Performance review template
A complete employee review form: last period's goals, ratings in eight areas, self-assessment, next goals and a development plan. With a worked example.
Download for Word (DOCX) · Download for Excel (XLSX). Free to use, no sign-up needed.
| Area | What good looks like | Self | Manager | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quality of work | Work is accurate, thorough and rarely needs redoing. | 4 | 4 | Proposals are thorough and rarely need changes. |
| Productivity | Gets a fair amount done and meets deadlines. | 4 | 3 | Handles a full client list; reports sometimes go out late. |
| Job knowledge | Has the skills the role needs and keeps them up to date. | 3 | 4 | Knows the product well and is the person others ask. |
| Communication | Shares information clearly, in writing and in person, and listens. | 4 | 4 | Clear with clients. Could give the team earlier warning of risks. |
| Teamwork | Helps colleagues, shares credit and is easy to work with. | 5 | 4 | Covered two accounts during a colleague's leave without being asked twice. |
| Initiative and problem solving | Spots problems early and proposes ways to fix them. | 3 | 3 | Solves problems well when asked; could raise more ideas unprompted. |
| Reliability | Does what they said they would, when they said they would. | 4 | 4 | Dependable with clients and deadlines. |
| Customer or client focus | Understands what the people they serve need and follows through. | 5 | 5 | Two clients named Jordan as the reason they renewed. |
| Average | 4.00 | 3.88 | ||
| Overall rating | Manager's ratings and results against goals, counted equally | 3.94 | Exceeds expectations |
What is a performance review?
A performance review is a planned conversation between an employee and their manager about how the work has gone over a set period: what was achieved, what was difficult, and what comes next. The review form is the written record of that conversation. It is sometimes called a performance appraisal or an employee evaluation.
A good review does three things. It gives the employee a clear, fair picture of how they are doing. It agrees goals for the next period. And it sets out how the company will help them grow.
What is in this performance review template
- Employee details: name, job title, team, manager, the period covered and the date.
- A rating scale, from 1 to 5, with a plain description of each level so ratings mean the same thing to everyone.
- Goals from the last period: each goal, how it was measured, the result and a rating.
- Ratings in eight areas, with a column for the employee's own rating beside the manager's, and room for comments.
- Self-assessment questions for the employee to answer before the meeting.
- Strengths and areas to improve, in the manager's words.
- Goals for the next period, with how each will be measured and what support is needed.
- A development plan: the skills to build and the actions that will build them.
- An overall rating, comments from both sides and signatures.
The Excel version also works out the averages and the overall rating by itself, and includes a filled-in example on its own sheet. The Word version is the same form laid out to print or to fill in on screen.
How to use this performance review template
- Download the Word or Excel file and save a copy for this employee and this period.
- Send the employee the self-assessment a week or two before the meeting: their own ratings and the three questions.
- Gather evidence from the whole period, not the last month. Look at results against goals, feedback from colleagues or clients, and notes you kept through the year.
- Fill in the manager's ratings and comments. Give a specific example for any rating above or below "meets expectations".
- Meet and talk it through. Start with the employee's view, compare ratings where they differ, and agree the goals and the development plan together.
- Finish the form after the meeting, add the employee's comments, sign it and give them a copy.
- Follow up. Put the new goals somewhere you will both see them, and check progress long before the next review.
This template is a general starting point, not legal advice. Performance records can matter in decisions about pay, promotion and dismissal, and the rules differ between countries and states. Have your version reviewed by an HR adviser or lawyer before you rely on it.
The rating scale explained
| Rating | Label | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| 5 | Outstanding | Results well beyond what the role asks for, all year. |
| 4 | Exceeds expectations | Often does more than the role asks for. |
| 3 | Meets expectations | Does what the role asks for, reliably and well. |
| 2 | Needs improvement | Meets some expectations but not all. A plan is needed. |
| 1 | Unsatisfactory | Does not meet the expectations of the role. |
Most people, most of the time, should land on 3: meets expectations. That is a good result, not a disappointing one: it means the person is doing the job well. Keep 4 and 5 for performance that clearly goes beyond the role, and use 1 and 2 only with specific examples and a plan to improve.
How the overall rating is worked out
In the Excel file, the overall rating is the average of two figures: the manager's ratings across the eight areas, and the ratings for results against goals. Each counts for half. In the worked example the manager's average is 3.88 and the goals average is 4.00, which gives 3.94: exceeds expectations. The employee's own ratings are shown beside the manager's so the two can be compared, but they are not part of the overall figure.
Treat the number as a summary, not a verdict. If it does not match your honest view of the year, look again at the individual ratings before you change the total.
How to write useful review comments
A comment is useful when the employee could act on it tomorrow. That means saying what happened, what effect it had, and what you would like to see next.
| Instead of | Write |
|---|---|
| "Great attitude." | "Covered two accounts during a colleague's leave, and both clients renewed." |
| "Needs to communicate better." | "Tell the team as soon as an account looks at risk. In March we heard about one after the client had already decided." |
| "Misses deadlines." | "Four of twelve monthly reports went out after the 5th. Let's agree what would make the 5th realistic." |
| "Good with customers." | "Cut first reply time from two days to six hours, and two clients mentioned it when they renewed." |
| "Should show more initiative." | "Bring one idea to each monthly meeting for improving how we handle renewals." |
- Describe what the person did, not what kind of person they are.
- Use examples from across the whole period, so one recent week does not decide the review.
- Balance it. Name real strengths as specifically as you name problems.
- Leave out surprises. Anything serious should have been raised when it happened, not saved for the review.
Questions for the employee's self-assessment
The template includes three, and you can add more. Good self-assessment questions are open and look both back and forward:
- What are you most proud of from this period?
- What got in your way, and what would have helped?
- What would you like to do more of, or learn, in the next period?
- Which of your goals did you meet, and which did you miss? Why?
- What is one thing your manager could do differently to help you?
- Where would you like your role to be in a year?
Setting goals for the next period
Agree three to five goals, and make each one specific enough that you will both know whether it was met. A useful test is the SMART check: is the goal specific, measurable, achievable, relevant to the role and time-bound? "Improve reporting" fails that test. "Send every monthly report by the 5th" passes it.
For each goal, write down how it will be measured and what the employee needs from you to reach it. A goal that depends on a budget, a tool or someone else's time is not fair unless that support is written beside it.
How often should you hold performance reviews?
A full written review once or twice a year is common. What matters more is what happens in between. Short, regular one-to-one conversations mean the formal review confirms what both people already know, instead of delivering news. Many teams add a lighter check on goals each quarter.
Tips for the review meeting
- Book enough time, at least an hour, somewhere private, and do not cancel it.
- Let the employee speak first. Ask how they think the period went before you share your ratings.
- Talk about differences in ratings openly. A gap between the two columns is the most useful thing on the form.
- Spend as much time on the future as on the past. Goals and development are the part that changes anything.
- End with clear next steps: who is doing what, and when you will next check in.
After the review
A review is only worth the time if the goals and the development plan are acted on. In Coavon, you can turn each agreed goal into a task in Flow with an owner and a due date, keep the signed review in Docs or Drive where only the right people can open it, and keep your own notes through the year in Notes so the next review is based on the whole period.
Frequently asked questions
Is this performance review template free?
Yes. You can download the Word and Excel files and use them without creating an account.
Which version should I use, Word or Excel?
Use Word if you want a form to print or to fill in as a document. Use Excel if you want the averages and the overall rating worked out for you, or if you want to see the filled-in example.
What should a performance review include?
The period covered, results against the goals set last time, ratings and comments on the main areas of the job, the employee's own view, goals for the next period, a development plan, and space for both people to comment and sign.
Should employees rate themselves?
It helps. A self-assessment makes the employee think about the period before the meeting, and comparing their ratings with the manager's shows where the two see things differently. This template has a column for each.
Can I change the areas that are rated?
Yes. The eight areas suit most roles, but you should replace any that do not fit and add ones that matter for the job, such as leadership for a manager or safety for site work.
What if the employee disagrees with the review?
Record their view in the employee's comments section. Signing the form confirms the review was discussed, not that they agree with every part. If the disagreement is serious, follow your company's process for raising it.
How long should a performance review meeting take?
Allow about an hour. Less than that and the conversation about goals and development tends to get cut short.