Configuring an Appraisal Cycle in People

Configuring an Appraisal Cycle in People

To run an end-to-end appraisal cycle, you must first configure the core performance evaluation modules (KRAs, Goals, Competencies, and Skill Sets) and map them to your employees. Once the foundational data is set, you can define an appraisal template and initiate your cycle.
Here are the step-by-step instructions to configure and run your appraisal cycle:

Phase 1: Configure Performance Evaluation Modules

Before starting the cycle, you need to set up the metrics that employees will be evaluated against.
  1. KRAs (Key Result Areas): Navigate to Operations > Performance > Methods > KRA to access the KRA Library. You can add KRAs manually or use the bulk import option. Once added, use the Tag KRA button to assign them to employees based on their designation, department, or location.
  2. Goals: Navigate to Operations > Performance > Goals. You can assign goals individually or bulk import them using a template spreadsheet.
  3. Competencies: Go to Operations > Performance > Methods > Competency. Add competencies to the library and map them to your employees using the Tag Competency option.
  4. Skill Sets: Go to Operations > Performance > Methods > Skill Set. Build your skill set library and map these skills to your employees based on their domain, department, or designation.

  5. Phase 2: Create an Appraisal Template

Appraisal templates allow you to pre-define the structure of your review process so you don't have to start from scratch every time.
  1. Navigate to Settings > Performance > Configuration > Appraisal Templates and click Create Appraisal Template.
  2. Give your template a name and select the review phases you wish to include, such as Self Appraisal, Multi-Rater Review, and Manager Review.
  3. Choose the outcomes of the process, such as Normalization and Salary Hike.
  4. Configure the settings for each phase. For example, you can define whether ratings and comments are mandatory, decide who selects the multi-raters, and set up the reporting hierarchy for manager reviews (e.g., 2 levels: Manager and Department Head).
  5. Define your rating scales, overall module weightages (e.g., assigning 60% weight to KRAs, 30% to Goals, and 10% to Competencies), and your ideal rating distribution for normalisation.
  6. Set your Publish Configuration to determine if results are shared manually or automatically, and click Submit.

Phase 3: Set Up the Appraisal Cycle

With your modules and templates ready, you can now build the actual cycle.
  1. Navigate to Operations > Performance > Appraisal > Appraisal Cycle and click Add Appraisal Cycle.
  2. Select the appraisal template you just created and click Apply.
  3. Basic Details: Enter the cycle name, select the evaluation period, and attach any reference guidelines for your employees.
  4. Applicability: Define which employees are eligible for this cycle by filtering based on Date of Joining, Employment Type, Location, or Designation.
  5. Review Settings: Review the pre-populated settings from your template for Self Appraisal, Multi-rater, and Manager reviews. If applicable, configure your normalisation distribution and set default salary hike percentages.
  6. Appraisal Letter & E-Sign: If you wish to send formal appraisal letters upon completion, enable the appraisal letter setting, select a mail merge template, and configure the E-Sign recipients.
  7. Period Configuration: This is where you specify the exact timeframes for each phase. You must set start and end dates for the overall Process Period, Self Appraisal, Multi-Rater Selection, Manager Review, Normalisation, Salary Hike, and Publishing. Ensure all individual phase timelines fall strictly within the overall Appraisal Process Period.
  8. Click Submit to save the cycle.

Phase 4: Start the Cycle

  1. Navigate to Operations > Performance > Appraisals and select the Active Cycles tab.
  2. Before initiating, you can click Manage Users to review the list of participating employees. Here, you can manually exclude employees or include new ones, overriding the general applicability rules.
  3. Once you have verified all details, click Start Cycle to officially launch the process and notify your employees.

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