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What's On Your Performance Review?

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by Erik Eckel 1 view

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Technology editors make assumptions every day. At TechProGuild - the subscription site dedicated to providing IT pros with proven, in-depth time-saving solutions, access to a searchable online library of several hundred technology books, and 20 percent savings off all TechRepublic Press purchases, among other benefits - decisions have to be made about the books, solutions and pre-formatted policies IT professionals need.

Some decisions are easier than others. Almost everyone needs tips on maintaining Active Directory, troubleshooting XP and implementing Internet usage policies. Those topics are easy.

But what's really on your performance review? Are you being graded on your ability to maintain 99.999% server uptime, or are you really graded on the results of satisfaction surveys distributed to technically challenged end users? Are you rewarded for earning whatever Windows certification is in fashion this year, or are you required to complete a new systems migration on time and on budget (or both)?

Share your actual performance review goals and objectives. John (TechProGuild's Senior Editor) and I will use the feedback you provide to ensure we're focused on helping meet the challenges most important to you.

What are you waiting for? Tell us your performance review goals and objectives. Join the discussion below (or e-mail your feedback to erik.eckel@techrepublic.com).

Erik Eckel
Executive Editor

12 replies

by bfilmfan

Goals should always be:

Measureable.
Have a time limit.
Be achievable.

If the goals cannot meet these requirements, it is a wish list.

by bfilmfan

I thought I had learned a few things over the years from being in the trenches that I always swore I would use when I got into management.

by Erik Eckel

I agree, it makes the most sense to institute specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time-bound goals. But in IT, or in your case, what are those goals?

Are you measured according to end user satisfaction, reducing costs, migrating to a new client OS this quarter, replacing Windows systems with open source solutions or other projects?

by Erik Eckel

That's a great point. Performance review goals and objectives should be measurable if they're to have any hope of demonstrable fulfillment.

What topics should measurable goals target? For example, are you graded on earning positive feedback from the end users you support, or is your performance judged on other factors?

by bfilmfan

As I am in technical management and being groomed for a vice-president's position in the future, I am being judged on many different factors, such as:

Client Satisfaction Ratings (I admit this is a vague one, but maintaining a certain point rating is required to keep the government contract).

Implementation of ITIL-compliant processes within the client's organization. Implementation of Six Sigma procedures on new IT projects for the client. Both of these projects have timelines for implementation which are the governing of (within budget? Within alloted time? etc)

Employee Retention. (A huge one for management to focus on as talent is hard to recruit and keep).

Technical level of training of team leaders and employees. (One of my goals is to develop a tracking plan which lets the management team, the team leads and the employee see where they are in their personal technical training goals and further, do they get their training and certifications?)

Complaince with goverment laws and regulations. (This one is a no brainer.)

Analysis and review of new technology to be potentially be adopted by the client. (How effective were my recommendations in allowing the client to perform a better job? ROI!)

There is always soem fuzzy areas in performance reviews, but the important part is that supervisor and employee sit down together and discuss the goals, write them up and then agree that is indeed the goals for the period of the review.

Just telling an employee, "Well these are the things that YOU are to ACCCOMPLISH to get a merit increase..." isn't leadership.

I prefer to think of myself as a coach and the coach is only successful if the entire team wins.

And not only should the personnel have goals, the teams should have goals also. I know in the past that when confronted with goals, most teams will exceed what you think them capable of delivering.

by jamesrl

Are tied to specific projects. Even though I am not a project manager.(I do manage some projects, manage staff and other duties as assigned)

But at other companies, we have used employee satisfaction and customer satisfaction as well. Specific targets are required. For projects, its completion on time and on budget.

James

by jamesrl

They hired gallup to survey every customer and every employee as to customer and employee satisfaction. Managers were tasked with making a percentage improvement in both figures. The results for every department were publically posted. We all knew that if the department went down in either stat, the manager would not be getting a bonus.

James

by welshbilly

.......what is on my performance review. We were told by our manager we would get a copy after our meeting which was 3 months ago now and I'm still yet to see one.

As I have given our manager 3 months to get a copy to us, I'm going to request a copy as I know it is our right to have one.

Although goodness knows why our boss has not given us copies? I have given up trying to reason why.

by welshbilly

It's good that your goals are clear and you have full understanding of what they are.

This is a problem with the "goals" that have been set out in my performance review, that they are not clear. Yes I have certain tasks that I need to do but I have no career plan or anything that I could call a milestone to say that I have achieved something. I feel that they are not motivational, it's more of a task list.

by richbeaty

The company I work for has a long list of performance categories used for the review: Knowledge, Quality, Timeliness, Dependability Teamwork, Communication, etc. However, there are no methods in place to measure them. Where an employee falls within a category is left to the interpretation of the manager. Without quantitative date it is difficult to get the numbers changed once you are rated. We are also give a list of items to accomplish in the coming year. It's more of a task list than career goals. Tthis list is generally forgotten by February.

Employees should be measured by criteria that can be measured. Goals need to achievable and the pursuit of those goals encouraged by management.

by gpastorelli

I have a pretty basic review at my current job, only real criteria is work performance, productivity, ability to follow instruction, etc. That's really about it.

My last job it was very objective, depending on the manager that reviewed you. One year the goals were to become more assertive and take on a leadership goal. There wasn't anything really concrete, so the next year I got a poor review because I was taking on too much responsibility and they felt I was TOO assertive and leading TOO much. Hmm, go figure.

In my opinion and through my own experiences, it's hard to get a good review in a company that doesn't understand IT. Either the company doesn't know much and think it's sorcery, so we get really godo reviews (like my current job) without any real concrete suggestions or the job understands IT too much and the goals are never attainable (employee will obtain MCSE, CCNA, MCSD, and CNA.....on there own time.)

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