Performance Planning

Performance planning is the systematic procedure in which organizations outline goals, objectives, and the performance indicators to prioritize their work, activities and outcome to guide their employees. Performance planning, which often takes place at the onset of performance appraisal, happens in a joint process between managers and employees to set SMART (specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, time-bound) objectives in line with organizational goals and staff development requirements. Performance planning enables employees to clarify their expectations, prioritize their tasks, identify their targets, and develop plans of actions to reach the desired results. With the establishment of specific performance targets and objectives, companies can raise employee engagement, motivation, accountability, and effectiveness of performance.

Example

Throughout the performance preparation sessions managers meet with their team members to define organizational objectives, departmental targets, and each individual performance expectations. As a team, managers and employees identify the critical success areas, create SMART goals, and determine performance metrics and targets for evaluating progress and achievement. For example, a marketing manager might task a digital marketing specialist with a goal of raising website traffic by 20% within six months and achieve it by implementing targeted SEO strategies as well as content optimization techniques. During the performance duration, meetings, discussions, and performance evaluation ensure that managers and employees have constant opportunities to monitor progress, address challenges, and make amendments in goals to keep pace with changing business needs and priorities. Through the practice of performance planning, it facilitates a culture of goal clarity, performance excellence and continuous improvement among its employees, thereby driving organizational success and meeting strategic objectives.