Performance Review Questions: A Manager's Template

A performance review is only as good as the questions behind it. Ask vague ones and you get a box-ticking exercise nobody values; ask sharp, specific ones and you get an honest conversation that actually helps someone grow. Below is a template you can copy — organised into the three parts of a good review: the employee's self-review, the manager's assessment, and a forward-looking growth conversation.

Before you start: three ground rules

• No surprises. A review should summarise feedback the person has already heard through the year, not spring it on them. If something is new, that's a coaching failure, not a review moment.
• Specific over general. "Great communicator" helps no one. "Your launch note gave three teams what they needed in one place" is feedback someone can build on.
• Balance backward and forward. Half the review is what happened; half is what's next. Don't let it become only a grade.

1. Self-review questions (send these first)

Have the employee answer these a few days ahead — it sets the agenda and surfaces gaps between how they and you see the period.

• What are you most proud of since the last review, and why?
• Which goals did you meet, and which fell short — what got in the way?
• Where did you grow a skill or take on something new?
• What part of your role energises you most? What drains you?
• Where do you want to develop next, and what support would help?

2. Manager assessment questions (your prep)

Answer these for yourself, backed by specific examples and notes from the period — not just the last few weeks.

• Did they deliver on the goals we agreed? Where did they exceed or miss, and why?
• What's the single strongest example of their impact this period?
• Where is the one most valuable area to improve — and is it a skill, a habit, or a resourcing issue?
• How do they work with the team — do they make those around them better?
• Are they in the right role and scope for where they're headed?

3. Growth & forward-looking questions (the conversation)

• What do you want to be doing 12 months from now — and what's the first step?
• What are the two or three priorities that matter most next quarter?
• What can I do differently as your manager to help you do your best work?
• Is anything getting in your way that we haven't talked about?
• What does success look like for you — beyond just hitting targets?

Rating scales: keep them simple

If you use ratings, a 3- or 5-point scale with clear definitions beats a vague 1–10. Whatever you pick, anchor each level in behaviour ("consistently exceeds," "meets," "developing") and apply it the same way for everyone — consistency is what makes a scale fair.

---

Good questions are step one; running reviews the same way for everyone — on a schedule, with a record you can look back on — is what makes them fair and useful over time. That's easier when reviews, goals, and history live in one system rather than scattered documents. It also builds on the fundamentals we cover in our employee onboarding checklist and PTO policy guide — and if you're still choosing a system to run it all, our guide to HR software for small businesses covers what to look for.