What it is
A review is one person’s assessment of someone for a cycle — a self review, a manager review or a peer review. You rate the subject against the competency set, assess each of their goals from the period, set an overall rating, and write a summary. A manager review also sets a potential read that feeds the cycle’s calibration grid.
It matters because the review is where the cycle turns into a conversation worth having. Rating against a shared set of competencies and the actual goals from the period keeps it fair and grounded, and when a self and a manager review both exist for someone, they line up side by side so the conversation starts from a clear comparison.
When to use it
- You owe a self review in an open cycle
- You’re completing a manager review for a report
- You need to rate competencies and goals for the period
- You’re setting an overall rating and writing a summary
- A manager review needs a potential read for calibration
How it works
Step by step.
- 1
Open your review
From the cycle or your performance home, open the review packet you owe. It’s set to the subject and the period.
- 2
Rate the competencies
Score the subject against each competency on the cycle’s scale, adding a comment where it helps explain the rating.
- 3
Assess the goals
Go through the subject’s goals from the period, rating and commenting on each so the assessment is grounded in real objectives.
- 4
Set the overall rating
Set an overall rating and write a summary narrative that ties the competencies and goals together.
- 5
Submit
For a manager review, also set the potential read that feeds calibration, then submit. A matching self and manager review line up side by side.
Worked example
Follow it through.
The scenario
A manager completes the manager review for Sofia Russo, a Care Worker, in the open mid-year cycle.
- 1 Open Sofia’s manager review packet from the cycle matrix.
- 2 Rate her competencies — strong on reliability and client care, developing on documentation.
- 3 Assess her two period goals, both on track.
- 4 Set an overall rating and write a short summary.
- 5 Set the potential read and submit.
The result
Sofia’s manager review is submitted and sits alongside her self review for the one-to-one, and her potential read feeds the cycle’s calibration grid.
Tips & notes
Good to know.
- Rate against the competencies and the actual goals — it keeps the review fair and easy to discuss.
- A comment alongside a rating is what makes the conversation useful; a bare score rarely lands well.
- When both a self and a manager review exist, they line up side by side — use the comparison to open the conversation.
- The manager review’s potential read feeds calibration, so set it thoughtfully rather than as an afterthought.
When you’re done
The review is complete with ratings, goal assessments, an overall rating and a summary, ready for the conversation.