15Five's external performance data import allows you to import review cycle data from sources outside of 15Five. This new capability enables you to:
- Keep track of all performance data in one, easy-accessible location,
- View trending review data across all performance review cycles, and
- Easily populate the Performance tile of the HR Outcomes Dashboard using historical data— so you can immediately access insights and recommendations to improve performance across your organization.
In this article, you will learn...
- How to import external performance data
- How to review and publish your import
- Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Access and availability
⛔️ Required access to Feature Settings.
👥 This article is relevant to Account admins.
📦 This feature is available in the Perform and Total Platform pricing packages.
Import external performance data
You can access the external performance data import from two places in 15Five: Feature Settings and the Best-Self Review® Dashboard.
Full review content from external systems (e.g., Lattice, Workday) will not be visible inside 15Five. However, when performance designations are imported, they will be used to populate HROD. This ensures that while customers won’t see the original review text from external systems, the designation data will still influence HROD insights and reporting.
The external performance data importer only accepts two file formats: CSV (.csv) and Excel (.xlsx). Files in other formats (e.g., Google Sheets, .xls, or PDF) must be converted into one of the accepted formats before uploading.
Note
While customers are encouraged to import as much performance data as they have available, there are three minimum required fields for a successful import: Employee name, Employee identifier (either employee ID or email) & Performance designation score. As long as one of the employee identifiers (ID or email) is included, 15Five can process and display nearly any additional data the customer provides.
- Click on the Settings gear in the top right-hand corner of 15Five.
- Select 'Features' from the dropdown menu.
- Open the Import external data section.
- Click +Add review data.
- Type the name, source, and dates of the review cycle you're importing. When you're done, click Next.
- Click Upload file and select the external performance review file from your computer.
Note
The file you upload must be in CSV or XLSX format and include a column containing employee identifiers— either employee ID or email. Besides ensuring that these columns are included, no additional configuration is required before uploading your file.
- Once you upload the file, that status will show as "Received."
Note
What happens next? After you upload your file, our team will process it, reaching out as needed to confirm performance mapping and rating scales. Once the process is complete, you can review and publish your import.
- Click on Best-Self Review® in 15Five's main, left-hand navigation.
- Click the arrow next to Add review cycle and select "Upload external data" from the dropdown menu.
- You'll be taken to the "Import external outcomes data" page. From here, click +Add review data.
- Type the name, source, and dates of the review cycle you're importing. When you're done, click Next.
- Click Upload file and select the external performance review file from your computer.
Note
The file you upload must be in CSV or XLSX format and include a column containing employee identifiers— either employee ID or email. Besides ensuring that these columns are included, no additional configuration is required before uploading your file.
- Once you upload the file, that status will show as "Received." Our team will then process the file, reaching out as needed to confirm performance mapping and rating scales.
Note
What happens next? After you upload your file, our team will process it, reaching out as needed to confirm performance mapping and rating scales. Once the process is complete, you can review and publish your import.
Review and publish your import
Note
Importing performance designations affects both Holistic Review of Development (HROD) and the Best-Self Review (BSR) homepage. Specifically:
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Any published external cycles will appear in the “Ended review cycles from external sources” section of the BSR homepage.
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Managers will be able to view past external cycles for their direct reports.
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These external cycles will also be available as reference material when managers are writing new reviews for their reports.
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You've uploaded your file and our team has processed it, it's time to review and publish the import. This is the last step before people will be able to see the external performance review cycle data in 15Five.
- Once our team finishes processing your file, the status will change to "Ready for preview" and you will receive an email notification informing you that your data is ready for review.
- From here, click the three dots to the right of your import and select "View preview" from the dropdown menu.
- Confirm that the data that will be imported is accurate. When you're done, click Publish at the top of the page.
Note
What happens next? Now that you've published the external performance data, those with visibility can see it by following the steps in our "View imported performance reviews" article.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Yes— after you upload your performance file, our team will process it and follow up once it's ready for review and publication.
The only fields that are required are employee name, employee identifier (ID or email), and performance designation score.
Yes— you can use any labels to classify performance designations. During the review process, our team will follow up to understand these designations if needed.
Only Account admins can see all of the data. Once the data is "published," you can decide if managers can or cannot see data for their direct reports.
Not a problem! We will process the data for any employees included in the upload, and not for the others.
Visibility into external performance data is based on your selected Best-Self Review® visibility settings. You can see and manage these settings by expanding the "Best-Self Review visibility setting" section on the import page. Learn more about visibility settings.