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Professional Performance Management

Professional Performance Management

The purpose of the Performance Measurement and Professional Development section is to gather performance feedback, at regular intervals, and to apply that feedback as a component in the professional development program.

To keep the feedback well rounded, a 360-degree approach is used: managers review employees, employees review peers, and employees review managers.

In addition to performance measurement, a professional development plan also consists of organizational and personal goals.

Performance Measurement and Professional Development involves four steps:

Conduct performance reviews.
Establish a professional development program.
Evaluate training.

When you have completed the Performance Measurement and Professional Development program you will have:

A process and templates for evaluating the performance of all levels of employees for quarterly and annual reviews.
Processes for evaluating the performance of both the project team members and the project manager at the conclusion of a project.
An understanding of the various components that feed into a professional development plan that addresses the goals and objectives of individual employees and the enterprise.
Subjective and objective methods for measuring the value of specific training courses to the organization.

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Steps		Tools	Related Research
Step 1: Conduct Performance Reviews Performance reviews should be done frequently so that both employees and their managers are aware of expectations of future performance as well as perception of past performance. Performance reviews are an opportunity for two-way communication: managers should be highlighting the positive areas of performance and areas for improvement. The end-goal of performance reviews is to guide employees on ways to improve, set expectations for future raises and promotions, set goals for the upcoming year, reflect on historical activity, and listen to the employee's concerns and goals.
	1.1 Conduct Quarterly Performance Reviews Frequent reviews (quarterly and project reviews), while not independently relied upon to determine promotions and raises, keep an open line of communication between employees and their supervisors. These communications help to set reasonable expectations of what will likely occur at annual reviews. Not only do these reviews set expectations, but they also provide insight into what the employee can change to improve future reviews.	Quarterly Performance Evaluation - Staff Quarterly Self Evaluation Survey - Staff Quarterly Performance Evaluation - Management Quarterly Self-Evalution Survey - Management Project Contribution Feedback
	1.2 Include Feedback from Peers While it is a manager’s role to evaluate employees, managers are not the only ones in a position to evaluate employees. Peers often spend more time with employees than do managers. Additionally, a valuable measure of performance is the degree to which one gets along with one’s peers.	Peer Feedback Template - Management Peer Feedback Template - Staff Upward Feedback Template
	1.3 Conduct Annual Performance Reviews The annual review differs from the quarterly review in that it is less of a checkpoint and more of a report card. The annual review takes a longer term look at the past and the future. Employees are rated on their performance over the entire year and may also set goals for the year to come.	Annual Performance Review - Management Annual Performance Review - Staff Annual Performance Review - Alternative Annual Self-Evaluation - Management Annual Self-Evaluation - Staff	Integrating Development and Assessment Reduces Staffing Expenditures
Step 2: Establish a Professional Development Program To establish an effective professional development program, it should be approached from two perspectives: the perspective of the organization and the perspective of the employee. The organization needs to assess its skill gaps and determine which can be filled through professional development. From the employee perspective, a professional development program should attempt to address the employee’s strengths, weaknesses, and personal goals.
	2.1 Assess Organizational Gaps Inventory all the skills of your IT workers to get a complete picture of the capabilities of your IT department and to understand which of those gaps can be closed with training.	IT Staffing Worksheet IT Skills Inventory Staff Level Allocation	Integrating Development and Assessment Reduces Staffing Expenditures The Value in IT Certification
	2.2 Create a Professional Development Program Guide A carefully evaluated and documented roster of training options greatly facilitates the training planning process. Build a program guide to act as a quick-reference for both you and your employees when setting out development agendas.	Professional Development Program Guide	Integrating Development and Assessment Reduces Staffing Expenditures The Value in IT Certification
	2.3 Identify Development Goals and Action Plan The annual performance development plan assigns specific tasks and goals to each employee.	Annual Professional Development Plan Course/Conference Request and Approval Form
	2.4 Monitor Professional Development Progress Professional development, though important, typically is prioritized after daily operations. Monitoring is needed to ensure professional development is getting the attention and priority required to achieve set goals.	Quarterly Professional Development Progress Report Coaching Tracking Sheet
Step 3: Evaluate Training Training for training’s sake will have a negative return on investment. Evaluate training effectiveness to reveal which training is beneficial and how much time and effort is optimally allocated toward various training efforts. In theory, the benefits of training can be numerous but, in practice, to realize those benefits is highly dependent on the quality and appropriateness of the training.
	3.1 Determine Financial Effectiveness Though it will require some estimate of future benefit, attempt to quantify the ROI of training. As long as an estimate can be reasonably backed up by facts, you should get a rough idea of the expected benefit from training. This can help in deciding between two or more different training options.	ROI Calculator for Corporate Training
	3.2 Follow Up Trust employees to give an accurate review of the training. A follow-up survey can capture employee sentiments and be used to evaluate a particular approach, class or instructor for future employee training.	Training Effectiveness Survey

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Steps		Tools	Related Research
Step 1: FastTrack Professional Performance Management This FastTrack Tool is a simpler, less rigorous approach to completing the program. Nonetheless, FastTrack addresses the fundamental elements of the program and is expected to support your efforts to improve the IT function. FastTrack is intended for organizations who have reasonable, simple and straightforward IT environments. Because it is simpler, FastTrack is an accelerated program, designed to be completed in a short period of time.
	1.1 FastTrack Activity	Professional Performance Management FastTrack