Use this checklist to run one review cycle from set-up to close-out without missing a step. It follows the quarterly review and calibration process in the performance management framework, so the timings are the playbook’s own guidance (about 1 to 2 weeks for manager reviews, about a week at most for calibration including leadership review), not an industry benchmark.
Print it. A4, one page, no form needed.
1. Set up (before the cycle opens)
- Confirm the review period, the dates for each step and who is in scope.
- Publish the talent bar for each level in scope (start with two job families if new).
- Use the same scorecard statements for every manager in a job family.
- Name who calibrates, who facilitates and who signs off the final grades.
- Decide in advance what grades can lead to: promotion eligibility, development, improvement plan, pay.
2. Manager reviews (about 1 to 2 weeks)
- Send review requests to every line manager with the deadline.
- Managers gather input from other managers who worked with the person.
- Each scorecard answer has a one-line evidence note.
- Chase missing scorecards early so the cycle does not slip.
3. Calibration (about 1 week at most, with leadership review)
- Check for generous graders, for example half of one team at the top grade.
- Check for missing scorecards or thin evidence.
- Check outliers and sudden jumps in grade and ask what changed.
- Log every change: original grade, new grade, reason, evidence, approver.
- Senior leadership reviews and approves the final grades.
4. Announce and give feedback
- Tell managers the results before employees hear them.
- Managers discuss results in the next 1:1 and explain the evidence.
- Take extra care with people near a grade boundary.
- Record the next step: promotion path, development focus or improvement plan.
5. Close the loop
- Note what slowed the cycle and what to change next time.
- Check your bands or targets against your own context, not a borrowed benchmark.
- Book the dates for the next cycle.
How to use it
- Copy the steps into your project tracker and add dates and owners for your company size. See the illustrative examples for about 50, 250 and 1,000+ employees.
- Use the performance review template for the scorecard and evidence notes.
- Run the calibration step with the calibration meeting guide and agree your grades against the rating scale.
- Not sure a structured cycle fits? Read when a framework or forced distribution is the wrong approach.
More: People Performance Playbook home · framework · template · blog.