HRSimplified Step-by-Step Implementation Guide #

Performance management helps organisations ensure that employees:

• Understand what is expected of them
• Know how their work contributes to company goals
• Receive clear feedback on their performance
• Are supported with training and development

The HRSimplified Performance Management module allows companies to structure performance reviews while aligning employee performance with company strategy.

This guide will walk you through the complete setup process step by step.

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Overview of the Performance Management Menu #

In the system navigation menu, open:

Performance Management

Inside this section you will see the following options:

• PFM Insights
• OKR
• KPA
• My Templates
• Templates
• Assessments
• Peer Assessments
• Mentorships
• Reports

These sections represent the full performance management workflow.

The correct setup order is:

1. Create OKRs
2. Create KPAs
3. Build Performance Templates
4. Assign Assessments
5. Employee Self Assessment
6. Peer Reviews
7. Manager Review
8. Development & Training
9. Mentorship Tracking
10. Reporting

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Step 1 — Create Company Objectives (OKRs) #

Menu location:

Performance Management → OKR

OKRs represent the strategic objectives of the business.

These objectives ensure that employee performance is always aligned with the company’s strategic goals.

Examples of OKRs include:

• Increase sales revenue
• Improve customer satisfaction
• Reduce operational costs
• Improve service delivery times
• Increase client retention

Best practice is to create 3 to 5 high-level objectives.

Every KPI that employees are measured on should eventually link back to one of these objectives.

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Step 2 — Create KPAs (Key Performance Areas) #

Menu location:

Performance Management → KPA

KPAs define the areas of responsibility within a role.

Think of KPAs as the main categories of work for a job position.

Examples of KPAs include:

For a sales employee:

• Sales performance
• Lead generation
• Client relationship management
• Pipeline management

For an operations employee:

• Project delivery
• Quality assurance
• Process improvement
• Team collaboration

KPAs represent what employees are responsible for, while KPIs represent how success is measured.

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Step 3 — Create Performance Templates #

Menu location:

Performance Management → Templates

Templates define how employees will be assessed during performance reviews.

Each template line connects four key elements:

• A KPA
• A KPI
• An OKR
• A Weight

This structure ensures that employee performance always links back to company strategy.

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Step 3.1 — Select the KPA #

When creating a template line, you first select a KPA from the dropdown list.

This dropdown list contains the KPAs that were created earlier in the KPA section.

The KPA represents the performance category being evaluated.

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Step 3.2 — Add the KPI #

The KPI field is a free text field where you define exactly what will be measured.

KPIs must always be:

• Clear
• Measurable
• Objective

Good KPI examples include:

• Achieve monthly sales targets of R100,000
• Respond to customer queries within 24 hours
• Deliver assigned projects within agreed deadlines
• Maintain customer satisfaction score above 85%

Avoid vague or emotional descriptions such as:

• Work harder
• Be helpful
• Improve performance

KPIs should clearly explain how success will be measured.

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Step 3.3 — Link the KPI to an OKR #

Each KPI must also be linked to an OKR.

The OKR dropdown list contains the company objectives created earlier.

This ensures that every employee activity supports strategic company outcomes.

For example:

Company OKR
Improve customer satisfaction

Possible KPIs supporting that objective:

• Maintain customer satisfaction score above 85%
• Respond to support queries within 24 hours
• Reduce complaint resolution time

This creates a clear link between employee work and company strategy.

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Step 3.4 — Assign a Weight #

Each KPI line must also be given a weight.

The weight determines how important that KPI is relative to the others.

Examples:

A sales employee might have:

• Sales revenue target → weight 50
• Client retention → weight 30
• CRM data accuracy → weight 20

This indicates that sales performance is the most important KPI.

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Automatic Weight Calculations #

You do not need to calculate percentages yourself.

The system automatically:

1. Adds all weights together
2. Calculates the percentage contribution for each KPI

Examples:

If a template has two KPI lines with weights of 50 each:

• Each KPI equals 50% of the final score

If three KPI lines each have weight 50:

• Each KPI equals 33% of the final score

If four KPI lines each have weight 25:

• Each KPI equals 25% of the final score

You only need to define the relative importance, and the system handles the calculations automatically.

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Step 3.5 — Add Open-Ended Questions #

Templates also allow you to add open-ended questions.

These questions allow employees to provide additional insight into their performance.

Examples of open-ended questions include:

• What were your biggest achievements during this review period?
• What challenges did you face in your role?
• What support would help you improve your performance?

These responses provide important context beyond simple scoring.

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Step 3.6 — Configure Peer Review Questions #

The system includes four preloaded peer review questions.

You can:

• Edit them
• Delete them
• Add additional questions

Peer review questions allow colleagues who work closely with the employee to provide feedback on their performance.

This helps create a more balanced and fair evaluation process.

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Step 4 — Assign Employees to the Assessment #

Menu location:

Performance Management → Templates

Once your performance template has been created, the next step is to assign the assessment to employees.

This is done directly from the Templates section, not from the Assessments menu.

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Assign Employees to the Template #

To assign employees to a performance template:

1. Go to Performance Management → Templates
2. Locate the template you created
3. Click Actions
4. Select Assign Employee

This will open the Performance Assessment Assignment screen.

From here you can select the employees who will complete the assessment.

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Select Employees #

In the assignment screen you will see the Employees dropdown.

Here you select the employees who must complete the performance review.

You can assign the template to:

• A single employee
• Multiple employees in the same role
• An entire team using the same performance template

Examples might include:

• All Office Administrators
• All Sales Representatives
• All Project Managers

Once assigned, the system creates the performance assessment for each selected employee.

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Assign Peer Reviewers #

You can also assign Peer Reviewers during this step.

Peer reviewers are colleagues who work closely with the employee and can provide additional feedback during the review.

Examples of peer reviewers include:

• Team members
• Project collaborators
• Colleagues in the same department

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Automatic Peer Review Cross Assignment #

When multiple employees are assigned to the same assessment, the system automatically manages peer review assignments.

The system will:

• Automatically cross-assign peer reviews between employees
• Ensure that no employee is assigned to review their own assessment

For example, if three employees are assigned:

• Employee A
• Employee B
• Employee C

The system will automatically assign peer reviews such as:

• A reviews B and C
• B reviews A and C
• C reviews A and B

This ensures the peer review process is fair and properly distributed.

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Assessment Due Dates and Review Timing #

The due date and assessment timing are determined by the Template Type.

When creating a template, you select a review cycle such as:

• Annual Review
• Half-Year Review
• Quarterly Review
• Monthly Review

The system automatically calculates when the employee can complete their Self Assessment based on this review cycle.

Examples:

Annual Review

• Assessment is assigned immediately
• Self Assessment unlocks 11 months later

Half-Year Review

• Assessment is assigned immediately
• Self Assessment unlocks 5 months later

This allows employees to see their assessment early and work towards their goals during the review period.

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Employee Notifications #

The system automatically sends notifications to employees when:

• A performance assessment is assigned
• The self-assessment period opens
• The review becomes due

This ensures employees are aware of their performance goals and can prepare for their review.

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Create the Performance Assessment #

Once the employees and peer reviewers have been selected:

Click Create Performance Assessment

The system will then:

• Assign the performance review to each selected employee
• Set the review cycle based on the template type
• Notify employees that the assessment has been assigned
• Unlock the self-assessment stage at the correct time

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What Happens Next #

After the review cycle unlocks:

1. Employees complete their Self Assessment
2. Peer reviewers complete their Peer Review feedback
3. Mentorship sessions become available
4. Managers complete the Manager Review
5. Training and development recommendations can be added

This structured process ensures that performance reviews remain fair, consistent, and aligned with company objectives.

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Step 5 — Employee Self Assessment #

The first step in the review process is the Self Assessment.

The employee will:

• Score themselves against each KPI
• Answer the open-ended questions included in the template

This encourages employees to reflect on their own performance and achievements.

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Step 6 — Peer Reviews and Mentorship Activation #

Once the employee completes their self-assessment, two additional processes become active.

Peer Reviews #

The peer review questions become available to the selected peer reviewers.

Peers can then submit feedback about the employee’s performance.

These responses become part of the overall performance review.

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Mentorships #

Mentorship sessions also become available to both:

• The mentor
• The employee

Mentors can capture session notes during mentorship meetings.

These notes help track:

• Progress
• Skills development
• Coaching discussions

Mentorship records can be viewed on the Employee Profile.

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Step 7 — Manager Review #

Once the self-assessment is completed, the assessment moves to the manager review stage.

The manager can:

• Review the employee’s self-scoring
• Adjust scores if necessary
• Add performance comments

Managers can also recommend development actions.

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Step 8 — Skills Development and Training #

Managers can recommend:

• Skills the employee should develop
• Training courses from the Training Library

Recommended training is stored under the employee profile as:

Recommended Training

This allows HR teams to track development needs across the company.

There is also a report under HR Admin that allows HR to extract all recommended training across employees.

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Step 9 — Final Review #

Once the manager completes their review:

• The assessment is returned to the employee
• The employee can review the feedback
• Final comments can be added

The completed assessment can then be downloaded as a PDF for documentation.

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Step 10 — Reporting and Insights #

Menu location:

Performance Management → Reports

Reports allow HR and management to monitor:

• Completed assessments
• Performance scores
• Employee development needs
• Recommended training

These insights help organisations support employee growth and identify areas for improvement.

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The Goal of Performance Management #

Performance management should not be seen as a scoring system.

Its purpose is to:

• Align employees with company goals
• Support employee development
• Identify training needs
• Improve organisational performance

When implemented correctly, performance management creates a culture of accountability, growth, and continuous improvement.