Settings Explained: Create or Edit Review Setup

A review setup defines the structure and rules governing the performance review process within an organisation. It determines how performance agreements function, specifying rating permissions, the level of the employee's involvement, and approval workflows.

Each menu item related to review setups will be covered and includes the following:

In the beginning, only the Details menu item is accessible when creating a review setup. However, once you have adjusted and saved the review setup settings, the other menu items will become available.

Let's examine each menu item more closely.

Details

The name, description, and configuration settings for the review setup can be edited on the Details screen.

GENERAL SETTINGS
SETTING NAME	MODE	DESCRIPTION
Dual participation – both the employee and the manager will participate electronically. If disabled, only the manager will participate electronically.		Either the manager or the employee can create the performance agreement. The setting and rating of objectives requires the employee's participation.   Also activates the Dual Participation settings (see below).
		The manager can create and approve the performance agreement and rate the objectives without the employee's participation. The employee will be allowed to view the agreement.   Also deactivates the Dual Participation settings (see below).
Allow perspectives.		Allows perspectives as the highest level of categorisation. KPAs will be added to perspectives when creating performance agreements.
		Perspectives are not required for performance agreements, so KPAs can be added directly when creating performance agreements.
Allow the manager to edit the review survey scores.		A manager will be able to update the review survey scores. Employees will be able to view the scores.
		The review survey scores cannot be edited. Employees and managers can see the scores.
Show the timeline to the manager and employees on the Performance Management dashboard.		The timeline will display on the Performance Management dashboard.
		The timeline will not display on the Performance Management dashboard.
The next review period can only start when the previous one has been completed.		Forces the one review period to be completed before the next one can start. Thus, if you have two review periods, the first must be finalised before you can start the second.
		Review periods can be started in any order if the phases are open.
Hide scores and weights during the Ratings phase.		Instead of displaying scores and weights, labels will be added to the rating scales.
		The scores and weights will be displayed during the Ratings phase.
Allow excluding review items.		Review items can be excluded from the overall final score.
		All review items are included in the overall final score.
Auto-copy the objectives from the previous review period in the same year. The agreement status will also be copied (e.g., Approved or In Progress).		The objectives from the immediately preceding review period's agreement are automatically copied, without needing to select the agreement. The agreement's status will also be copied (e.g., Approved or In Progress).   If no immediately preceding agreement is available, the pop-up menu prompts you to create one. In this instance, it does not copy the agreement's status.
		The pop-up menu with the agreement creation options will appear. Objectives from the previous review period's agreement will not be copied.
When copying from another agreement, use the section weights from the copied agreement rather than those of the review setup. The rest of the structure is copied from the review setup's configuration.		The section weights from the copied agreement override the section weights configured in the review setup's settings.
		The copied agreement will inherit the section weights from the review setup's configuration.
Allow other people (other than the manager) to rate a person at the lowest level (e.g., KPI level).		Selected people (other than the manager) can evaluate a person on a specific KPI.   Also activates the Allow Non-Manager Ratings settings (see below).
		Only the manager can rate a person at the KPI level.   Also deactivates the Allow Non-Manager Ratings settings (see below).
Lock agreements for managers and employees.		Managers and employees can view agreements but not edit them.    Also activates the Locked Agreements settings (see below).
		Managers and employees can view and edit agreements.   Also deactivates the Locked Agreements settings (see below).
Allow interpolation		Interpolation is used to map actual values to the rating scales of a KPI. Actual values are entered when rating a KPI, and these values are then mapped to give a rating. A rating can also be excluded.
		Interpolation is switched off.
Allow adding of a training intervention to PDP (when adding a new action plan).		When adding an action plan to a performance agreement (if enabled), a training intervention can be added to  PDP.
		Action plans are added to performance agreements without linking to training interventions.
DUAL PARTICIPATION SETTINGS
SETTING NAME	MODE	DESCRIPTION
The person's Self-Rating and Manager Rating must be approved before the Final Rating can be completed.		This setting appears only when Dual Participation is enabled. The main setting, as well as the sub-setting, determines how this functionality will work.
Sub-setting 1: Show the person's approved Self-Rating to the manager only once the manager has approved the Manager Rating.		The person’s self-rating and the manager’s rating must be approved before the final rating can be completed. The person’s self-rating will only show to the manager once the manager's rating has been approved.
Sub-setting 2: Show the person's approved Self-Rating to the manager, regardless of the Manager Rating approval status.		The person’s self-rating and the manager’s rating must be approved before the final rating can be completed. The person’s approved self-rating will be shown to the manager, regardless of whether the manager's ratings have been approved or not.
Sub-setting 3: Show the Manager Rating to the person only once the Final Rating has been approved.		The person’s self-rating and the manager’s rating must be approved before the final rating can be completed. The manager’s rating will only be visible to the person once the final rating has been approved.
The Manager Rating and the Final Rating can be completed simultaneously (the Final Rating can only be approved once the person's Self-Rating has been approved).		This setting only shows when the Dual Participation setting has been enabled. Both the manager’s rating and the final rating can be completed at the same time. The final rating can be approved only once the person’s self-ratings have been approved. The manager will see the self-ratings only after they have been approved. The employee will see the manager's ratings once they have been approved, and will see the final ratings once they have been approved.
Only show the Final Rating column and hide the Manager Rating column.		This setting only shows when the Dual Participation setting has been enabled. The manager rating column is hidden, and only the self-ratings and final ratings are needed. The final rating can only be approved when the person’s self-ratings have been approved.
ALLOW NON-MANAGER RATINGS SETTINGS
SETTING NAME	MODE	DESCRIPTION
Allow anonymous evaluations		Selected people, other than the manager, can rate a person on the KPI level. The evaluation results will be presented anonymously.   The main setting, as well as the sub-setting, determines how this functionality will work.
		Selected people, other than the manager, can rate a person on the KPI level. The comments and ratings of the person who performed the evaluation will be shown.
Sub-setting 1: Show the results anonymously (the manager and employee will not see who submitted the ratings).		Neither the manager nor the employee will see who submitted the ratings.
Sub-setting 2: Show the results anonymously only to the employee (the manager will see who submitted the ratings, but not the employee).		The employee will not be able to see who submitted the ratings and comments, but the manager will.
Sub-setting 3: Hide the evaluation summary page from employees.		The evaluation summary page will not show to employees, but the manager can view it.
Sub-setting 4: Show the comments and ratings anonymously (the manager and employee will see the ratings and comments submitted).		The manager and employee can view the ratings and comments submitted, but will not see who submitted them.
LOCKED AGREEMENTS SETTINGS
SETTING NAME	MODE	DESCRIPTION
Always		Managers and employees can view performance agreements, but will not be able to edit them.
Only when created via a performance management API (when created manually, this rule will not apply).		Managers and employees can view performance agreements, but will not be able to edit them if the agreements were created using a performance management API.

Review Items

• Click to navigate to Review Items.
• Click +REVIEW PERIOD to load the required review items.
• Fill in the name and weight of the review period. Toggle whether the review period is active.

• Click +REVIEW SURVEY to add an evaluation to the review setup.
• Fill in the name, weight, and maximum score of the review survey. Select the activation status of the review survey, as well as whether the review survey's scores may be revised.

• If you have finished configuring the review items, they will appear on the Performance Management dashboard as shown below:

Sections

The different Sections of the performance agreement can be switched on or off, assigned weights, or configured for use. The following steps will guide you through the setup and configuration of the sections of a performance agreement.

A performance agreement can consist of the following sections:

• Primary Goals (always enabled by default)
• Stretch Goals (optional)
• Values and Behaviours (optional)
  
• Leadership Behaviours (optional)
• Key Competencies (optional)
  

It is important to ensure your section weights add up to 100% for the performance agreement, or you may receive an error message as follows:

Let us look at the settings linked to each section of the performance agreement in more detail.

Primary Goals

Primary Goals form the core performance expectations of a role. They define what must be delivered for the organisation to function effectively and sustainably, representing operational reliability and accountability. 

Since this section of a performance agreement is always enabled by default, the toggle to disable it is greyed out.

• Add a weight for this section.
• Choose whether the section's weight may change or not.
• Configure the settings related to Key Performance Indicator weights:
  • Option 1: The Key Performance Indicator weights must add up to 100% per Key Performance Area.
    • You can choose to automatically distribute the item weights (i.e. if there are 5 KPIs for a specific KPA, each KPI will have a weight of 20%).
  • Option 2: The Key Performance Indicator weights must sum to 100% across the entire section (i.e., if there are 2 KPAs in the section, each with 2 KPIs, each KPI will have a weight of 25%).
• Configure the performance rating scale and the check-in rating scale to be used for this section. Toggle whether comments will be required during check-ins or when rating objectives.
  

Stretch Goals

This section is an optional addition to performance agreements. Stretch Goals are intentionally ambitious and are typically linked to strategic growth, innovation or transformation rather than routine delivery.

• Add a weight for this section.
• Choose whether the section's weight may change or not.
• Configure the settings related to Key Performance Indicator weights:
  • Option 1: The Key Performance Indicator weights must add up to 100% per Key Performance Area.
    • You can choose to automatically distribute the item weights (i.e. if there are 5 KPIs for a specific KPA, each KPI will have a weight of 20%).
  • Option 2: The Key Performance Indicator weights must sum to 100% across the entire section (i.e., if there are 2 KPAs in the section, each with 2 KPIs, each KPI will have a weight of 25%).
• Configure the performance rating scale and the check-in rating scale to be used for this section. Toggle whether comments will be required during check-ins or when rating objectives.

Values and Behaviours

The Values and Behaviours section of a performance agreement supports growth beyond technical competence. Whereas the primary goals focus on what is achieved, this section focuses on how it is achieved. Evaluating this section serves several purposes:

• • Reinforces organisational culture,
  • Supports leadership accountability,
  • Enables development conversations,
  • Balances results with conduct, and
  • Mitigates organisational risk.

• Add a weight for this section.
• Choose whether the section's weight may change or not.
• Select whether item weights may be distributed automatically (i.e. if there are 5 items, they will each have a weight of 20%).
• Decide whether to allow users to add or remove items from this list.
• Configure the performance rating scale and the check-in rating scale to be used for this section. Toggle whether comments will be required during check-ins or when rating items.
• Link master data values and behaviours to the performance agreement. Click here to find out how to update the Master Data Library.
  

Leadership Behaviours

Including a Leadership Behaviours section in a performance agreement is crucial to strategic governance. It not only assesses leadership effectiveness but also emphasises its direct influence on organisational culture and long-term success. At senior levels, leadership behaviours significantly shape the broader organisational environment, influencing team dynamics, decision-making, and overall performance beyond individual KPIs.

• Add a weight for this section.
• Choose whether the section's weight may change or not.
• Select whether item weights may be distributed automatically (i.e. if there are 4 items, they will each have a weight of 25%).
• Decide whether to allow users to add or remove items from this list.
• Configure the performance rating scale and the check-in rating scale to be used for this section. Toggle whether comments will be required during check-ins or when rating items.
• Link master data leadership behaviours to the performance agreement. Click here to find out how to update the Master Data Library.
  

Key Competencies

Listing Key Competencies in a performance agreement ensures that capability, not only output, is formally assessed. While goals measure results, competencies evaluate the underlying skills and proficiency that enable sustained performance.

This section strengthens talent governance, succession planning and capability development.

• Add a weight for this section.
• Choose whether the section's weight may change or not.
• Select whether item weights may be distributed automatically (i.e. if there are 5 items, they will each have a weight of 20%).
• Decide whether to allow users to link additional key competencies from the Master Data Library.
• Configure the performance rating scale and the check-in rating scale to be used for this section. Toggle whether comments will be required during check-ins or when rating items.
  

Action Plan

Linking an Action Plan to a performance agreement transforms the document from a static evaluation tool into a dynamic performance management instrument. It ensures that identified gaps, risks or development areas are not merely recorded but actively addressed. In other words, this section closes the loop between assessment and improvement. Toggle to switch action plans on or off.

Templates

The final menu item when creating or editing review setups is Templates. For more information on how to create, import, or edit performance agreement templates, please view the next section in this chapter, titled "Settings Explained: Performance Agreement Templates".