Overview
A smaller technology consulting firm of about 20 employees approached VIVO to develop a performance management process that could be utilized uniformly and consistently across the organization. High level goals with this process included:
- Support employee growth and career advancement
- Provide regular, meaningful feedback
- Make the process impactful (avoiding a “do it, just to do it” type of approach)
- Ensure the process was repeatable, scalable, and sustainable
Challenge
The firm’s existing process was inconsistent (if it was happening at all). Some individuals received regular feedback/reviews, and some did not depending on the department or manager.
The leadership team was eager to close this gap–not just by implementing structure, but also by identifying competencies and growth paths that could be reviewed annually to support attraction, development, and retention of their team.
VIVO Solution
To build buy-in for the new performance management system from the start, we began with a brief employee survey to assess how team members preferred to receive feedback and how often. This helped us design a process that supported the vast majority of the team’s preferred method.
We then developed a more holistic performance management process that encompassed the following elements:
- An annual review cadence to assess growth paths and set goals for the upcoming year
- Clearly identified competencies (both technical skills and soft skill areas of focus) to be considered for promotion
- SMART goal-setting framework to ensure accountability and measurability
- Quarterly check-ins to evaluate goals for completion, make adjustments, or remove goals if no longer relevant.
- Monthly touch base for manager and direct report to discuss any issues and support ongoing communication.
To support their long-term success, we also implemented a system to automate and streamline the process. With so many important components and touchpoints, we wanted the team to be able to sustain the new process internally once the project concluded and our team was no longer involved.
Result
The firm now has a performance management process that is structured, people-focused, and aligned with their culture. Managers are equipped to provide consistent feedback, employees have clear growth paths, and leadership has a repeatable system to support performance at scale.
