1. Resource: Setting up a performance management system
Accion Venture Lab

2. Recommended system for performance management
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Recommended system for performance management
Below is a starting point / guideline, to be customized as needed
Goal setting
Check-ins
Performance review
Cadence
Every 6 months
Every week
Documentation
Template (below)
Format
30-60 minute conversation
In person or over phone
Can be done in combination with review
15-30 minute conversation
/call if not in person
60 minute conversation
Roles
Employee: List of ideas and affiliated metrics
Manager: Collaborate and confirm list
Leadership: Consolidate
Employee: Deliver task list
Manager: Review task list and give feedback/support
Leadership: None
Employee: Consent to written review
Manager: Write and explain written review
Leadership: Consolidate and use for bonuses, raises, promotions, etc.
Output
List of goals
To do list logged
Completed review, signed by both parties

3. Goal setting: What this will look like
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Goal setting: What this will look like
Information to be covered
Guidelines
What are your professional goals for the next 6 months?
How do these goals tie into broader company or team objectives?
What are your personal goals for the next 6 months?
How are these goals related to your broader professional success?
How will you achieve these goals?
What are ways that your manager can support you?
What are ways that your manager can check in on your progress?
First goal setting session should occur within an employee’s first 90 days on the job
After that, align goal-setting sessions with performance reviews
Goals should be SMART (specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, time- bound)
Emphasis on “measurable” especially
When possible, goals should be clearly linked to team goals and OKRs
Great managers will also ask employees questions about their broader career goals and integrate those as well
Output: Defined list of goals with timeline, priority level, support needed, potential roadblocks and solutions

4. Goal setting: Examples

5. Check-ins: Best practices
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Check-ins: Best practices
Information to be covered
Guidelines
What were the key tasks from last week’s task list?
What was completed?
What faced delays? Why?
What are the key tasks to be completed this week?
Are there any issues that your supervisor can support with?
Do you foresee any potential issues?
Is there any feedback on performance?
What could have been done better?
Task lists must contain:
All tasks and relevant descriptions
Deadlines
Priority level
Any potential roadblocks and suggestions for problem-solving
Task lists and feedback are documented and archived to track for subsequent weeks
Any decisions made during the meeting are put into writing to clarify responsibilities
If conversations cannot happen in person, then phone or are also ok

6. Check-ins: Examples
Recommendation: Use whatever software the team is already using for task management (e.g., Asana, Jira) or simply to recap tasks and log written feedback/decisions

7. Performance reviews: What this will look like
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Performance reviews: What this will look like
Information to be covered
Guidelines
Illustrative example
Category
Description
Weight
Values
Assessment of how well the employee lives up to the values and specific criteria within them (see subsequent slides for more detail)
50%
OKRs
Assessment of role- specific criteria, which will capture specific behaviors within tech, product, ops, etc.
Performance review framework should be clear to entire organization, with specific criteria for each employee
When possible, it is best to have transparency for how reviews/ratings tie to bonuses, raises, and promotions
Guide negative feedback to be constructive, and work with employees to create action plans
Great managers will provide specific, written examples to employees, on both positive and constructive points
Output: Completed performance review, with quantitative and written feedback on last six months

8. Performance reviews: Examples
KPI evaluation
Qualitative evaluation

9. Process overview Survey (optional) Workshop Templates Roll out
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Process overview
Survey (optional)
Workshop
Templates
Roll out
An optional step
Asking employees for their input on touchpoint cadence, impact on salary/bonus, and attitudes
Can be useful to refer back to during difficult decisions
Also useful for simply building employee buy-in – employees get a voice at the table
Get the leadership team together, with a clear leader to spearhead the effort
Goals of the workshop are to align on
Criteria for evaluation
Weights of each criteria
Impacts of review system
To gain insight into how the system will work, select a few illustrative employees to evaluate
Drive to output of agreed-upon rating system and calendar to get to-do items completed
After leadership has aligned, create templates for touchpoints, leveraging the outputs of the conversation (and the examples above, if helpful)
Circulate among leadership to get feedback
Once leadership has agreed on cadence, content, and format of all touchpoints, roll out to employees
First message is best in-person during a company-wide meeting if possible
Follow up with an with comprehensive instruction
Some companies like to then show employees what the review process will look like in 1:1 meetings by walking through example/ illustrative reviews