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1Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems2Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute3Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsIdentify an improvement area by comparing role-relevant expectations with specific evidence of an employee’s work, then discussing what contributed to the gap and agreeing on a practical next step. Avoid personality labels and vague judgments: a useful review explains what happened, why it matters, and what support or change could help.
How do you identify areas for improvement in a performance review?
Start with the work the employee is expected to do, not with a general impression of the person. Check responsibilities, agreed objectives, quality standards, and relevant team or customer outcomes. Compare those expectations with the work observed during the review period.
Before deciding there is a performance gap, confirm that the expectations were understood and still fit the job. Priorities, duties, resources, and workflows can change. The U.S. Office of Personnel Management says performance standards should be measurable, understandable, verifiable, equitable, and achievable; CIPD also emphasizes the role and organizational context in effective performance management.
- Is the expectation specific enough that both people can tell whether it was met?
- Was it communicated before the work was assessed?
- Does it still reflect the employee’s actual responsibilities and current priorities?
- Were time, tools, staffing, authority, and opportunity adequate for the task?
- Does the measure capture important work, rather than a convenient but misleading proxy?
For a role where collaboration or customer outcomes matter, consider those alongside individual results. Gallup reports that its researchers identified individual achievement, team collaboration, and customer value as important performance areas across nearly all roles in a study involving 559 roles and 7,000 employees. That does not mean every role should use identical measures; choose criteria that fit the work. Gallup’s review guidance
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What evidence should support an improvement area?
Use relevant examples rather than relying on a broad impression or a single unexplained rating. Depending on the role, evidence might include work samples, quality or outcome measures, missed deadlines, contemporaneous observations, and customer or colleague feedback. Use more than one suitable perspective when it helps clarify the pattern, and distinguish observed facts from interpretation.
A strong review point describes the behavior or result and its effect on the work, team, or customer. For example, “Improve communication” does not tell an employee what to change. A more actionable version would identify a specific missed handoff or late status update, explain how it delayed another person’s work, and define what a timely handoff should look like next time. This is an illustrative writing pattern, not a report of an actual employee case.
Broad labels such as “not strategic” are similarly difficult to act on unless the reviewer names the expected behavior and the evidence behind the judgment. SHRM’s publication of Harvard Business Review guidance recommends descriptive evidence and an explanation of impact rather than unsupported generalizations. SHRM / Harvard Business Review: How to Conduct a Great Performance Review
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Discuss possible causes before choosing a remedy. A result below standard does not, by itself, establish why it happened. Ask open questions and listen for contributing factors; several may apply at once.
- Clarity: Was the expected result or priority understood?
- Skill or experience: Has the employee had training, practice, or relevant feedback?
- Resources and opportunity: Were time, tools, staffing, access, and decision rights sufficient?
- Process: Did a workflow, handoff, or dependency make the result harder to achieve?
- Motivation or role fit: Is there evidence of an engagement or suitability issue, beyond one disappointing result?
- Changed conditions: Did goals, workload, or business priorities shift during the period?
Questions such as “What got in the way?” and “What would make the expected result achievable?” can surface context without assuming fault. CIPD and OPM guidance treats expectations, development, resources, and work conditions as relevant to performance; SHRM/HBR advises considering whether a problem relates to ability or motivation. Do not infer a cause from one outcome alone. CIPD: Performance management: An introduction · OPM: Performance Management Cycle
What should I write for areas of improvement in a performance review?
Use a simple sequence: expectation, observed example, impact, and agreed next action. Keep the wording factual and focused on work rather than personality. A template is:
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“For [responsibility or standard], the expectation is [specific expectation]. In [specific situation], I observed [behavior or result]. This affected [work, team, or customer impact]. Let’s [action or support] and review progress by [date or check-in].”
For example: “For project handoffs, the team needs status updates before a dependent task begins. On the last two handoffs, the update arrived after work had started, so the receiving team had to pause and confirm requirements. Let’s use the shared handoff checklist and review the next three handoffs together at our next check-in.” The example is illustrative; adapt the details and standard to the role and actual evidence.
If you cannot name a concrete example or explain the applicable expectation, gather more information before presenting a conclusion. If circumstances materially changed, discuss whether the target should be clarified or reset rather than treating an obsolete standard as a current shortcoming.
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How should the improvement action match the cause?
Agree on a proportionate action with the employee. Clarify both what should change and how progress will be observed. The response should address the likely cause, not just repeat the desired outcome.
| What the discussion indicates | Possible next step | How to assess progress |
|---|---|---|
| Unclear or changed expectations | Restate priorities, responsibilities, and the standard; confirm shared understanding. | Review a relevant work example against the clarified standard. |
| Skill or knowledge to build | Arrange coaching, training, guided practice, or a suitable practice assignment. | Look for the target skill in later work, using agreed criteria. |
| Insufficient time, tools, staffing, or authority | Address the resource, workload, access, or decision-making barrier where possible. | Check whether the barrier changed and whether the work became achievable. |
| Workflow or handoff problem | Adjust the process, clarify ownership, or agree a more reliable handoff. | Observe the handoff and its effect on the dependent work. |
| Several factors, or cause not yet clear | Agree a short experiment, additional support, and a near-term discussion. | Review evidence and barriers before settling on a longer-term response. |
Choose a measure that reflects meaningful work. For straightforward tasks, a clear outcome goal may be suitable. Work that is complex, unfamiliar, or requires new skills may benefit more from learning goals—such as practicing a method or identifying useful information—than from an early emphasis on a fixed result. CIPD’s evidence review discusses the importance of goal type and of distinguishing developmental conversations from appraisal processes used for decisions such as pay or promotion; those purposes can involve different judgments. CIPD: Performance management: Could do better?
Development does not have to mean a formal course. SHRM/HBR summarizes career-development studies dating to 1988 and an update 20 years later as attributing about 70% of relevant professional-development learning to work experience, with about 15% each to formal courses and life experience. These are figures reported in that article’s summary of those studies, not a universal allocation for every employee. They support considering work-based practice and assignments alongside formal instruction. SHRM / Harvard Business Review: How to Conduct a Great Performance Review
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How do you follow up after the review?
Set a check-in date, make clear what evidence you will review, and ask whether agreed support or changes are in place. Revisit barriers and adjust the action if the role, workload, or priorities change. A formal review should be part of ongoing feedback and coaching, not the only time the employee hears about a concern. CIPD describes performance management as a continuing cycle, and OPM recommends monitoring early enough to address problems during the appraisal period rather than waiting until its end.
There is no single cadence that fits every organization or role. Gallup recommends progress reviews at least every six months; treat that as Gallup’s recommendation, not a universal requirement. Its older review-guidance page, published around 2017, also reported that 26% of employees said they were evaluated less than once a year and 48% said they were reviewed annually. In the same article, 29% strongly agreed their reviews were fair and 26% strongly agreed they were accurate. These are figures from that 2017 article, not a new 2026 survey. Gallup: Give Performance Reviews That Actually Inspire Employees
Employee participation matters to the quality of the discussion. Gallup’s 2017 article says three in 10 employees strongly agree their manager involves them in goal setting; those employees are four times more likely to be engaged. That comparison does not establish that involving employees causes engagement. In practice, invite the employee to help define an achievable action, identify useful support, and agree how progress will be judged.
Feedback is not automatically helpful simply because it is specific. CIPD’s evidence review notes that employee reactions—including whether judgments feel fair and useful—matter, and recommends a check-in after a performance conversation. Ask whether the discussion was clear, whether the standard seemed fair, and what support is needed. CIPD: People manager guide: Effective performance management
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CIPD and Kogan Page’s 2025 checklist, “Understanding the five elements of good performance,” covers practical actions including regular constructive feedback, agreed action plans, and objectives and standards. It is an optional reference for structuring a performance process, not a substitute for adapting expectations and support to the role. View the CIPD / Kogan Page checklist (PDF)
Organizations use different review systems, and formal performance processes may have policy or employment implications. Follow applicable organizational policy for formal appraisal or disciplinary steps; the guidance here is general management advice, not jurisdiction-specific employment advice.
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