Performance Review Question Bank
Performance Review Question Bank
Use these proven questions as a starting point for building your performance review forms in ChartHop. Customize them to align with your company values, competencies, and performance framework.
Self Review Questions
Reflection & Self-Assessment
Open-Ended Questions (Long Text):
- What are your most significant accomplishments this review period? Please provide specific examples.
- What challenges did you face, and how did you address them?
- What are 2-3 areas you'd like to develop or improve?
- What support or resources would help you be more successful in your role?
- What aspects of your role energize you most?
- What aspects of your role do you find challenging or frustrating?
- How have you demonstrated our company values this period? Please provide specific examples.
- Looking ahead 3-5 years, what does career success look like for you?
Rating Questions (Numeric Scale or Single Select):
- Overall, how would you rate your performance this period? (1-5 scale: Does Not Meet Expectations to Exceeds Expectations)
- How effectively did you demonstrate [Company Value]? (1-5 scale for each value)
- Rate your performance in the following areas:
- Technical Knowledge & Expertise
- Problem Solving & Critical Thinking
- Autonomy & Ownership
- Collaboration & Communication
- Impact & Results Delivery
- Leadership & Influence (for senior roles)
Multiple Choice Questions:
- Which company values do you feel you most strongly embodied this period? (Multi-select)
- What type of development would be most valuable to you? (Options: Technical skills, Leadership development, Cross-functional exposure, Mentorship, etc.)
Manager Review (Downward Review) Questions
Performance Evaluation
Open-Ended Questions (Long Text):
- What are this employee's most significant accomplishments this review period? Please provide specific examples.
- What are 2-3 areas where this employee can develop or improve? Be specific and actionable.
- How has this employee grown or developed since the last review period?
- What support, resources, or development opportunities would help this employee be more successful?
- What are this employee's greatest strengths?
- How does this employee demonstrate our company values? Please provide specific examples.
- Is this employee ready for promotion or increased responsibilities? Why or why not?
- What are this employee's career goals, and how can we support their growth?
Rating Questions (Numeric Scale or Single Select):
- Overall, how would you rate this employee's performance? (1-5 scale: Does Not Meet Expectations to Exceeds Expectations)
- Rate this employee's performance in the following areas:
- Technical Knowledge & Expertise
- Quality of Work & Attention to Detail
- Problem Solving & Critical Thinking
- Autonomy & Ownership
- Collaboration & Communication
- Impact & Results Delivery
- Adaptability & Learning Agility
- Leadership & Influence (for senior roles)
- People Management & Team Development (for managers)
Multiple Choice Questions:
- Which company values does this employee most strongly embody? (Multi-select)
- What is this employee's promotion readiness? (Options: Ready now, Ready within 6 months, Ready within 1 year, Not ready - needs development, Not interested in promotion)
- What is this employee's flight risk? (Options: Low, Medium, High)
- Performance trend: (Options: Improving, Consistent, Declining)
Peer Review Questions
Collaboration & Impact Assessment
Open-Ended Questions (Long Text):
- What are this colleague's greatest strengths? Please provide specific examples.
- What is one area where this colleague could improve or develop further?
- Describe a specific situation where this colleague contributed positively to a project or team goal.
- What should this colleague START doing to be more effective in their role?
- What should this colleague CONTINUE doing to be effective in their role?
- What should this colleague STOP doing to be more effective in their role?
- How does this colleague demonstrate our company values in their daily work?
- What makes this colleague an effective collaborator?
Context Questions (Short Text or Single Select):
- Which projects or initiatives have you collaborated with this colleague on? (Short Text)
- How frequently do you work with this colleague? (Options: Daily, Weekly, Monthly, Occasionally, Rarely)
- In what capacity do you work with this colleague? (Options: On the same team, Cross-functional projects, Company-wide initiatives, Indirectly, etc.)
Rating Questions (Numeric Scale or Single Select):
- How would you rate your collaboration with this colleague? (1-5 scale: Unsuccessful to Highly Successful)
- Rate this colleague's effectiveness in the following areas:
- Communication & Transparency
- Collaboration & Teamwork
- Reliability & Follow-Through
- Quality of Work
- Problem Solving & Innovation
- Responsiveness & Availability
- Knowledge Sharing & Support
Multiple Choice Questions:
- Which company values does this colleague most strongly demonstrate? (Multi-select)
Peer Selection Questions
For the Peer Selection Form:
- Select 3-5 colleagues who can provide meaningful feedback on your work this review period. (Person Value field with min/max limits)
- Please select peers who: (Add this as guidance text)
- You've worked closely with this review period
- Can speak to your contributions and collaboration
- Represent different perspectives (cross-functional partners, project teammates, etc.)
Upward Review Questions
Manager Effectiveness Assessment
Open-Ended Questions (Long Text):
- What does your manager do particularly well? Please provide specific examples.
- What is one area where your manager could improve or develop further?
- What should your manager START doing to be more effective?
- What should your manager CONTINUE doing as a manager?
- What should your manager STOP doing to be more effective?
- How does your manager support your professional development and career growth?
- How could your manager better support you or the team?
- Please share any additional feedback for your manager.
Rating Questions (Numeric Scale or Single Select):
- Overall, how effective is your manager? (1-5 scale: Not Effective to Very Effective)
- Rate your manager's effectiveness in the following areas:
- Day-to-Day Operations & Execution
- Strategic Thinking & Alignment to Company Goals
- Communication & Transparency
- Providing Feedback & Coaching
- Supporting Professional Development
- Team Building & Morale
- Decision Making
- Advocacy & Support for Team Members
- Creating Psychological Safety
- Fostering Inclusion & Belonging
Agreement Scale Questions (Yes/No/Sometimes or Strongly Disagree to Strongly Agree):
- My manager communicates clear expectations and goals.
- My manager provides regular, actionable feedback on my performance.
- My manager provides the right level of autonomy and support.
- My manager cares about my wellbeing and career development.
- My manager advocates for me and the team.
- My manager makes fair and thoughtful decisions.
- My manager creates a positive and inclusive team environment.
- My manager creates psychological safety where I feel comfortable sharing ideas and concerns.
- My manager leads by example and demonstrates our company values.
- I would recommend my manager to others.
Goal Setting & Future Planning Questions
For Any Review Type:
- What are your top 3 priorities or goals for the next review period? (Long Text)
- What skills or competencies do you want to develop? (Long Text or Multi-Select)
- What type of projects or responsibilities interest you for future growth? (Long Text)
- What resources or support would help you achieve your goals? (Long Text)
Question Design Best Practices
Writing Effective Questions
Do:
- Ask for specific examples and behaviors
- Use clear, simple language
- Focus on observable actions and outcomes
- Ask open-ended questions that encourage thoughtful responses
- Align questions to your company values and competencies
- Include both strengths and development areas
- Make questions actionable (feedback should lead to growth)
Don't:
- Ask leading questions that suggest a "right" answer
- Use vague or ambiguous language
- Ask questions that can be answered with yes/no when you want details
- Create questions that are too similar to each other
- Ask for opinions on things outside the respondent's knowledge
- Make questions overly complex or multi-part
Balancing Question Types
Long Text Questions:
- Best for: Detailed feedback, examples, suggestions
- Limit to: 3-5 per form to avoid survey fatigue
- Use when: You need qualitative insights and specific examples
Rating Scale Questions:
- Best for: Quantifiable performance metrics, trending over time
- Use consistent scales: (e.g., always use 1-5, not mixing 1-3 and 1-5)
- Provide clear definitions: Label what each number means
Multiple Choice Questions:
- Best for: Categorization, values alignment, standardized options
- Ensure options are: Mutually exclusive and comprehensive
- Use when: You want structured, comparable data
Recommended Form Length
- Self Review: 5-8 questions (mix of ratings and open-ended)
- Manager Review: 6-10 questions (more detailed assessment)
- Peer Review: 4-6 questions (focused on collaboration)
- Upward Review: 5-8 questions (focused on leadership effectiveness)
Remember: Quality over quantity. Fewer, well-crafted questions yield better feedback than lengthy forms that create survey fatigue.
Customization Tips
Align to Your Framework
If your organization uses a specific performance framework, map questions to it:
- Competency-Based: Create rating questions for each competency
- OKR-Based: Ask about goal achievement and outcomes
- Values-Based: Include questions about demonstrating each value
- Level-Based: Adjust question difficulty based on seniority
Include Your Company Values
Replace generic questions with value-specific ones:
- Generic: "What did this person do well?"
- Value-Specific: "How did this person demonstrate [Innovation/Collaboration/Ownership]?"
Scale Appropriately
Adjust question complexity based on:
- Entry-Level Roles: Focus on learning, execution, collaboration
- Mid-Level Roles: Add autonomy, problem-solving, influence
- Senior Roles: Emphasize strategic thinking, leadership, impact
- Manager Roles: Include people development, team effectiveness
Need Help?
Contact your Customer Success Manager for:
- Reviewing your custom questions before launch
- Mapping questions to custom fields
- Creating conditional logic for role-specific questions
- Analyzing response patterns and data quality
- Best practices for your industry or company size