Performance Review

Throughout the semester we have conducted peer reviews.  At each
review, each student was informed in a quantitative sense of how his
team members felt about his contributions.

The performance review is a chance for the student to answer for
himself.  Go back to your job application (if you still have it).
Look at the syllabus for job description information.  Think back on
your experience in your role on your team.  How did it go?

Every job at which I have worked does a performance review of each
employee.  At Texas Instruments (my first job), the review happened
every six months.  At my second job (a consulting company) it was
annual.  Microsoft did it every six months.  BYUH does minor reviews
annually and a major review at each promotion (about every five years)
for professors.  Typically the review is associated with a promotion
or pay raise.

You are assigned to do a performance review for your work on your team
and in this class.  Typically (and in this case too) the subject of
the review (yourself) writes the huge majority of the review, and the
boss (me) adds a few comments and/or words of evaluation.

In this paper, your attitude should be one of an employee who is
undergoing an annual (or semi-annual) performance review.  It is
typical and expected that you would speak highly of your
accomplishments.  Tell about the things you did.  Pay special
attention to the things that really helped your team be a success.
Highlight the things that you feel you did particularly well.

The review is based primarily on your job description, which you can
reinvent based on your actual job activities.  Make a set of headings
for the various functions involved in your job.  Ask yourself: for
this class, what have I been spending my time on?  If it seems worthy,
list it as an additional part of your job description.

Under each heading, rate yourself using the following scale:

  200  Totally inadequate: this part of the job is simply not being done
  300  Needs lots of improvement
  400  Needs some improvement
  500  Adequate: gets the job done
  600  Goes beyond the basic requirements
  700  Goes far beyond the basic requirements
  800  Does a perfect job of this thing: there is no way to improve

You can rate yourself to the nearest point if you want.  For instance,
a rating of 550 might mean that you are well on your way to doing a
perfect job, but there are still a few ways you can improve.

After giving the rating, provide a written justification for the
rating.  This should take the form of a few sentences identifying
concrete things that you have achieved.  Higher ratings deserve more
impressive justifications.  Use short statements of the type that
could also be used on a resume.