Performance Contracts of other users. 

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The view displays the regular performance cycle timeline, as well as a list of employees or users in the selected group.
Note that you could have access to 3 types of people or people groups via the toggle button. Although the groups - and your responsibilities towards them - may differ, you have the same access (features and functionalities) to the individuals.

Your own Performance Contract

Employees reporting to you as their direct line or performance manager.

Employees in other groups (e.g. Senior Management). These do not necessarily report to you, but you might be responsible for their Performance Management.

#2 Where should you focus?

Managing several employees with contracts in various stages and phases of the Performance Management cycle can be daunting.

We took the guessing out of the management by grouping the employees according to the following phases. Just note the phases will repeat for each review period in the Performance Contract.

As a manager, you can assist with every step, but in the tables below, we assume the employee will perform their tasks to the fullest.

 

This employee is in the Objective Setting phase.

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And this is what is supposed to happen.

EMPLOYEE'S ACTIONS THE MANAGER'S ACTIONS
  • Create their Performance Contracts.

  • Discuss and confirm their objectives with the manager

  • Load the objectives into the agreement.

  • Submit their agreement for your approval.

 



  • Discuss and confirm the objectives with the employee.

  • Approve the agreement.

 

This employee is in the Rating and Check-in phase.

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And this is what is supposed to happen.

EMPLOYEE'S ACTIONS THE MANAGER'S ACTIONS
  • Reply and act on any Check-in guidance the manager may have given if the Check-ins are open.

  • Do a self-rating on their objectives once the rating phase is open.

  • Submit the self-ratings.
  • Do occasional Check-ins on employee objectives, and guide as needed, if the check-ins are open.

  • Do a personal rating of the employee's objectives once the rating phase is open.

  • Discuss the employee's self-rating versus your personal ratings, then provide the objectives' final ratings.

  • Approve the review period.

 

#3 Access the agreements of employees

If employees have been linked to a manager, the manager can perform all actions on the employee Performance Contracts, except submitting the objectives and ratings.

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The following actions are at the manager's fingertips.

 

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Click START, CONTINUE, RATE, and/or VIEW - or whatever the phase requires.

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Click DELETE to clean out all the review period's objectives and start over.

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Click the More or Action Plan icon to print the contract, and to see all uploaded documents.

 

Recommended further reading

 

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Chapter 2: Using the product

The Performance Agreement - Overview

Process: Step 2

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Lesson duration

About 10 minutes

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What you will learn:

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The Index of Sections

Previously, we created a Performance Contract and are almost ready to start populating the agreement's first review period with performance objectives for the year.

Before we start, let's briefly check the layout of the screen and the functionalities available. 

The index of sections indicate the sections of the agreement apply to you and their relative importance as a percentage. The Key Performance Areas section is always a part of an agreement, but Stretch Targets, Values & Behaviours, Leadership Behaviours, and Key Competencies might not be. These sections depend on various settings and whether you are a manager.

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What goes into each section?

We will briefly tour each section to understand its native/original intention but note that you can rename any section to fit your purpose. The renaming of a section might completely change its purpose.

 

Key Performance Areas

The KPA section is used to identify the areas within the business that a person is responsible, e.g., Process Improvement, Safety and Health, Security, etc., and how they relate to company strategies or focus areas - called perspectives or pillars.

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This section contains up to three levels of information. The Perspectives level is sometimes omitted and is dependent on client configuration.

Perspectives

Key Performance Areas

Key Performance Indicators

 

Note the action buttons:

BUTTON / ICON USE

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 Opens a list of values. Sometimes choosing from the library is compulsory; sometimes you are allowed to use the library or create your own values. 
image-1645796400408.png Allows library and own values.
image-1645796444736.png Views uploaded documents, and upload new documents.
image-1645796596716.png Open a text box for your comments.

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 Delete an item.

Invisible buttons

In many cases, headings become active after you have added them - allowing their editing and sometimes additional fields.

 

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Click on them to see what lies beneath.

 

The other sections have a layout similar to, or simpler than the Key Performance Areas shown below. Some unfamiliar terminology might be used in these sections. Refer to the Glossary for a brief explanation of each.

 

Stretch Targets

The Stretch Targets section works the same as the Key Performance Areas section, but the fact that it is a separate section implies a separate overall purpose.

It is usually reserved for senior management where 'stretch' targets are present on Performance Contracts. Alternatively, you can change the section's name if you would like to use this section for a completely different purpose.

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Values & Behaviours

Sometimes called Company Values, this section has a dedicated library for its items and is usually used to measure general company values. This section normally applies to all employees' part of the performance process.

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Typical Company Values are:

Continuous Improvement

Integrity

Trust

Fun

 

Leadership Behaviours

This section is activated only for people who are managers of other people. If it does not apply to an employee, its section weight is distributed pro-rata among the other sections.

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Typical Leadership Behaviours are:

Compassionate Leadership

Alignment

Awareness

Confidence

 

Key Competencies

This section lists the skills/competencies an employee should possess in order to do their job. And allows the employee to be measured against them.

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Typical Key Competencies are:

Communication

Decision Making

Problem Solving

Teamwork

 

Action Plan

Employees and managers can use the Action Plan section to register any action supporting the employee's Performance Contract overall, or even an action specific to a KPI, Company Value, Leadership Behaviour, or Key Competency.

Training requirements or needs are special types of actions that can also be logged in this section.

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General Comments

The General Comments section can be used by an employee or manager to note something, provide motivation for including or excluding an objective, and to explain the reason for giving a higher-than-expected or lower-than-expected rating.

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Wrapping it up

At the bottom of the screen are three buttons. 

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While in the objective setting phase, all information added to the page is saved automatically, unless there is an explicit SAVE button, as on the popups.

When you are done, click BACK TO DASHBOARD to release and close the screen and to return to the employee dashboard.

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When your objectives have been listed, explained, and fleshed out and you are ready to request approval from your manager, click SUBMIT OBJECTIVES. Your manager will be notified.

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Each section comes with a predefined section weight. Click EDIT SECTION WEIGHTS to amend the suggested section weights to better reflect the intention of your job. 

 

Recommended further reading:

 

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Chapter 2: Using the product

The Performance Agreement - Set Your Objectives PART 1

Process: Step 2

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Lesson duration

About 20 minutes

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What you will learn:

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Setting your Objectives

 

What is your goal?

Take a minute to read through the following pointers before you start your agreement. Understanding the purpose of a Performance Agreement will impact on how you approach it, and what you get from it.

 

In creating your Performance Agreement, you will take the following steps:

  1. Identify what you have to achieve and want to achieve in your job in the year ahead.
  2. Make sure your manager agrees with your goals, and how you are going to work towards achieving them.
  3. Make sure the way you formulate your goals (via its defining measures and targets) causes them to be tangible, easily measurable, trackable, etc.
  4. Determine the relative importance of each goal. Work objectives are not all equal in importance.
  5. Send everything to your manager for approval.

All of this may take up to 2 months to finalise unless you can start from a previous, and well-structured agreement.

 

An example

See below a fully populated KPA section. Your Stretch Targets will have a similar layout; the other sections will be simpler.

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The Key Performance Areas Section

We are going to plan your agreement using the above example as a roadmap.

 

Perspectives Level

(Optional, depending on company settings)

Refer to the section The Performance Agreement - Overview for background on the use of perspectives.

On the side menu, click the Key Performance Areas section.

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Notice that the relative importance of the Key Performance Areas section is 70% - in our example.

We are going to focus on the perspectives level first. Perspectives are used to group key performance areas, and key performance areas are in turn used to group key performance indicators.

Let's remove all the KPAs and KPIs from our example and see the perspectives in isolation. In the example, there are two perspectives:  Internal Process (worth 70%) and Learning and Growth (worth 30%).  All our KPAs will be loaded under one of these two perspectives.

Notice how the total of their relative weights adds up to 100%.

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If you are working on a new, blank agreement, we suggest loading all your perspectives together and assigning their weights. This way it is easier to get an overview of them before adding KPAs and KPIs, and visually easier to get their weights to total 100%.

 

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Key Performance Areas Level

Refer to the section The Performance Agreement - Overview for background on Key Performance Areas.

Now we are going to focus on the KPA level. Key Performance areas (KPAs) are used to group Key Performance Indicators.

Let's remove all the KPIs from our example and look at a KPA in isolation, under its parent perspective called Internal Process.

Notice how the total of all the KPA weights (under one parent perspective) adds up to 100%.

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If you are working on a new, blank agreement, we suggest - for a specific perspective - loading all its key performance areas and their weights at once. This way it is easier to get an overview of all the KPAs under a perspective before adding KPIs, and it's easier to get their weights to total 100%.

 

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Make sure you load each KPA under its correct parent perspective – you cannot move them later; you will have to delete the KPA record and recreate it if needed.

 

 

Key Performance Indicator Level

Refer to the section The Performance Agreement - Overview for background on Key Performance Indicators.

Now we are going to focus on the KPI level. There can be more than one KPI under a parent key performance area (KPA), as in the example below.

Notice how the total of all the KPI weights (under one parent KPA) adds up to 100%.

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Make sure you load each KPI under its correct parent KPA (and perspective) – you cannot move them later, you will have to delete the KPI record and recreate it if needed.

 

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If you are working on a new, blank agreement, we suggest - for a specific KPA - loading all its Key Performance Indicators and their weights at once. This way it is easier to get an overview of all the KPIs under a KPA. 

 

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Now do it!

Before we move on to the other sections, practice the steps above.

 

What else is there?

We only discussed adding the primary levels to the KPA section of the Performance Agreement. But there are a few additional functionalities to consider.

 

Person and manager comments on a KPI

After adding a KPI the record is displayed on the screen. 

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General Comments

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On the menu to the left of the screen, locate and click General Comments. This is a separate section, meant to be used in conjunction with all the other sections.

Enter any notes, remarks, concerns, and other clarifying comments on the content contained in a Performance Agreement.

 

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Documents

Documents in support of your chosen objectives, or for omitting objectives, can be loaded on Perspective, KPA, and KPI levels. See below for the location of the Documents icons at each level.

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Actions on a Key Performance Indicator

Listing a KPI under a KPA usually implies some form of action e.g., "Implement the online tool by...".

To support achieving a KPI, additional activities might be needed e.g., "Procure funds".

These actions can be loaded and linked directly to a KPI record.

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Note the following about the Action Plan:

The action plan can be created in support of a specific KPI.

In addition, an action plan can be an ad hoc activity in support of or flowing from the Employee's Performance agreement.

The screen contains optional training-related fields if the action plan is training focused.

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An employee and/or manager can at any time click the action plan and provide comments and a progress update. Use the fields Progress and Person Comment (or Manager Comment).

 

Suggestions for building a robust Performance Agreement

 

Recommended further reading:

 

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Chapter 2: Using the product

The Performance Agreement - Set Your Objectives PART 2

Process: Step 2

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Lesson duration

About 15 minutes

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What you will learn:

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Setting Your Objectives

 

In the section Performance Agreement - Setting Your Objectives PART 1, we looked at the Key Performance Areas section in depth - loading perspectives, key performance areas, and key performance indicators.

We have also seen how to upload documents, link actions, and load user comments.

On this page, we will go through the Stretch Targets, Company Values, Leadership Behaviours, and Key Competency sections.

Although the standard name for the second section of a Performance Agreement is Stretch Targets, note that the name can be changed to reflect company requirements.

 

The Stretch Targets Section

(Optional, dependent on company settings)

The working of this section is a carbon copy of the Key Performance Areas section and won't be discussed in depth, but you are welcome to refer to the section The Performance Agreement - Overview for background on its use.

There are, however, two differences to consider:

The section has a different importance attached to it, as can be seen from its percentage weight allocation.

Although potentially present on all employee contracts, it does not necessarily apply to all employees. It usually applies to more senior levels of management - but this decision depends on company requirements.

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On the side menu, click the Stretch Targets section.

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The layout and functioning of the Stretch Targets section are the same as that of the Key Performance section. Therefore, the suggested approach is:

 

The Values & Behaviours Section

(Optional, dependent on company settings)

The objectives in this section are automatically loaded when a new Performance Contract is created.  See below for an example of a populated Values & behaviours section.

Please refer to the section The Performance Agreement - Overview for some background on its use.

On the side menu, click the Values & Behaviours section. Note the weight allocation.

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Note the following about the section.

All items are pre-loaded but can be deleted as necessary, and in collaboration with your manager. Use the Delete icon to delete records.

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Items not automatically loaded (e.g., because they were not part of the underlying template agreement), can be viewed and even added, by clicking the (Link) Values & Behaviours button in the section.

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Use the MORE (ACTION PLAN) icon to load an action specific to a Value. See Performance Agreement - Setting Your Objectives PART 1 for more details.

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Use the Documents icon to view and/or load documents in support of a Value.

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Click on a Value & Behaviour record to edit its weight and add relevant comments.

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Once saved, the employee and manager comments display on the screen.

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The Leadership Behaviours Section

(Optional, dependent on company settings)

The objectives in this section are automatically loaded when a new Performance Contract is created, and if you manage people i.e. You have employees reporting to you. See below for an example of a populated Leadership Behaviours section.

Please refer to the section The Performance Agreement - Overview for some background on its use.

On the side menu, click the Leadership Behaviours section. Note the weight allocation.

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Note the following about the section.

All items are pre-loaded but can be deleted as necessary, and in collaboration with your manager. Use the Delete icon to delete records.

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Items not automatically loaded (e.g., because they were not part of the underlying template agreement), can be viewed and even added, by clicking the (Link) Leadership Behaviours button in the section.

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Use the More (also called Action Plan) icon to load an action specific to a Value. See Performance Agreement - Setting Your Objectives PART 1 for more details on loading actions.

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Use the Documents icon to view and/or load documents in support of a Value.

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Click on a Leadership Behaviour record to edit its weight and add relevant comments.

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Once saved, the employee and manager comments display on the screen.

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The Key Competencies Section

(Optional, dependent on company settings)

The objectives in this section are sometimes sourced (from the employee's job profile) and automatically loaded when a new Performance Contract is created but this depends on company preferences. We are going to populate this section as if no records were pre-loaded. See below for an example of a populated Key Competencies section.

Please refer to the section The Performance Agreement - Overview for some background on its use.

On the side menu, click the Key Competencies section. Note the weight allocation.

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The selected key competencies are transferred to the agreement's Key Competencies section.

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Note the following about the section's records.

Use the Delete icon to delete records.

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Use the More (Action Plan) icon to load an action specific to a Key Competency. See Performance Agreement - Setting Your Objectives PART 1 for more details on loading actions.

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Use the Documents icon to view and/or load documents in support of a Key Competency.

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Click on a Key Competency record to edit its weight and add relevant comments.

 

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Once saved, the employee and manager comments display on the screen, and the weight is changed.

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Submitting Your Objectives

In Parts 1 and 2 of setting your objectives, we learned how to work with each agreement section, loading objectives, and balancing weight allocations. In this section, we will learn how to finalise the sections and their objectives, and then how to submit the agreement to a manager for approval.

We will approach the finalisation process via a checklist of typical questions to ask yourself.

I have populated all sections (applicable to me) with suitable objectives.

Each objective has a weight assigned.

The sum total of all my section weights = 100%  

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At the bottom of the page, click EDIT SECTION WEIGHTS for a summary.

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Section by section, the sum total of all section weights = 100%. In the Key Performance Areas and Stretch Targets sections:
- The weights of all KPIs under a parent KPA add up to 100%.
- The weights of all KPAs under a parent perspective add up to 100%.
- The weights of all perspectives add up to 100%.

I have uploaded appropriate documentation in support of my objectives - where needed.

Where applicable, appropriate comments have been added to objectives.

Where applicable, objective-specific actions were registered, due dates and responsible people assigned and progress updated.

Where applicable, general actions were registered, due dates and responsible people assigned, and progress updated.

General comments were loaded as needed.

 

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Typical Submission Messages

Besides the checklist given above, the most important agreement element checked and validated by the system, is the item weights which must total 100%. With this we mean:

The sum total of all section weights = 100%  

Section by section, the sum total of all item weights = 100%. 

In the Key Performance Areas and Stretch Targets sections:
- The weights of all KPIs under a parent KPA add up to 100%.
- The weights of all KPAs under a parent perspective add up to 100%.
- The weights of all perspectives add up to 100%.

If any of these fails validation, expect a message like the one below. Then, check the totals of all the sections, change as needed, and submit again.

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Beyond the Submission

Submitting a performance contract to a manager kicks off a series of activities, inside the system and outside.  See below for a summary of them.

Email to the performance manager

The following email (example only) will be sent to a manager when an employee has submitted his/her performance contract. 

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Email to the employee

Upon approval of the employee's contract by the manager, the employee in his/her turn will receive the following notification (example only).

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Contract status update

Each contract has a progress status as it continues on its way to approval, review, finalisation, etc. After submitting the agreement content, the contract status on the employee's side changes as follows.

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What will happen next?

Expect the following to happen once you have submitted your Performance Contract.

Your performance manager might call you for a meeting to discuss your objectives, their weights, how to measure them, and what their review might entail.

Your performance manager will approve your objectives and you will receive an email stating the fact.

Your Performance Agreement will allow Check-ins on your objectives. For more information, see Doing Check-ins on your Objectives. Regularly sit down with your manager and do a Check-in on your objectives.

When the time arrives, the review of your objectives will be enabled and become available.

 

Reopening a submitted contract

Suppose you would like to make changes to your objectives after you have submitted the contract, and even after your manager has approved the objectives as well. See below for the steps to follow in each of these cases.

 

You have submitted the contract, but the manager hasn't approved it yet

In this case, you can reopen the contract from your Performance Dashboard with one click.

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The agreement is now open again as shown by the progress.

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Since the approval of your objectives triggered a notification to your manager, the reopening of your agreement will again trigger a notification. See an example below.

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You have submitted the contract, and the manager has approved it

If your contract has been submitted (by you) and approved (by your manager), then two steps are needed.

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You can expect a notification confirming the agreement's reopening, similar to the one below.

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Recall that your manager will be notified of the agreement's reopening via a notification, like the one shown earlier.

 

Changing a submitted/approved contract

Initially, the employee and manager can work on the employee's objectives while the review period is still in the objective setting phase. At some stage, the employee or manager may submit or approve the objectives from their side...while the other is still making changes. If any changes are made on a submitted or approved review period, the submission/approval is automatically cancelled, and the parties will receive a notification to this effect. This is done to protect employees and managers from thinking a review period is done, while changes are still being made.

If the employee's submission has been cancelled by the system, the employee can expect this notification. (Example only)

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If the manager's approval has been cancelled by the system, the manager can expect this notification. (Example only)

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Recommended further reading:

 

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Chapter 2: Using the product

The Performance Agreement - Check-ins

Process: Step 3

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Lesson duration

About 6 minutes

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What you will learn:
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Doing a Check-in on Objectives

After submitting their performance objectives, employees will work on achieving them for three to five months before doing the review with their managers.

During this period, using the Check-in functionality provides a simple but effective way of keeping the objectives in focus, getting guidance and direction from a manager, and ensuring there are no surprises during the actual review.

Just note, a manager does not have to check-in on all objectives every time a Check-in is done. Select a few - if guidance is needed - and give feedback only on those objectives. During the next Check-in, focus on another set of objectives.

Remember, a Check-in is not a replacement for a face-to-face discussion with your employee/manager, it is done in addition to regular discussions.

A Check-in can be done as many times during your performance cycle as is needed.

Activating the Check-in functionality

Using the Check-in functionality is optional and depends on a company's configuration.

If Check-ins are enabled in the system, the CHECK-IN button will become active when an employee's objectives have been submitted and approved - that is when the contracting phase has concluded. See the screenshot below.

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Check-in statistics

When the employee or manager opens the employee's check-in screen, find a summary of Check-in statistics at the top of the screen. It serves to give some indication of where to focus, and this is helpful when there are lots of objectives on a performance agreement.

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See below for the interpretation of the numbers.

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Do a Check-in (as manager)

Since the bulk of the activity on the check-in screen is from the manager's side, the following screenshots are from the manager's perspective.

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The Check-in stats at the top.

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The standard section menu is on the left side of the screen.

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The objectives are grouped per section in the middle of the screen.

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The feedback in the My Comments field is made available to your employee; feedback typed as Private Comments is not.

 

 

Evaluating an item is not done in terms of the regular 1 to 5 (e.g.) rating scale but in the format of an On Track, or Not on Track indication.

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After saving the feedback, notice how the feedback is added to the history of the objective's check-ins.

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Reply on Check-in feedback (as employee)

When an employee views a review period on their performance management dashboard, the presence of check-in feedback is displayed as a status message.

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The screen statistics are updated to reflect new entries.

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The checked-in objectives are highlighted, and feedback is visible.

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Feedback history is updated if comments are saved. Use the EDIT LAST COMMENT link in the lower right corner if you'd like to edit the comment. 

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The Check-in screen is updated with the employee's reply.

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Recommended further reading:

 

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Chapter 3: Product setup and administration

Chapter 3: Product setup and administration

Performance Management Product Setup and Configuration

 
Diagram for Performance Management Setup

The diagram below shows the steps to configure the Performance Management Product. Click on the step images in the diagram for easy access to the sections in the document.

Note: Only steps 1 to 4 is mandatory for the Performance Management Product setup.

Step 1 - People Group.jpg Step 2 - Review Setup.jpg Step 3 - Review Year.jpg Step 4 - Master Data.jpg Step 5 - Email Notification Setup.jpg Step 6 - Translation.jpg

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Summary of the Product Setup:

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PEOPLE GROUPS

 

 

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The management of performance does not always apply to all employees in a company. Use the following steps to define your target audience.  In the following section you will be required to link the target audience to a performance year.

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REVIEW SETUP

 

 

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Setting up the Performance Management product consists of the following steps.

  1. Doing the product's setup:
    • The Review Setup - HOW a performance contract will function in terms of periods, sections, etc.
    • The Review Years Setup - How a review will function in a SPECIFIC performance year.

Activate the Product

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Create a Review Setup
In this section, we describe how a typical performance contract will function.

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See below for the field definitions.

Setting
Options
Purpose 
Name   The review setup's name is be used for all subsequent settings. Choose a descriptive name e.g., Salaried Employees in Grades 10 and Up.

Dual Approval

 

OFF

 

The manager can create and approve the contract, and do the rating of objectives without the participation of the employee.

 

ON

The manager can create an employee's contract, but submission and rating of the objectives require the participation of the employee. 

Allow a manager to override who will approve and rate

 OFF

and Dual Approval = ON

Managers and employees must participate in performance contracting.

 

ON

and Dual Approval = ON

When a manager creates a new performance contract for an employee, the manager will have the opportunity to cancel the employee's participation, i.e., the manager can create, approve, and rate objectives without the participation of the employee.

Allow managers and employees to edit review survey scores

OFF

Managers and employees can type in the employee's survey score, if a review survey is part of the review setup.
 

ON

Only the manager can type in the employee's survey score, if a review survey is part of the review setup.

Description

 

Further clarification of the name of the review setup.

Allow Perspectives

OFF

The KPA and Stretch Targets sections will allow the direct adding of KPAs and KPIs, without the need for a perspective grouping level.

 

ON

The KPA and Stretch Targets sections will require a perspective level to be added before allowing KPAs and KPIs to be loaded.

The next review period can only start when the previous one has been completed

 OFF

An employee can work on all review periods at once. Not recommended.
 

ON

An implicit control mechanism with which to ensure that one review period is completed (submitted, rated, and approved) before the next can be opened.

This control is in addition to the Review Years - Review Periods in which individual dates for each review period phase (e.g., Setting of Objectives, Rating, etc.) are stipulated.
Self-ratings and manager's personal ratings should be submitted before the final rating can be completed

 OFF

The manager only needs to load the review period's final objective ratings before approving the review period.
 

ON

The employee must complete their objective self-rating and the manager must complete their own rating of the employee's objectives before the manager can load and approve the final objective ratings.

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Each review period added implies a period for which objectives can be loaded across the sections Key Performance Areas (mandatory), Stretch Targets (optional), Values & Behaviours (optional), Leadership Behaviours (optional) and Key Competency (optional).

Each review survey added implies a separate score (for whatever was measured) in addition to the performance agreement's review periods.

Ensure you create all the review periods and review survey (if applicable) BEFORE linking to the Review Years. All periods added after linking will not show on the performance dashboards and may cause those contracts to be re-created.

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Most sections require one or more of the following decisions:

Active or not

Relative weight percentage
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Can an employee/manager change the section weight while contracting?
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Description of the rating scale to be used when scoring the objectives in this section
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Rating scale for the section if check-ins are allowed on its objectives.
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For each template created, ensure the following is in place:

Template created with a descriptive name e.g., Engineering - Financial Clerk - Salaried - Gr10. The more templates you create and the smaller their differences the more descriptive their names should be.

The template is published (made visible to employees) when ready.

Stipulate if the company's default section weights are used, or if the weights assigned to sections in the template get precedence.
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Sections contain appropriately described objectives.

 

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REVIEW YEARS

 

 

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In this section, we will see how a general performance review (created above) will function in a specific performance year.

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See below for the field descriptions.

Setting
Options
Purpose
Name  

A descriptive name for the performance year or performance cycle.

Examples are:

  • 2022
  • 2022 - Academic Staff
  • 2022 - Support Staff

Max Performance Rating

 

   Although an extended rating scale can be created for each section, this setting determines the maximum value a rating scale will have in this performance year.

Start Date

End Date

   The range of the performance year.

Locked

 ON

This performance year is temporarily (e.g., to do system maintenance) or permanently (e.g., once the performance year has been closed out) locked.

Users are not able to create new contracts or work on existing contracts.

 

 OFF This performance year is available for existing and new contracts.

Active

 ON This performance year is available when employees created new contracts.

 

 OFF

This performance year is not active.

Users are not able to create new contracts or work on existing contracts.

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Define the Review Periods and Phases for the Performance Year

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For each review period and its phases, pay attention to the following:

The review period's date range e.g., if it is an annual, bi-annual, or quarterly contract.

The dates of each phase in a review period. These dates will determine when a phase becomes available to employees.

For each review period, if its Check-in phase is active or not.

Don't forget about the Value Survey dates.

Click UPDATE PERIOD WEIGHTS at the bottom of the screen to stipulate the relative importance of the review periods and value survey.
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MASTER DATA

 

 

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Master data comprises all company-specific information contained in dropdowns, lookups, and customer-specific messages.

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EMAIL NOTIFICATIONS

 

 

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Performance Management email notifications can be activated and customised.

Below is the list of email templates available:

Nr

Name

Description

Default Active (Yes/No)

1

Objective Settings Approved By Person

A person submitted the objective settings of an agreement.

 

2

Objective Settings Approved By Manager

A person submitted the objective settings of an agreement.

 

3

 

Objective Settings Modified By Person

A person modified the objective settings of an agreement.

 

4

Objective Settings Modified By Manager

A manager modified the objective settings of an agreement

 

5

Objective Settings Deadline For Person

Notification sent as reminder of the objective settings deadline.

 

6

Objective Settings Deadline For Manager

Notification sent as reminder of the objective settings deadline.

 

7

Check-In Phase Started

When the start date of the check-ins has been reached.

 

8

Check-In Deadline For Person

Notification sent as reminder of the Check-In deadline.

 

9

Check-In Deadline For Manager

Notification sent as reminder of the Check-In deadline.

 

10

Self-Ratings Approved

When a person submitted the self-ratings of an agreement

 

11

Manager Rating Submitted

When the manager has submitted the final rating of an agreement.

 

12

Self-Ratings Modified By Person

When a person modifies the self-ratings of an agreement.

 

13

Manager Ratings Modified

When a manager modifies the manager rating of an agreement.

 

14

Ratings Deadline For Person

Notification sent as reminder of the Ratings deadline.

 

15

Ratings Deadline For Manager

Notification sent as reminder of the Ratings deadline

 

16

Manager Final Rating Submitted

When the manager has submitted the final rating of an agreement.

 

17

Manager Final Rating Modified

When the manager has submitted the final rating of an agreement.

 

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TRANSLATION

 

 

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Translate system terminology and messages. This functionality depends on the Translation module, accessed from the System Settings.

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There is no set way of customising the system terminology except by searching for a word or phrase in the general search area. See example below.

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Chapter 4: How to

Chapter 4: How to

How To's and FAQs

 

Topics Addressed

 

PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT DASHBOARD

 

PERFORMANCE AGREEMENT (GENERAL)

 

PERFORMANCE AGREEMENT (SECTIONS)

 

CHECK-INS

 

PERFORMANCE AGREEMENT (RATING OF OBJECTIVES)

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Q: What are all the fields on the dashboard there for?

A:  The dashboard fields help you to:

Select the correct performance year

Select the appropriate team of people (if you are a manager)

Be aware of the timelines

Know your progress in a review period

See the results of a review period - if available

Click here for more details.

Q: How do I select/change the performance year?

A:  Use the performance year dropdown at the top of the page.

Click here for more details.

Q: How do I know what to do with an existing contract?

A: Use the progress messages in each review period to determine what to do if you already have an existing contract.

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Click here for more details.

Q: How do I create a new blank Performance Contract?

A:  Firstly, decide if starting with a blank Performance Contract is your best course of action. Refer to the contract creation options for an overview.  Start creating the contract and then select the Create Blank option.

Click here to learn about your options.

Click here for more details on creating a blank contract.

Q: Why can't I create a new Performance Contract, or work on an existing contract?

A: There are a few possible reasons why you might not be able to create a new Performance Contract or work on an existing contract. See below for a list.

1. The Performance Management Product is not active. (Settings | Product Setup | Performance Management | Active)

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2. The Performance Management Product's review setup is not active. (Settings | Product Setup | Performance Management | Product Setup | Review Setup | Active)

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3. The current review period is not active. (Settings | Product Setup | Performance Management | Product Setup | Review Setups | Review Items | Review Period | Active)

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4. The current review year has not yet reached its starting date, is not (yet) active, or is perhaps temporarily locked for editing. (Settings | Product Setup | Performance Management | Product Setup | Review Years |  Active)

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5. The current review year has not yet been linked to a Review Setup. (Settings | Product Setup | Performance Management | Product Setup | Review Years |  Review Setups)

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6. The current review year's period dates were not properly configured.  (Settings | Product Setup | Performance Management | Product Setup | Review Setups | Review Periods)

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7. You are not part of the target audience for Performance Management and therefore don't have access to the product, i.e., you cannot see the Performance Management menu on the main menu to the left of the screen.  (Settings | Product Setup | Performance Management | Product Setup | Review Setups | Target Audience)

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8. You don't have a performance manager assigned to you. Contact your performance administrator for assistance.

Q: How do I copy a Performance Contract from one of my colleagues?

A:  You need your manager's assistance to copy a colleague's contract. 

Click here for more details.

Q: Can I use an old Performance Contract for a new performance year?

A:  You can copy the old contract to the new year and amend its contents as needed. You cannot change an old contract's performance year to a new year. Start creating the contract and then select the Copy from Previous option.

Click here for more details.

Q: How do I create a new Performance Contract using a template from the library?

A:  Start creating the contract and select the Copy from Template option. Search the library using appropriate key words. Use the Preview icon to check the template contents before creating the contract.

Click here for more details.

Q: How do I delete a review period on a contract?

A: Look for and click the DELETE icon in the applicable review period. Confirm your intention by providing a reason and acknowledging the deletion.

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Your Performance Contract's number of review periods is fixed. Therefore, clicking the DELETE button below does not delete the review period, it clears out all objectives you may have loaded into any section on your agreement from the chosen review period.

 

Q: I want to re-open my agreement, but the MODIFY OBJECTIVES button on the dashboard is disabled.  What must I do?

A:  Once your manager approves your agreement, the MODIFY OBJECTIVES button is disabled. The solution needs two steps.

  1. Ask your manager to click MODIFY OBJECTIVES on your contract from his/her Performance Management Dashboard.
  2. Then, you have to click MODIFY OBJECTIVES on your contract, from your Performance Management Dashboard.

Click here for more details.

Q: In the setup of the Performance Management module, a performance year has three items (2 reviews and one survey), but on my dashboard, I can only see one review period. Why?

A:  If the configuration of the Performance Management module is changed after people started creating contracts, existing contracts might not necessarily be changed accordingly. A Performance Contract is created with certain parameters defined in the configuration; if the configuration is changed the contract is not. Ask your Performance Administrator for assistance, but it will probably entail the removal of your Performance Contract and the creation of a new contract.

 

FOR THE PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT ADMINISTRATOR:  During the configuration of the performance management product, you have to do the following steps in this exact order.

  1. Create a new Review Setup.
  2. Add all the review items (review periods) at once. I.e. not one now and another later on.
  3. Create a new Review Year.
  4. In the review year's Review Setup, link a review setup comprising the three review items. If the review items are changing after the linking took place, there will be a mismatch. Delink the review setup and relink it again.

Q: Where can I see my team's contracts?

A:  Every employee - who is part of the performance management process - can see their performance management dashboard and performance years.  A manager can also see the teams they are responsible for by switching between their dashboard, and those of the teams.

Look for the toggle button at the top of your performance dashboard to switch between your own contacts and the contacts of your team.

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Click here for more details.

Q: Where can I see the contracts of my indirect employees?

A:  Yes, it will be possible, but only in the next version.

Q: How do I change the section weights on my Performance Agreement?

A: The default section weights are automatically assigned when a contract is created, or even when a performance template is used to create a new contract. Sometimes users are not allowed to change the default section weights, but if they are allowed, here are the steps.

Click here for more details.

Q: How do I include/prevent a review period from being scored?

A:  Yes, it will be possible, but only in the next version.

Q: How do I link an action to a KPI (or any other objective item)?

A: It is possible to link actions to objective items, but after being added, note they are all grouped under the Action Plans menu item.

  1. Go to the objective item to which you would want to add an action.
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  2. Click the objective's More/Action icon. 
  3. Complete the Action screen's details and click SAVE.

 

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Click here for more details on a KPI-specific action.

Click here for more details on a generic action.

Q: How do I submit my agreement objectives to my manager for approval?

A:  Besides adding the objectives to your agreement; and balancing the section and objective percentages to separately add up to 100%, you only need to click the button SUBMIT OBJECTIVES to:

Carefully take note if any verification messages require your attention

Click here for more details.

Q: How do I (as manager) approve the agreed-on objectives of my employees?

A:  After discussing and confirming the objectives with an employee, you only need to click the button SUBMIT OBJECTIVES to:

Take note if any verification messages require your attention.

Click here for more details on how employees will submit their objectives.

Click here for more details on how a manager will approve the objectives of an employee.

Q: How do I add a KPA?

A:  The assumption is you have already managed to create a Performance Contract, and you find yourself on either the Key Performance Areas or Stretch Targets (if using) sections.

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  1. If the Perspectives level is switched on, click the +PERSPECTIVE button and choose an appropriate perspective.

    image-1646968301879.png

  2. Once loaded, click the +KEY PERFORMANCE AREA button to start adding a KPA.

Click here for more details.

Q: How do I add a KPI?

A: The assumption is you have already managed to create a performance contract and you have added a perspective and a KPA.

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  1. Under the loaded perspective and KPA, click the +KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATOR button to start adding a KPI.

Click here for more details.

Q: How do I attach a document to an item on my agreement?

A:  Documents can be attached to most items on your Performance Agreement. Look for the Document icon next to an item and click to open the Document View and Upload screen, which lists existing documents and allows the upload of new documents.

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Click here for more details.

Q: How many KPAs should I have in my Performance Contract?

A:  In the Key Performance Areas section, the system requires at least one KPA and KPI under a perspective (if using). It does not enforce a maximum number of KPAs, although suggestions range from a maximum of five KPAs up to ten, depending on job complexity.

Q: What is the purpose of the Measures field (part of a KPI)?

A:  Click here for more details and examples.

Q: What is the purpose of the Target/Rating field (part of a KPI)?

A:  Click here for more details and examples.

Q: How do I balance the weights of the perspectives, KPAs and KPIs?

A:  The goal is as follows:

Click here for more details.

Q: How do I balance the agreement sections?

A:  The goal is for the total weight of all sections to equal 100%. At the bottom of the agreement screen is a button EDIT SECTION WEIGHTS, allowing the user to see all the section weights in one place and change them as needed.

Note, only change the section weights after a discussion with your manager as they are predefined for a company.

Click here for more details.

Q: How do I add/remove a Company Value (Values & Behaviours)?

A:  On the agreement screen, use the navigation menu on the left and click Values & Behaviours.image-1646977206884.png

Usually, values and behaviour items are automatically added to every new Performance Contract, but should you need to add or remove an item, use the LINK VALUE & BEHAVIOURS button or the DELETE BUTTON.

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Click here for more details.

Q: How do I add/remove a Leadership Behaviour?

A:  On the agreement screen, use the navigation menu on the left and click Leadership Behaviours.

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Usually, leadership behaviour items are automatically added to every new Performance Contract, but should you need to add or remove an item, use the LINK LEADERSHIP BEHAVIOURS button or the DELETE button.

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Click here for more details.

Q: How do I add/remove a Key Competency?

A:  On the agreement screen, use the navigation menu on the left and click Key Competencies.

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Key competencies are sometimes (depending on company preferences and configuration) automatically added to every new Performance Contract but should you need to add or remove key competencies, use the LINK KEY COMPETENCIES button or the DELETE button.

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Click here for more details.

Q: What is a Check-in used for?

A:  The Check-in functionality is a bridge between the Objective Setting phase and the Review phase. Once a Performance Agreement is approved (usually at the beginning of the performance year) it is locked until it is time for the review, which usually happens at the end of each review period. Between these two phases, a manager and employee could do regular evaluations or check-ups on the employee's objectives to correct and guide performance as needed.

Click here for more details.

Q: How do I check in on an objective? (Manager's perspective)

A:  A manager will take the initiative to check in on an objective and will take this approach.

  1. Locate the employee's contract on which the check-in is to be conducted.
  2. Click the CHECK-IN button.
    image-1646978463532.png
  3. Go through the employee's list of objectives and choose one to evaluate. Click its record to open the Check-in feedback screen.
  4. Use the Rating toggle button to indicate current progress sentiment i.e. On Track or Not On Track.
  5. Use the comments fields (My Comments and Private Comments) to give guidance and direction on the objective.
  6. Click SAVE when done.

Click here for more details.

Q: How do I change a check-in comment on a user's objective?

A:  Only the last check-in comment can be edited. 

  1. Return to the objective having the comment and click its record to open it.
  2. On the Check-in feedback screen, locate and click the link EDIT LAST COMMENT to open the comment field.
  3. Make the change and click SAVE.

Click here for more details.

Q: How can I reply to my manager's check-in feedback?

A: Comments loaded on an objective's check-in record can be viewed, but no email notifications are sent.

  1. Return to the objective having the comment and click its record to open it.
  2. On the Check-in feedback screen, locate and click the link EDIT LAST COMMENT to open the comment field.
  3. Make the change and click SAVE.

Click here for more details.

Q: I am busy scoring my first assessment/review period, but then I realised one of the objectives on my Performance Agreement changed substantially in character. What is the best approach?

A:  Here are two scenarios to consider.

Scenario 1 - The objective that was changed, is a KPA.

Solutions:

Quickest:  Leave the KPA (and its KPIs) as is but EXCLUDE the KPI(s) when scoring them. This will not affect the assessment period score. Then, after creating the next review period, MODIFY the agreement and amend the objective(s). Approve everything again. At the start of every subsequent review period, there is an opportunity for re-contracting.

Longer route: If you have to amend the KPA and/or KPI(s) before scoring, ask your manager to MODIFY the assessment period, then MODIFY the assessment period from your side as well. The objectives will now be open for editing, but you will have to amend them and then re-submit the agreement and get it re-approved by your manager.

 

Scenario 2 - The objective that was changed, is not a KPA (e.g., it is a Key Competency or a Company Value)

Solutions:

Since only the KPA objectives can be excluded when scoring, you have the following options.

Quickest:  Give the objective the average section score - not affecting the section score. Remember to provide an explanatory note for your scoring decision. Then, after creating the next review period, MODIFY the agreement and amend the objective(s). Approve everything again. At the start of every subsequent review period, there is an opportunity for re-contracting.

Longer route: If you have to amend the objective, ask your manager to MODIFY the assessment period, then MODIFY the period from your side as well. The objectives will now be open for editing, but you will have to amend them and then re-submit the agreement and get it re-approved by your manager.

 

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Chapter 5: Make your product implementation a success

Chapter 5: Make your product implementation a success

Lessons from Experience

No two implementations are exactly the same, but we can learn from where things went either north or south 

The following lessons were learned from the successful implementations at larger companies.

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