Answering questions

Application

This unit describes the skills and knowledge required to manage the performance of staff who report to them directly. Development of key result areas and key performance indicators and standards, coupled with regular and timely coaching and feedback, provide the basis for performance management.

It applies to individuals who manage people. It covers work allocation and the methods to review performance, reward excellence and provide feedback where there is a need for improvement.

The unit makes the link between performance management and performance development, and reinforces both functions as a key requirement for effective managers.

No licensing, legislative or certification requirements apply to this unit at the time of publication.

Unit Sector

Management and Leadership – Management

This section describes language, literacy, numeracy and employment skills incorporated in the performance criteria that are required for competent performance.

Performance Evidence

Evidence of the ability to:

· Consult with relevant stakeholders to identify work requirements, performance standards and agreed performance indicators

· Develop work plans and allocate work to achieve outcomes efficiently and within organisational and legal requirements

· Monitor, evaluate and provide feedback on performance and provide coaching or training, as needed

· Reinforce excellence in performance through recognition and continuous feedback

· Seek assistance from human resources specialists where appropriate

· Keep records and documentation in accordance with the organisational performance management system

Knowledge Evidence

To complete the unit requirements safely and effectively, the individual must:

· Outline relevant legislative and regulatory requirements

· Outline relevant awards and certified agreements

· Explain performance measurement systems utilised within the organisation

· Explain unlawful dismissal rules and due process

· Describe staff development options and information

Assessment Conditions

Assessment must be conducted in a safe environment where evidence gathered demonstrates consistent performance of typical activities experienced in the management and leadership field of work and include access to:

· Relevant legislation

· Workplace documentation and resources

· Case studies and, where possible, real situations

· Interaction with others

Assessors must satisfy NVR/AQTF assessor requirements.

Links

Companion volumes available from the IBSA website: http://www.ibsa.org.au/companion_volumes

Your trainer will inform you of the following:

· Where the toilets and fire exits are located, what the emergency procedures are and where the breakout and refreshment areas are.

· Any rules, for example asking that all mobile phones are set to silent and of any security issues they need to be aware of.

· What times the breaks will be held and what the smoking policy is.

· That this is an interactive course and you should ask questions.

· That to get the most out of this workshop, we must all work together, listen to each other, explore new ideas, and make mistakes. After all, that’s how we learn.

· Ground rules for participation:

· Smile

· Support and encourage other participants

· When someone is contributing everyone else is quiet

· Be patient with others who may not be grasping the ideas

· Be on time

· Focus discussion on the topic

· Speak to the trainer if you have any concerns

· Discover how to allocate work

· Know how to assess performance

· Learn how to provide feedback

· Understand how to manage follow up

· Gain skills and knowledge required for this unit

1.1 Consult relevant groups and individuals on work to be allocated and resources available

1.2 Develop work plans in accordance with operational plans

1.3 Allocate work in a way that is efficient, cost effective and outcome focused

1.4 Confirm performance standards, Code of Conduct and work outputs with relevant teams and individuals

1.5 Develop and agree performance indicators with relevant staff prior to commencement of work

1.6 Conduct risk analysis in accordance with the organisational risk management plan and legal requirements

One of the primary roles of a manager is to allocate work and delegate tasks to staff to make sure that the tactical objectives of the organisation are met. In turn, managers should also ensure that the organisation’s operational goals are met.

There are three main types of goals that organisations use as part of their planning process, they are:

Strategic goals are statements of what your organisation would like to achieve over the next five to ten years. These goals are developed from the mission and vision statement and the SWOT analysis that you complete of the environment of the organisation. SWOT stands for an analysis of the Strengths and Weaknesses (i.e. strength - offer high level of customer service) internal to the organisation and Opportunities and Threats (i.e. market demand in your product has led to a larger share of the market) external to the organisation.

Tactical goals and objectives must support the organisations strategic goals. They indicate what level of achievement is necessary in the departments of the organisation. For example, if the organisations strategic goal is to increase sales by 5% in the next year, then the sales staff in the sales department, for instance, may be trained in techniques used to enhance their customer service skills.

Operational goals are determined by the lowest level of the organisation and relate to specific teams within each department. They focus on the responsibilities of individual employees. Using the example where the tactical goal of the sales department is to receive training to increase sales by 5%, individual employees then apply their new skills to ensure that sales increases.

As a manager it is important to apply your work allocation plan so that people working for you have the best opportunity to meet the organisations performance standards. There are nine steps that you can follow to assist you in this task. The nine steps are:

1. Providing clear instruction

2. Identify and consult with key stakeholders

3. Making sure that work is allocated in alignment with operational plans

4. To allocate work as per the organisation’s policies and procedures and cost effectively

5. Communicating and collaborating plans with others

6. Confirming performance requirements

7. Following performance indicators

8. Developing individual work plans

9. Undertaking risk analyses in accordance with the organisation’s risk management plans and legal requirements.

1. Clear instructions

A good manager is a manager who has an open door policy. Allow staff to approach and speak to you when they have a problem. Make sure that your staff are aware that there is a channel of communication that they should follow before they approach you. If they feel that this line is not helping them, then they should approach you.

For example, staff should be made aware of the reporting procedure for their department. For example, if they are a part of a team and they have a problem with another team member, they should first try to resolve the problem with them. If this does not work then they should discuss the problem with the team leader. If the team leader is unable to resolve the problem, then the supervisor should be approached. If the staff member feels that other avenues are closed to them, then they should discuss the problem with you.

To give clear instructions, is to

Be clear and concise when you give instructions to staff.

Make sure that they are informed of the task and how long the task should take to perform. If there are any special requirements to the work, inform them.

Give staff time to ask questions to ensure that they understand the instructions given.

This can save you time as it ensures that the staff member does not perform an incorrect task.

2. Identify and consult with stakeholder

A stakeholder is someone within the organisation that has a direct or indirect stake in the organisation who can be affected by the organisations actions, objectives and policies. Key stakeholders include:

External groups and individuals

External groups and individuals can include suppliers, external training companies and network providers. They are the people who you can consult with before you start a project.

Internal groups and individuals. Your team knows their job and their work area. Ask for their opinion and listen to them when they provide feedback.

Every decision you make as a manager will impact on how well everyone performs. The decision will also impact on the rest of the organisation at some level. If, for example, you asked the opinion of one of your team members and followed their recommendation, they will probably take ownership of the decision and work to the best of their capability.

3. Allocate work according to operational plans

As a manager, it is important to be aware of the skills and knowledge each employee has. Work should be allocated to employees based on their ability to perform the task and according to the organisation’s operational plans. This ensures that your team completes their tasks correctly and that you work within the budget allocated to the task.

External parties should also be consulted with. Most organisations will have procedures that state the frequency in which the parties should be contacted. Continuous contact with suppliers for example will let you keep abreast of special deals, who the credible suppliers are and who to contact to service the supply of a resource for you.

4. Allocate work as per the organisation’s policies and procedures and cost effectively

For example, your organisation uses a Printing Company to print their reports. An external supplier has been chosen because it was determined that the printing company could meet all of their needs better than an internal staff member. They were more experienced in the quality required to meet their customers’ needs.

Your organisation decided at the last minute to enter a Trade Show. This meant that demand for the printing services increased exponentially within a tight time frame. When you contacted your regular supplier, you found that they were unable to supply the printing material on time. Instead, they referred you to another larger organisation that was running a special.

As a manager it is important not only to ensure that the person or team allocated to perform a task have not only got the correct skills and knowledge, but also the capability of meeting the needs of the operational plan. When making decisions about the allocation of work and being cost effective, it is important to make sure that you are aware of the resources you have available and any time constraints

When making decisions about the allocation of work and being cost effective, you need to be aware of your resources and any time restraints. Trusting work to an employee is good for morale, however if you are on a tight schedule it is important that you ensure that your productivity is not affected.

5. Communicating your plans and collaborating with others

The way in which you communicate with others will vary according to their needs and the organisation’s policies and procedures. For example; as a full time manager you may prefer that staff send you an email so you can peruse them at your leisure. However, if an emergency arises, they may have no choice but to call you via telephone. In a globalised world, you will need to be familiar with all forms of communication which include:

Faxes

Meetings

Conference calls

Memos

Intranet

By developing your own communication skills, and setting up a basic communication plan, you will help to minimise confusing situations and unexpected obstacles from impeding the success of your plans.

The method of communication you use will vary according to your needs. Ted, for instance is a manager of a Linen Factory. During the busy season, he invariably finds it hard to contact all of his staff. This is difficult because staff in the warehouse work three separate shifts with some of the staff working shorter hours due to family constraints. Group meetings will allow him to reach most of the staff during and between shifts.

However, Ted still cannot reach the staff who work varying hours. To ensure that he reaches these staff, Ted always sends out a memo that must be signed by staff to demonstrate that they have read the memo and are aware of changes to procedures.

Instead of arranging individual meetings, it is more cost effective to book in group meetings. Group meetings are good for sounding out ideas and minimising confusion. Memos and e-mails may be more appropriate when dealing with staff that are on different time schedules.

Individual meetings usually occur when management needs to discuss things pertinent to that staff member. These meetings may be about an individual’s inability to meet schedules or performance with other staff.

The different methods of communication can include:

Group meetings

Individual meetings

Informal meetings

Intranet and bulletin board

Memo

Group briefings

Scheduled conference calls

E-mail

Using constructive communication techniques in the workplace

For communication to be effective, it needs to be two way.

When communication is one way, in which A speaks to B, there is no opportunity for B to ask questions to confirm or clarify instructions.

When communication is two way, A speaks to B and B is given an opportunity to confirm their instructions through questioning and clarifying the instructions they have received.

As a manager you need to give your staff members a chance to ask questions. It is very important that the manager responds and clarifies any questions with clear and concise answers.

Attentiveness: Listening to others and being receptive to their needs.

Diplomacy: The skill to tactfully handle a delicate issue or situation.

Discretion: The ability to make wise decisions about topics which are suitable for discussion and dissemination and those which are not.

Empathy: Showing interest in others and sensitivity toward how they might be feeling.

Enthusiasm: A positive outlook and friendly attitude.

Flexibility: The ability to compromise when necessary to achieve the organisation’s goals.

Judgement: Being able to make thoughtful and appropriate decisions.

When you make decisions about work allocation and the deployment of your resources always remember that you should make sure that you:

Communicating and collaborating plans with others to develop deadlines

Check to make sure that all of your work processes and outputs for each department are met. Make sure that the team is responsible for the operations of workflow and follow your organisations procedures to ensure that these details are communicated with them.

For example, one of the objectives in your operational plan might be to attract and maintain interest in the organisations new product line. Successfully marketing these activities to internal and external customers is a key result area for your section. The role then of you and your staff is to organise the company’s resources (money, capital and equipment) and develop action plans aimed at realising that goal.

To develop an action plan, it is important to clarify all of the roles of your staff with each person. Both you and your staff member should be in agreement with deadlines. Once deadlines have been negotiated, then the action plan can be performed. This will allow you to know what is going on at all times and allows you to make sure that all deadlines are met.

6. Confirming performance requirements

Performance requirements include:

Performance standards means the level of performance sought from an individual or group which may be expressed either quantitatively or qualitatively.

Code of Conduct means the agreed (or decreed) set of rules relating to employee behaviour/conduct with other employees or an agreed (or decreed) set of rules relating to employee behaviour/conduct with other employees or customers

Performance indicators are the measures against which performance outcomes are gauged.

These performance requirements shall now be discussed in more detail.

Performance standards will give you a list of each team member’s job down to:

The tasks that they have to perform

The dates in which these tasks need to be completed; and

The standards of performance that they must acquire.

Always pay more attention to the important jobs first. When deciding what the performance standards will be for a particular task, you should always determine which actions will be a minimum standard of acceptable performance for the task.

In most cases, you should assess your performance standards against the following criteria:

1. Cost/budgets

2. Customer satisfaction

3. Quality

4. Quantity

5. Revenue/profit

To create a performance standard you need to know what the task is that needs to be performed and the minimum standard to complete the task.

Example 1

Description of task: Market seminars

Performance standard: Create, produce and distribute marketing materials for seminars as required.

Example 2

Description of task: Use Computer

Performance standard: Turn on program, enter log on password and username and open the correct program you will need to complete a specific task.

Checklist

The Performance Standards used in my organisation are:

Achievable Clear Realistic

Agreed to Specific Time-framed

Measurable Understood

A code of conduct (sometimes referred to as a code of ethics) is a set of rules outlining the responsibilities or proper practices for an individual or organisation. In most cases, the code of conduct should reflect the organisation’s mission statement.

A code of conduct is a document of overriding principles which govern the way employees of an organisation deal with customers, clients and each other. Ideally the code of conduct should be tied in to the mission statement.

A code of conduct includes:

A benchmark which is something that can be measured and judged

Acceptable levels of conduct to assist the organisation in assessing performance.

A code of conduct responsive to the demands of the market today

Acceptable behaviours in the workplace of all staff, including presentation, legislative

Examples of codes of conduct include:

Competitiveness;

Excellence in customer service;

Honesty in all dealings with customers and each other;

Quality of work performed; and

Open and honest communication.

7. Following performance indicators

Performance indicators or Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) is industry jargon for a measure of performance. KPIs are commonly used by organisations to evaluate its success or the success of a particular activity that the organisation is engaged in. They will differ from organisation to organisation.

Performance indicators must

Reflect the organisation’s goals

Must be quantifiable

Can be financial and/or non-financial

Non-financial indicators should include a range of elements, depending on the particular requirements and objectives of the organisation. Some common examples include:

Environmental performance

Innovation

Quality

Social performance

An organisation can break these down into specific performance indicators for each employee, for example

Profit per employee

Revenue per employee

Customer satisfaction standards met per employer

Quality standards attained per employee

In this way, the performance indicators for individuals are derived from the goals and objectives of the section or department, which in turn support the mission and goals of the organisation.

For example

Identify each step of the process and what needs to be achieved.

You need to first identify each particular step in the work process, what must be achieved at each step in the process as well as how it is to be achieved. For instance, the client must recognise the need for further education in order to provide work opportunities.

Performance indicators need to be developed for each stage. Be aware that some stages will overlap. For example, what indicators need to be available to identify the need for education?

The same process must be undertaken when developing key performance indicators for developing individuals. Once a list of key performance indicators for a particular individual has been agreed to, these should be added into that person’s performance plan.

Action plans must be broken down into a set of tasks and allocated to various individuals and groups in order to achieve the required goals. The main benefit of undertaking this kind of detailed work planning is to subdivide what began as a large mass of organisational work into a set of clearly defined and manageable units. By allocating work in this way, you will ensure that the work of both individuals and your section or department as a whole are focused on the achievement of the organisation’s strategic goals.

The purpose of a work plan is to organise several projects into one plan in order to make recommendations. It should include the project objective, list of staff required, list of equipment and facilities that are required, a breakdown of the project into tasks and assignment, along with a budget and a relevant schedule.

Goal: A broad statement that captures the overarching purpose of the intervention – not measurable. The work plan can have more than one goal.

Measurable Objectives: Realistic and tangible targets for the intervention – objectives should relate to the activities column of your work plan and set specific numbers/types of activities to be completed by a certain date. The objectives should be for the first and second year of the intervention.

Activities: Events or actions that take place as part of an intervention. Activities are what is actually done to bring about the desired effects or changes of the intervention and are supportive of the objectives. The activities should be for the first and second year of the intervention.

Impact: The intended effects or changes that directly result from the intervention. The impact should represent the results of the first year of the intervention.

Evaluation: How the activities and impact are measured. Includes both process and outcome evaluation for activities and impacts in the first and second year of the intervention. Each objective does not need both process and outcome evaluation; however, the entire work plan should include both process and outcome evaluation.

A Risk analysis is the determination of the likelihood of a negative event preventing the organisation meeting its objectives and the likely consequences of such an event on organisational performance.

No matter, how much you plan, there is always risks associated with all work plans and projects. It is important to take these risks in performance into consideration allowing for all vulnerabilities (that can then be quantified) to be worked into a suitable risk management plan. ‘Quantification’ is the process of determining the degree of risk in each of the identified areas. Risks are usually graded as high, medium or low.

Consider the following example for how risk is quantified.

Once risks have been identified and quantified, there are a number of mitigation strategies you can implement to manage the risk:

Avoidance:

If the risk is too great, you may need to consider whether it is worth continuing on with a particular project or initiative.

Acceptance:

If the likelihood of risk is too small, you should document the risk, but consider continuing with the project or initiative.

Control:

For medium level risks, you should continually monitor the risk, and develop a contingency plan.

Deflection:

If unsure about the level of risk you might consider deflecting or transferring it over to a third party (i.e. outsourcing a particular function).

Contingency plans (otherwise known as a backup plan) is a secondary or alternative course of action that can be implemented if the primary plan goes wrong. This will allow businesses to quickly adapt to change and remain in operation, sometime with very little inconvenience or loss of revenue.

Contingency plans are similar to operational plans in that they cover the short term and outline specific actions to be taken. However, the level of detail should be kept to a minimum to ensure there is enough flexibility to change the plan as required.

It is important that contingency plans are realistic and capable of meeting the program and project requirements. It is also important to ensure that any contingency plans you develop are in line your organizations’ risk management plan and any specific legal requirements that may be relevant to your organisation. Familiarise yourself with these and use them as a guide when undertaking contingency planning.

2.1 Design performance management and review processes to ensure consistency with organisational objectives and policies

2.2 Train participants in the performance management and review process

2.3 Conduct performance management in accordance with organisational protocols and time lines

2.4 Monitor and evaluate performance on a continuous basis

Performance management is a method used to measure and improve the effectiveness of people in the workplace (Luecke and Hall, 2005, p.xi). Performance Management starts with goal setting. As a manager, you need to not only look at individual goals, but at the group as a whole so that you can develop and manage and develop in a way in which you can increase the probability that you will be able to ensure that both long and short term goals are met.

The key is ensuring that the individuals and their teams obtain a clear and concise shared understanding of what they are trying to achieve.

Now that you have established work processes, performance standards and indicators and codes of conduct have been established and agreed to, you need to think about how you plan to assess and manage performance.

To remain competitive, it is essential to make sure that your human assets are effective. Measuring performance allows you to measure your team members’ ability to apply their skills and knowledge, to work effectively together and to use service excellence to meet and surpass the customer’s needs.

Assessing performance is important to all organisations in terms of promoting employee performance. It is not good for any organisation to establish outcomes and performance requirements unless they are supported by a functional system of assessment. As a manager you need to manage your staff members’ performance to see how well or badly individual staff and teams are performing.

The management and assessment of performance is integral to the development and success of an organisation. It makes sure that the employees are aware of what they are doing.

For example

Fred is employed in your organisation’s administration office. His job involves answering customer enquiries, processing new customers and handling complaints. To be effective in his job, he has to answer the phone within three rings and handle complaints while, processing all new customer information and entering it into organisations’ database within 24 hours of the customer’s initial call.

You have recently been appointed as a manager and schedule a meeting with him to see how he is performing in the job. He tells you that he is doing well and everything is fine. You would like to verify this by looking at some relevant data, but you discover that:

Your organisation has no system for tracking the number of the calls he receives and that he processes all of the required information into the database.

You database software states exactly where information has been entered and by who. You can see that every new customer has spoken with has been entered into the database, but you have no way of knowing whether this was done within 24 hours of the initial call.

Notes you have found from Fred’s previous supervisor indicate that he passed on very few customer complaints; however there is no way of knowing whether the amount of complaints passed on exceeded 25%.

This example illustrates why performance cannot be managed unless an organisation puts in place a framework and set of specific procedures for assessing performance.

A performance management system provides management with the key elements for the recruitment, assessment, appraisal, and follow up of performance. It relies on documents and procedures that guide management and employees through performance and review process supplying feedback in regards to performance issue.

For performance management to succeed, it is essential that there is an ongoing communication process shared by the employee and the supervisor that establishes a clear understanding of what each party’s expectations are including:

What the employees’ essential job functions are?

How employees’ can contribute to the goals of the organisation.

Having a clear and concise understanding what “doing the job well means”.

How performance can be improved.

Identifying barriers and removing them.

Ensuring that all parties are aware of how performance will be measured.

The actual documents and procedures used as part of a performance management system will vary from workplace and consist of:

1. Clear job descriptions are created

When a new employee is employed; they are usually supplied with a job description that is an essential part of a performance management system. Job Descriptions clearly state the nature of the role, the expectations of the job, will have shown applicants to decide if they are initially interested and will assist the organisation to select the right applicant.

Conversely, as a manager you are supplied with the skills, knowledge and experience the applicant requires in meeting the goals of the job. The closest match is usually considered for the job.

2. Recruitment and selection processes are implemented

The right person for the right job is an essential requirement if the performance management process is going to succeed. Managers and HR officers usually have the responsibility to make sure that the selection process is closely matched between an applicant’s skills, knowledge and experience and the organisations’ job description.

3. Performance requirements, standards and measures are negotiated and implemented

Performance standards and codes of conduct, along with performance indicators, measures and processes are agreed to from the start.

4. Individual performance plans are created

Both the manager and employee should jointly work out and agree to a performance plan for a set period of time (generally 12 months). This plan should incorporate individual goal setting which is linked to section and departmental goals, and a development plan for that employee.

5. Performance is tracked and formal or informal assessments are made

Formal and informal methods can be regularly used to measure performance. Periodical meetings should be set up throughout the year with each employee to enable the employee and their manager to make assessments about performance, discuss any problems, and work out strategies to improve performance in the short term.

6. End of year performance reviews are conducted

Structured, formal meetings are booked with employees either annually or bi-annually to review their performance called a Performance review. It will be the manager’s responsibility to formally appraise their team member’s performance based on either specific goals and/or competencies. People with jobs that are not goal-based should be assessed on competencies, or standards of performance.

Give your team members the opportunity to prepare for the review. This means that they should be advised ahead of time about when the performance review will occur.

7. Action is taken by management where necessary

If any employees fail to meet their objectives, you should counsel them. Identify areas that require further development. Employees who refuse to perform to the required standard or undertake counselling or development should be disciplined or terminated according to the facts in each case.

In the case that poor performance is identified, you should:

1. Identify the problem

Make sure that you understand the cause of the problem. Be specific and give clear reasons what area/s that the underperformance is occurring.

2. Assess and Analyse the problem

How long has the problem been a problem and identify the size of the problem by performing a gap analysis. Always let the employee know the purpose of the meeting and ask if they would like to bring someone with them to the meeting.

3. Meet with the employee and discuss the area of underperformance

Meet in a comfortable place free from distractions and interruptions. Discuss outcomes, positive items and their strengths. Let them know what is going on and work together to resolve in a relaxed atmosphere.

4. Consult and get both parties agree to a solution

A clear understanding should be obtained, stay focused and positive and consider offering a mentoring program. Reinforce the value of the role they perform and how you should work together to fix misunderstandings.

5. Monitor the problem

Monitor employee’s progress and provide ongoing positive feedback.

6. A performance plan is developed

Key data and information is taken from the original performance plan and new goals and development objectives are added and agreed upon to create a new, updated plan.

Keeping performance management and review processes in line with your organisation’s objectives

To be successful, integrate the performance management system into the organisation’s overall planning cycle. As a manager you play a key role in implementing the system. It needs to correlate with the organisation’s strategic and operational objectives.

The ultimate goal of performance management is to help achieve the company vision and mission. For this to happen; you will need to answer the following questions:

1. What does your organisation hope to achieve by using a performance management system?

Some of the expected answers should include:

To identify any inefficient systems or internal processes which adversely affect performance?

To identify areas for organisational learning and development.

To identify areas where capital expenditure is required.

To identify problem employees or employees demonstrating exceptional performance.

To improve the organisation’s overall performance.

To objectively measure performance.

To provide essential operational and performance feedback to management.

2. What particular steps and procedures are necessary to make the system work?

For this question, you need to have the ability to explain why it is essential for your organisation to manage and measure performance. Once you understand this; then you can implement steps and procedures to make your performance management system work. This means that you can then implement the practical steps and procedures to make it functional. If you do not do this, then you will be wasting time and resources.

Policies and procedures are written to ensure that you perform your tasks legally by adhering to employment law and industrial relations. Policies and procedures will also ensure that you are consistent.

Failure to meet performance standards can cost individuals their job. People who exceed the performance standards may obtain a pay raise.

Copies of all organisational policies and procedures guiding working conditions and relationships can be obtained by your Human Resource Manager. Be familiar with all policies and procedures pertaining to performance issues.

The types of policies you may receive from the HR Manager include:

Annual leave policies

Carers leave/ special purposes leave

Conditions of employment

Grievance procedures

Recruitment policies and procedures

Termination policies and procedures

Wage conditions and bonus requirement

Job descriptions and the recruitment process

Get it right from the start. To do this, match the applicant’s skills, knowledge and experience in their resumes with the job description. Ensure that individuals understand what is required of them including the conditions of their jobs and the goals of their jobs.

A job description should provide the following information about:

All specific job functions and tasks to be performed in the position.

Any special requirements of the position.

Conditions of employment.

Details as to management or reporting lines (i.e. who the employee will report to).

Estimate of time spent performing each function or task.

Level of skill, training, and ability needed to successfully perform the job.

The strategic or operational objectives of the position.

If your organisation can find an applicant who is a good ‘fit’ for a particular position then there is a greater chance they will be able to perform to the organisation’s expectations.

A performance plan can be utilised to assist you in the employee’s performance appraisal. It is a comprehensive written report that sets out all the outcomes and performance requirements on which that individual is to be assessed. Essentially, the performance plan is an agreement between managers or teams or individuals determining what needs to be achieved within the required time frame. Performance plans can help provide staff members with an understanding of their roles and responsibilities and their link to the team and the organisation’s objectives.

Individual performance plans must link the following elements:

An individual’s key result areas.

The various tasks an individual must perform.

The key performance indicators for each task (note: meeting performance standards should also be a key performance indicator.

Time-frames, deadlines.

Development plan.

To develop an individual performance plan, you must:

1. Review organisational goals associated with results in term of performance, its quantity, quality, cost and timeliness. Turn your goals into smart goals; goals that are:

2. Specify the results that you require. Consult with both your internal and external customer.

3. Ensure that the desired results from your goals will contribute to the organisations results.

4. Prioritise the goals in the form of ranking, percentages, time spent. For example, 80 % of the employees’ role is customer service, 10 % is training and 10% is developing knowledge.

5. Outline the measures used to evaluate if and how well the desired results are achieved. Without measures, you are unable to evaluate the results. Measures include timeliness, cost, quality and quantity. For example, to measure whether the customer service representative consistently met its 150 calls a day average.

6. Identify more specific measures for the first-level measures if needed from the measures in point 5. For example, if the customer service representative consistently received calls, were they processed in two minutes? If so, what percentage was processed in this time period?

7. Identify standards for evaluating how well the results were achieved. For example, did the customer service representative meet expectations?

8. Document the performance plan. You must include the desired results, measures and standards.

All staff must be trained in the management and review of performance. They must clearly understand their role in the process. Provide staff with ongoing feedback through meetings so that they can be updated on what is going on.

Take care when you consider who should be involved in the performance management and review process. Organisations must be clear on why each party is involved. This process usually takes place in meetings that are conducted with a mixture of:

You

Line managers

HR officers

Union representatives (as necessary)

Training should include how participants should conduct themselves and on what questioning techniques should be used. If the person being assessed reports directly to you makes sure they are briefed on:

The specific job functions, jobs, goals and key competencies of the individual being assessed.

What you intend to measure and how.

The criteria by which decisions about discipline, redundancy or reward must be made.

Training and development opportunities available.

The specific documentation in use by the organisation for writing performance plans, providing feedback and performance appraisals.

Employment contracts, performance standards and organisational policies.

Make sure that the managers, employees and other people involved in the performance management and review process know how to analyse results effectively in order to make informed decisions.

It is essential to follow all steps within the performance management process. It should be monitored, assessed and reviewed on a regular basis.

Consider the following example: