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Performance Review

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Streamline your performance review process with structured templates.

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Free · Opens the source repo

What Performance Review does

The Performance Review skill provides a structured approach to conducting performance evaluations, making it easier for both employees and managers to articulate feedback and assessments. This skill is particularly useful during review seasons when clarity and organization are essential for effective evaluations. By using this skill, users can generate templates for self-assessments, manager reviews, and calibration prep documents, ensuring that all necessary components are covered in a systematic manner.

When utilizing the Performance Review skill, users can choose from three distinct modes: self-assessment, manager review, and calibration. The self-assessment mode allows employees to reflect on their accomplishments, growth areas, and challenges, while the manager review mode provides a comprehensive template for managers to evaluate their direct reports. Calibration prep helps managers prepare for discussions regarding employee ratings and potential promotions, ensuring that all relevant data is organized and ready for review.

The templates generated by this skill guide users through the process of providing specific, actionable feedback. They emphasize the importance of measurable achievements and constructive criticism, which are crucial for effective performance evaluations. By focusing on behaviors rather than personalities, the skill promotes a more objective and helpful review process. Additionally, if connected to HRIS or project tracking tools, the skill can pull in relevant data to pre-populate templates, enhancing efficiency and accuracy.

This skill is ideal for HR professionals, team leaders, and managers seeking to improve their performance review processes. It helps ensure that reviews are comprehensive, fair, and conducive to employee development, ultimately fostering a culture of continuous improvement within organizations.

When to use it

Use this skill during performance review seasons to create structured self-assessments and manager evaluations.

When not to use it

This skill may not be suitable for informal feedback sessions or ongoing performance discussions that require a more flexible approach.

What you can build with it

Conducting Annual Reviews

Use the skill to generate comprehensive performance review templates for annual evaluations, ensuring all key areas are covered.

Preparing for Calibration Meetings

Utilize the calibration mode to organize employee ratings and discussion points, streamlining the preparation process for calibration discussions.

Facilitating Self-Assessment

Encourage employees to use the self-assessment template to reflect on their achievements and areas for growth before formal reviews.

How to install Performance Review

View source

1. Install with the skills CLI

npx skills add anthropics/knowledge-work-plugins/performance-review --agent claude-code

2. Or install it manually

Download the skill folder and drop it into ~/.claude/skills/ for all projects, or .claude/skills/ to scope it to one repo. Restart Claude Code so it picks up the new skill.

Anthropic's agentic coding CLI, and the reference implementation of Agent Skills. Drop a skill folder into ~/.claude/skills and Claude Code loads it automatically whenever a task matches the skill's description. Claude Code docs

Inside SKILL.md

Written by anthropics

/performance-review

If you see unfamiliar placeholders or need to check which tools are connected, see CONNECTORS.md.

Generate performance review templates and help structure feedback.

Usage

/performance-review $ARGUMENTS

Modes

/performance-review self-assessment       # Generate self-assessment template
/performance-review manager [employee]    # Manager review template for a specific person
/performance-review calibration           # Calibration prep document

If no mode is specified, ask what type of review they need.

Output — Self-Assessment Template

## Self-Assessment: [Review Period]

### Key Accomplishments
[List your top 3-5 accomplishments this period. For each, describe the situation, your contribution, and the impact.]

1. **[Accomplishment]**
   - Situation: [Context]
   - Contribution: [What you did]
   - Impact: [Measurable result]

### Goals Review
| Goal | Status | Evidence |
|------|--------|----------|
| [Goal from last period] | Met / Exceeded / Missed | [How you know] |

### Growth Areas
[Where did you grow? New skills, expanded scope, leadership moments.]

### Challenges
[What was hard? What would you do differently?]

### Goals for Next Period
1. [Goal — specific and measurable]
2. [Goal]
3. [Goal]

### Feedback for Manager
[How can your manager better support you?]

Output — Manager Review

## Performance Review: [Employee Name]
**Period:** [Date range] | **Manager:** [Your name]

### Overall Rating: [Exceeds / Meets / Below Expectations]

### Performance Summary
[2-3 sentence overall assessment]

### Key Strengths
- [Strength with specific example]
- [Strength with specific example]

### Areas for Development
- [Area with specific, actionable guidance]
- [Area with specific, actionable guidance]

### Goal Achievement
| Goal | Rating | Comments |
|------|--------|----------|
| [Goal] | [Rating] | [Specific observations] |

### Impact and Contributions
[Describe their biggest contributions and impact on the team/org]

### Development Plan
| Skill | Current | Target | Actions |
|-------|---------|--------|---------|
| [Skill] | [Level] | [Level] | [How to get there] |

### Compensation Recommendation
[Promotion / Equity refresh / Adjustment / No change — with justification]

Output — Calibration

## Calibration Prep: [Review Cycle]
**Manager:** [Your name] | **Team:** [Team] | **Period:** [Date range]

### Team Overview
| Employee | Role | Level | Tenure | Proposed Rating | Notes |
|----------|------|-------|--------|-----------------|-------|
| [Name] | [Role] | [Level] | [X years] | [Rating] | [Key context] |

### Rating Distribution
| Rating | Count | % of Team | Company Target |
|--------|-------|-----------|----------------|
| Exceeds Expectations | [X] | [X]% | ~15-20% |
| Meets Expectations | [X] | [X]% | ~60-70% |
| Below Expectations | [X] | [X]% | ~10-15% |

### Calibration Discussion Points
1. **[Employee]** — [Why this rating may need discussion, e.g., borderline, first review at level, recent role change]
2. **[Employee]** — [Discussion point]

### Promotion Candidates
| Employee | Current Level | Proposed Level | Justification |
|----------|-------------|----------------|---------------|
| [Name] | [Current] | [Proposed] | [Evidence of next-level performance] |

### Compensation Actions
| Employee | Action | Justification |
|----------|--------|---------------|
| [Name] | [Promotion / Equity refresh / Market adjustment / Retention] | [Why] |

### Manager Notes
[Context the calibration group should know — team changes, org shifts, project impacts]

If Connectors Available

If ~~HRIS is connected:

  • Pull prior review history and goal tracking data
  • Pre-populate employee details and current role information

If ~~project tracker is connected:

  • Pull completed work and contributions for the review period
  • Reference specific tickets and project milestones as evidence

Tips

  1. Be specific — "Great job" isn't feedback. "You reduced deploy time 40% by implementing the new CI pipeline" is.
  2. Balance positive and constructive — Both are essential. Neither should be a surprise.
  3. Focus on behaviors, not personality — "Your documentation has been incomplete" vs. "You're careless."
  4. Make development actionable — "Improve communication" is vague. "Present at the next team all-hands" is actionable.

Frequently asked questions about Performance Review

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