Performance Management and Appraisals

From agreeing targets at the start of the year to the final approval of a rating, the whole appraisal cycle runs in one place. A bespoke core system holds the records and the approval workflow; staff and supervisors do their part from a web portal or their phone.

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An appraisal record showing an employee's self scores next to their supervisor's scores for each weighted objective

Self scores and supervisor scores, side by side

Appraisals fail for practical reasons

Not because people do not care, but because the forms arrive late, the targets were never written down, and nobody can find last year's record. Each of those is fixable.

Targets agreed verbally, scored from memory

Objectives are written, weighted and locked before the cycle starts.

Forms circulating as email attachments

One record per employee per cycle, with a full audit trail.

Supervisors scoring before staff self-appraise

Supervisor ratings stay hidden until the self-appraisal is in.

Approvals stuck on someone's desk

Workflow routes, reminds, escalates and delegates automatically.

The appraisal cycle, stage by stage

Pick a stage to see who does what, and what the system is doing in the background.

Owner: Employee and supervisor, togetherWhen: Start of the cycle

Target setting

The cycle opens when HR releases the appraisal period. Each employee drafts objectives against the departmental workplan, assigns a weight to each one, and agrees them with their supervisor before any scoring can begin.

Core PlatformWeb PortalMobile App

What people do

Draft objectives from the departmental workplan or a saved template
Attach a measure, a target value and a due date to every objective
Weight objectives so the total comes to 100%
Send to the supervisor, who accepts, edits or returns with comments

What the system does

Objective library and job-role templates cut drafting time
Weightings validated to 100% before submission is allowed
Targets locked once agreed; later changes need a documented revision

Approvals that move on their own

The approval chain is configured once in the core system and then applies to every appraisal. Each stage can approve, return with comments, or reject outright, and every decision is stamped and kept.

Employee submits

Self-appraisal complete with evidence attached.

Supervisor scores

Independent rating, discussion recorded, variances resolved.

Head of department moderates

Checks consistency across the team before it goes further.

HR and management sign off

Policy check, final approval, results released to the employee.

Approver away? Delegation rules reroute it.

Stage untouched past deadline? It escalates.

Returned appraisal? The employee sees why.

Everyone sees only their part of it

Screens are shaped by role, so a first-year officer is not looking at the same interface as the HR director.

Employee

One place to see what you are measured on and how you are tracking, whether you are at a desk or in the field.

Draft and submit objectives for agreement
Update progress and raise blockers mid-cycle
Complete the self-appraisal with evidence attached
See your score, comments and development actions once released
Accept the outcome or record a disagreement

Scoring people can explain

Each objective carries a weight and a measure agreed at the start of the cycle. The score is the weighted average, calculated as entries are made, so nobody is surprised by the arithmetic at the end.

The scale below is a common five-point model. Yours can have a different number of bands, different labels and different descriptors, set by HR per grade or job family.

Outstanding

Consistently exceeded the agreed target and raised the standard for others.

Exceeds expectation

Delivered beyond the agreed target on most objectives.

Meets expectation

Delivered the agreed target in full.

Below expectation

Fell short on some objectives; development actions agreed.

Unsatisfactory

Substantially short of target; a performance improvement plan applies.

One record, three ways in

Whichever way an appraisal is touched, it is the same record in the core system underneath.

Core Platform

The system of record, built for you

Employee master data, grades, job roles and reporting lines held once
Approval workflows, delegation and escalation configured to your policy
Appraisal results linked to your payroll, training and establishment data
Built as a bespoke solution, so the workflow matches how you actually work rather than the other way round

Web Portal

Where the work gets done

Role-based screens for employees, supervisors, HR and management
Side-by-side self and supervisor scores during the appraisal meeting
Bulk actions for supervisors with large teams
Single sign-on against your existing directory

Mobile App

For staff away from a desk

Submit objectives, check in and self-appraise from a phone
Approve or return appraisals while travelling
Push reminders before every deadline
Offline drafting that syncs when a connection returns

What comes with the module

Weighted scoring

Objectives, competencies and behaviours each carry a configurable weight, with the final score calculated as the employee works.

Configurable templates

Different appraisal forms by grade, job family or contract type, all administered by HR without a developer.

Evidence attachments

Documents, reports and links attached to individual objectives and retained with the appraisal record.

Variance flags

Where the self score and supervisor score diverge beyond a threshold, the system asks for a documented discussion.

Delegation and escalation

Approvals reroute when an approver is on leave, and escalate when a stage sits untouched past its deadline.

Appeals and disagreement

An employee can formally disagree with a rating, triggering a review stage that is recorded on the appraisal.

Full audit trail

Every score, edit, comment and approval is stamped with who did it and when, for the life of the record.

Distribution reporting

Rating spread by department, grade, gender and location, so moderation can be checked rather than assumed.

Questions we get asked

Yes. Rating scales, weightings, competency libraries and form layouts are configured to match your current policy. Most institutions start by replicating the form they already use, then refine it after the first cycle.

The variance is flagged, the discussion is recorded on the appraisal, and the employee can accept the outcome or formally register a disagreement. A disagreement routes the appraisal to a review stage before sign-off.

No. The mobile app covers target setting, check-ins, self-appraisal and approvals, and supports offline drafting that syncs once a connection returns.

Employee records, grades and reporting lines come from the core system, so approved results can feed reward recommendations and consolidate into the annual training plan without re-keying.

Yes. Annual, half-year, quarterly and probation appraisals can run in parallel, each with its own template, window and approval chain.

Run your next appraisal cycle properly

We will walk you through a full cycle with your own appraisal form, your rating scale and your approval chain, using sample staff from your structure.

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Deft Technologies

Transforming Business with Technology