Rolling out a new software can be a daunting task, but with the right plan, you can effectively introduce and launch 15Five at your company

In this article, you will learn...


Decide which feature(s) you want to launch with

Features included in 15Five are…

  • Check-ins
  • Best-Self Review®
  • Objectives and Key Results (OKRs)
  • Engage
  • 1-on-1s
  • High Fives
  • Feedback
  • Career Hub
  • Training & Coaching

Which of these features your team has access to depends on the plan you purchased.

We typically suggest launching with one or two core features to begin, then rolling out additional features as your team gets the hang of things. Taking baby steps will avoid overwhelming you and your people, and support your adoption efforts.

Tools to utilize

15Five offers two valuable tools that assist in the setup journey: the Onboarding Flow and the Setup Guide.

Onboarding Flow

The Onboarding Flow is available to your company’s account creator (that is, the person who created your 15Five account). This flow allows you to select what features you want to roll out with, and set a timeframe for when you want to roll each of these features out. Use this tool to indicate your intent for using 15Five and prioritize launching one key aspect of 15Five initially to reduce implementation overwhelm for you and your employees.

Setup Guide

The Setup Guide is available to all account admins in your company’s account and is a walkthrough experience designed to help companies activate with 15Five and experience value right after converting from a trial to a paid account. This in-app guidance provides step-by-step instructions that account admins can utilize to to set up their accounts and roll out features and is tailored to help admins achieve your top outcomes faster and facilitate a seamless rollout.

Access the Setup Guide in 15Five.
Read more about the Setup Guide in our Help Center.

What 15Five experts suggest

Based on customer interviews and data, our suggestion for features to roll out with are Check-ins and 1-on-1s— a power-packed, yet lightweight, duo that up-level the way managers and employees connect and communicate. This pairing gives teams a structured way to give and receive meaningful feedback on a regular basis.

What we’ve heard from 15Five admins, like yourself, well into their rollout is that Check-ins…

  • Help people feel heard,
  • Reveal trends that you can take meaningful action on, and
  • Provide leaders with insights they wouldn’t have heard otherwise.

Utilizing Check-ins is a great way to start with 15Five, as it delivers value to everyone involved— and since the default frequency for filling out Check-ins is weekly, it encourages regular use of the platform from the start. Embedding regular feedback into the DNA of your culture now will pay dividends as you grow and transform your business.

Also, Check-ins are at the heart of 15Five and link to all other parts of the platform. That said, the more that goes into Check-ins, the easier it will be to do all the performance-related things you want your people to do.


Rollout strategies to consider

There are three approaches to rolling out 15Five: an early adopters approach, a company-wide approach, or a phased approach. There isn’t a right or wrong choice here. The approach you choose depends on your company's specific scenario.

  1. Early adopters approach: Customers introduce the 15Five platform to their organization in phases, usually broken down by hierarchy (HR and Executives first, followed by managers, and then individuals), departments (Sales, HR, Engineering), or by geography (NY office, then LA office, or NA and then EMEA). This approach is usually favored by customers that are newer to continuous performance management.
  2. Company wide approach: All employees start using 15Five at once. This approach is usually favored by customers who already have a strong continuous performance management culture. This approach may be easier on a smaller HR/learning and development department as the training and reinforcement for all employees can be done at once vs. having multiple rolling “launches” of 15Five that is common with the phased approach.
  3. Blended approach: If you plan to launch with Objectives or Best-Self Review® then 15Five recommends this blended approach. Since every company is in a different stage of their Best-Self Journey, there is another option that is more flexible. In some cases, our customers roll out a few features of 15Five to everyone immediately, then slowly add the other features of 15Five over time. Pilot groups and internal champions go a long way. New to objectives? Try it with your executive team first before rolling it out to your departments or the whole company. New to reviews? Launch one with your department before using it with everyone else. New to check-ins? Make them lightweight and easy to fill out. There is a lot of flexibility with 15Five to meet you where you are in your Best-Self Journey.
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