Undertaking formal performance appraisals is not an activity most managers relish, but it’s an important part of the job of a manager. You have an opportunity, by reviewing performance effectively, to directly and positively affect the future productivity of your employees. Conducting an effective appraisal means more than just filling out the official form your company uses, however. What goes on before you fill out the forms is critical to getting the results you’re looking for.

As part of the appraisal process in many organizations, the manager and employee have a meeting where the manager explains the appraisal process and the criteria for judging performance like leadership, knowledge of job, problem-solving, productivity, communications/interpersonal, management and personal quality etc. If the process involves goals, the manager and employee discuss and agree on what they both would like to see achieved over a certain time period (usually on annual basis) and, perhaps, the kind of resources the employee will need to succeed. If you are responsible for defining employee goals, then use the initial meeting to explain these goals by begin of the year during the performance objective setting period (and how you will work together to achieve those goals, for example training, coaching, directive and etc, if appropriate).

Throughout the year, document significant behaviors that are worthy of discussion during a performance review. Keep notes as you observe the performance of your employees. It’s simple and easy to do- far easier than writing until the end of the year and then trying to recollect what happened.