Create a Review Plan

Learn how to create a performance review plan in PEARS, including setting assessment windows, selecting surveys, and configuring supporting data.

This article walks through the steps for administrators to create a new performance review plan in PEARS. A review plan defines the review year, which positions participate, assessment windows for each role, and the surveys used for evaluation.

TIP: The red asterisk * next to the heading of a field indicates that the field is required.

1

Navigate to Performance Reviews

From the PEARS homepage, hover over the Plan menu in the top navigation bar and click Performance Review Plans.

2

Click Add Review Plan

On the Performance Reviews list page, click the Add Review Plan button to open the review plan form.

Screenshot: The Performance Review Plans list page with the Add Review Plan button highlighted in the top-right area

3

Select a Year

In the Year field, select the year this performance review covers. This is a required field and determines the review period for all participants.

4

Select Positions

In the Positions field, select the position(s) that will participate in this review cycle. You can select multiple positions. Only users assigned to the selected positions will be included in the review.

5

Set the User Assessment Window

Configure the time period during which staff members can complete their self-assessments:

• Start Date/Time — The date and time the self-assessment window opens.

• Deadline Date/Time — The date and time the self-assessment window closes.

Staff members can only submit their self-assessments during this window.

6

Set the Supervisor Window

Configure the time period during which supervisors can complete their reviews:

• Start Date/Time — The date and time the supervisor review window opens.

• Deadline Date/Time — The date and time the supervisor review window closes.

NOTE: The supervisor window should typically begin on or after the user assessment deadline so that supervisors can review completed self-assessments.

7

Set the Board Member Window (optional)

If your review plan includes board member participation, check the Uses Board Members option and configure the board member assessment window:

• Start Date/Time — The date and time the board member review window opens.

• Deadline Date/Time — The date and time the board member review window closes.

If your organization does not use board member reviews, leave the Uses Board Members option unchecked and skip this step.

8

Select the Self Assessment Survey (optional)

In the Self Assessment Survey field, select the survey that staff members will complete as part of their self-assessment. This survey is optional — leave it blank to skip the self-assessment step for this plan.

TIP: The survey must already exist in the Surveys module and be marked as Active before it can be selected here. See Surveys for instructions on creating and activating surveys.

9

Select the Supervisor Survey (optional)

In the Supervisor Survey field, select the survey that supervisors will complete when evaluating each staff member. This survey is also optional and independent of the self-assessment — a plan can use one survey, both, or neither.

TIP: When a survey isn't configured, its assessment step is hidden from the review workflow, and the review can still be completed without it.

10

Select the Board Member Survey (optional)

If the Uses Board Members option is enabled, select the survey that board members will complete in the Board Member Survey field. This field is only required when board member reviews are enabled.

11

Configure Copy User Review to Supervisor (optional)

Check the Can Copy User Review to Supervisor option if you want the staff member's self-assessment survey responses to be pre-populated into the supervisor's survey. This allows supervisors to see the user's self-ratings alongside their own evaluation. This option is only available when both the self-assessment and supervisor surveys are configured and identical.

12

Configure Supporting Data (optional)

If you want staff members to include data from other PEARS modules in their self-assessments, check the Uses Supporting Data option. Then configure the supporting data requirements:

Module Choices — Select which PEARS modules staff members can pull supporting data from:

• Action Plans

• Professional Development Plans

• Action Plan Reports

• Quarterly Efforts

• Program Activities

• Success Stories

Year — For each selected module, specify which year of data to include relative to the review year:

• Previous — Data from the year before the review year.

• Same — Data from the same year as the review year.

• Next — Data from the year after the review year.

TIP: Supporting data gives reviewers context about the staff member's work and accomplishments. Select the modules and year that are most relevant to your organization's evaluation criteria.

13

Save the Review Plan

Click Save to create the review plan. Once saved, the plan is active and participants will be able to access their assessments when their respective windows open.

Screenshot: The review plan form showing the Year dropdown, Positions multi-select, User Assessment Window date/time fields, Supervisor Window date/time fields, Board Member settings, survey dropdowns, Copy User Review toggle, Supporting Data configuration, and the Save button

NOTE: Changes to assessment windows or participating positions after the review plan is created may affect users who have already started their assessments. Review all settings carefully before saving.