Question templates define the questions asked to participants in a performance review cycle. Each review type — self/manager, peer, and upward — uses its own question template, so a single cycle can include up to three templates. This article does not cover creating or editing individual question templates; see Article: Copy and edit a question template for those steps.
> Note: Your organization may have renamed the Best-Self Review® feature. If you don't see "Best-Self Review" in your navigation, check with your admin for the name used in your account.
Required access: Performance Reviews feature and feature settings. Available on Perform and Total Platform pricing packages.
Feature Structure
A review cycle draws from up to three question templates, one per review type:
- Self & Manager — questions asked to the participant (self) and their manager
- Peer — questions asked by nominated peers
- Upward — questions asked by direct reports about their manager
Templates are managed from the Template configuration page. Admins can use a default template, copy and modify an existing template, or build a custom template from scratch.
Using templates with AI-Assisted Reviews
In a review cycle using AI-Assisted Reviews, the question template determines which answers a review writer can have drafted for them.
- AI drafting applies to open-text questions only. A writer can have a draft prepared for an open-text answer, then edit it, replace it, or write from scratch.
- Rating questions are always answered by the writer. 15Five AI does not select, suggest, or calculate a rating, and it does not generate an overall performance rating.
- A self or manager template needs at least one open-text question. If the selected template contains only ratings or scores, Enable 15Five AI cannot be selected for that cycle. 15Five shows an error, and the admin must add an open-text question to the template, select a template that has at least one, or change the review experience to Disable 15Five AI or the legacy experience.
- Drafting covers self, manager, and additional-manager reviews. Peer and upward templates receive no AI drafting.
Peer and upward reviews can still be part of a cycle that uses AI-Assisted Reviews. Those writers use the review experience without AI drafting.
Key Rules
- Each review type in a cycle requires its own template — templates are not shared across review types.
- A template in use by an active cycle cannot be edited. Copy it first.
- Default templates are read-only and cannot be modified.
- Up to three templates can be active in a single review cycle (one per review type).
- In a cycle using AI-Assisted Reviews, AI drafting applies to open-text questions only and never selects ratings. See AI-Assisted Reviews: Feature Overview.
- A self or manager template containing only ratings or scores cannot be used with Enable 15Five AI. 15Five shows an error until an open-text question is added, a template that has one is selected, or the cycle's review experience is changed.
What You Can Do
Set Up
- Create a custom question template for a performance review
- Copy and edit a question template
- Apply a default question template to a review cycle
Manage
- Add Questions to a Custom Performance Review Template
- Edit a question template in performance reviews
- Manage Performance Ratings+ settings