It is time for your team to complete a review! You are a review administrator and are ready to set up a review cycle. You may or may not be a participant, and you may or may not be a manager. You do not have to be a participant in a review cycle to be a review administrator. If you are a review administrator, but not a participant, you will still receive emails along the way.
Success Center article 🗒: What to expect- I'm a participant
Success Center article 🗒: What to expect- I'm a manager/reviewer
For what to expect as a review administrator, keep reading. Below is an outline of the specific actions that a review administrator needs to be complete. These actions cover before, during, and after a review cycle.
Video 🎥: 360 Best-Self Review™- Creating your first review cycle
Before the cycle begins
Select settings for your review cycle
A revolutionary performance management practice that supports employees on their journey of success, instead of just giving them a grade. Follow the steps below to customize the settings for review cycles. These settings are the global review cycle settings. Every new review cycle will follow the selected settings.
1. Click on the Settings menu at the upper right corner of your 15Five account and then click Features.
2. Scroll down and click on the 'Best-Self Review®' section.
Success Center article 🗒: Edit review settings for an active cycle
Review administrator(s)
Due to the often sensitive nature of reviews, a specific review administrator(s) need to be assigned. These administrators will be able to create review cycles and question templates, and view all submitted reviews. Select your review administrators here. Review administrators don’t have to participate in a review cycle to see progress and results.
Exclude groups or individuals from your reviews
Our reviews are company-wide, but we understand there might be people you want to exclude from the process, like contractors or interns. This is a global exclusion from all review cycles.
Globally excluded groups or individuals cannot be participants, will not be asked to complete a self review, will not be asked to complete manager reviews, will not be asked to complete an upward review, and cannot be nominated as a peer. This setting is not the same as excluding a group or individual from a specific cycle.
Viewing permissions
Privacy is a big deal, which is why we want you to choose the ideal visibility setting for your organization.
Options for visibility:- Hierarchy visibility: Review answers can be viewed by the participant, their manager, anyone above their manager, and review administrators.
- Basic visibility: Review answers can be viewed by the participant, their manager, and review administrators.
Company values
Competencies
Job competencies are demonstrable and measurable clusters of knowledge, skills, behaviors, and attitudes that an employee needs to perform their work functions successfully. Competencies added here will appear as options for you to include in your question templates. Competency questions are typically opinion scale questions. There is an entire page dedicated to competency results, under Team's and Company's results, when the review cycle comes to an end.
Selecting peers for peer reviews
We recommend each employee nominate three to five peers. Control the minimum and maximum number of peers an employee can nominate.
Peer review transparency
Select how participants see their peer review answers and peer identities.
We recommend making peer reviews visible to participants. Consider training employees to give better feedback instead of restricting peer review answers or identities. See this piece for tips.
Shared vs hidden are bulk settings and will apply to all peer reviews in the cycle. You cannot have some peer reviews shared and some hidden.
- Shared:
- Participants will see all peer answers verbatim.
- Hidden:
- Participants can see a summary of peer review answers written by their manager.
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Everyone, reviews are fully transparent to participants:
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Identities of peers will be shown regarding peer reviews—meaning participants can see who wrote what about them.
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Everyone except for the participant:
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Peers' identities will be transparent to review administrators, the participant's manager, and the participant's hierarchy (if applicable), but NOT the participant.
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No one, reviews are fully anonymous to everyone who can see the review:
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Peers' identities will be hidden from everyone. No exceptions, even review administrators and managers.
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Review administrators cannot see the identities of their own peer reviews if the settings are partially or fully anonymous; ie review administrators will not be able to see who wrote what for their own peer reviews because of their role as review administrator.
Upward review transparency
- Shared:
- Managers will see all upward review answers verbatim. Though all upward review answers will be shown verbatim, you can manage the direct report identity setting below.
- Hidden:
- Managers can see a summary of their upward reviews from their manager, but will not see upward answers verbatim.
- Everyone, reviews are fully transparent to managers:
- Identities of direct reports will be shown regarding upward reviews—meaning managers can see who wrote what about them.
- Everyone except for manager:
- Direct reports' identities will be transparent to review administrators and the manager's hierarchy (if applicable), but the manager will not see the direct report's identity.
- No one, reviews are fully anonymous to everyone who can see the review:
- Direct reports' identities will be hidden from everyone. No exceptions, even review administrators.
Release peer and upward feedback
This setting allows managers and/or review administrators to control what peer and upward answers are released; in the case that an answer is inappropriate or not constructive.
- All answers will be shared and no answers can be removed
- Allow review administrators to remove answers from a review before results are shared
- Allow review administrators and managers to remove answers from a review before the results are shared
Review kick-off email
Kick off your review cycle with an announcement to your participants; give them insight into the review process, timeline and point people to get in touch with if they have questions.
BEST-SELF REVIEW company notification settings
Options for emailing participants:
- when a new review cycle launches
- 7 days before their review is due
- 3 days before their review is due
- the day that their review is due
- if their review is overdue
- when self-reviews are submitted (managers only)
- when review results are shared
Success Center article 🗒: Email notifications sent during a cycle
Disable Best-Self Review
Disabling the Best-Self Review feature will remove the tab from the main 15Five header for all users. All your review data will be saved in case you choose to re-enable this feature at a later date.
2. Create the question template(s)
After checking your review settings, you need to create a question template(s) for your review cycle. You can use our default 15Five question template, or you can create a custom template with your own questions. Self+manager reviews need their own template. Peer reviews need their own template. Upward reviews need their own template. You could have up to three different templates in one review cycle.
Best-Self Review example questions
- What are your top 3 strengths?
- What are your top 3 weaknesses?
- What do you feel went well this year?
- What would you like to accomplish between now and your next review?
- What are the challenges you feel we face as a business this next year?
- How can we be of more support to you in your role?
- What do you see as the next steps for your career growth?
- What are the top 3 skills you would like to improve on?
- What do you want to do differently next year?
- Do you have the tools you need to perform your job?
- How can management support your role going forward?
- What position would you like to migrate towards in the future with this company?
- Are there any concerns you have with the company going forward?
To view our default self+manager, peer, and upward review templates:
1. Click 'Best-Self Review®' from the left navigation.
2. Click on the 'Question templates' tab at the top of the page.
3. Find the question template you would like to preview. Click the template name to view, clone, etc.
To create a question template:
1. Click 'Best-Self Review®' from the left navigation.
2. Click on the 'Question templates' tab at the top of the page.
3. Click on Create a new template button.
4. Name your template.
5. Choose the reviews for which the template should apply under 'Template type'.
6. Name each of the sections using the ... and Edit title, or leave the titles as the defaults; whichever fits better for your team.
If changing the titles, please read the tooltips to ensure your new title aligns with the goal of the section in question.
7. Under each section, enter in your questions by clicking Add a new question.
8. To change the answer format for your question or to set the question as group specific, click on Show advanced options.
9. Click on Create template.
10. Review your questions and if all is well, click Looks good.
Now you are ready to create a Review cycle!
To clone/duplicate a question template:
From the 'Question templates' tab, click on the ... next to the template you would like to duplicate, then click on Clone.
To re-order questions:
If you have already added your questions and want to adjust the order in which they appear, you can drag and drop them into the order you want.
1. From the 'Question templates' tab, click on the ... next to the template you would like to reorder questions for and then click Edit.
2. To reorder questions, just click on the six dots to the left of each question and drag!
Private manager assessment questions are also managed through these question templates. The 'Private manager assessment' piece of Manager reviews is only visible to the manager who completed the review and the review admins. Additionally, the 'Private manager assessment' includes future focused questions inspired by research from Deloitte and highlighted in the April 2015 HBR article, Reinventing Performance Management, by Marcus Buckingham and Ashley Goodall. Questions 1 - 3 are taken directly from Deloitte, question 4 has been adjusted and Question 5 is 15Five's addition.
3. Create your review cycle
Good work! You have added company values, created a custom question template (or are using the default 15Five template), and are ready to get a Best-Self Review cycle running.
To create a review cycle:
1. Click 'Best-Self Review®' from the left navigation.
2. Click on the orange button Create a new cycle.
3. Enter in the name of your cycle. For example: "Genericorp Q1 2018 Review"
4. Choose the review cycle type.
5. Enter in your dates for the review, called Review milestones. These dates are firm once the cycle is activated.
6. Choose whether you want to repeat the review quarterly, bi-annually, or one time only. You can update this setting up until the cycle's start date.
7. Next, decide who the review participants will be. You can exclude certain people or groups, or can choose to only include certain people or groups.
8. Select a question template(s), either the template you have created or the 15Five default. 
9. Confirm the cycle settings, including visibility settings, or manage them by clicking Edit.
10. Click Create review cycle. The kick-off email will be at 8:23 am in the company's timezone on the day the cycle begins. The email will not be sent when the cycle is created.
To clone a review cycle:
If you want to update a cycle or restart it entirely, we offer a way to clone an inactive cycle or update the cadence of an already active cycle.
1. Click 'Best-Self Review®' from the left navigation.
2. Scroll to find the review cycle you want to clone.
3. Click on the ... to the right of the cycle and click Clone review cycle.
4. The setup process will be the same as steps 3-10 above.
Success Center article 🗒: Edit review settings for an active cycle
During the cycle (after the cycle becomes active)
Email notifications
Doing reviews at a company can feel like directing an orchestra—there are a lot of moving parts and people to manage. To take the burden off of review admins, we automatically inform review participants of important milestones and remind them when something is due. While most of our emails are automated, we do give people the option to nudge employees who need additional reminders. We allow admins to manage review reminder email in the review settings page. Below is an overview of emails sent during a Best-Self Review broken down by role: review admins, managers, and direct reports.
Emails sent to Review admins
Activation email
Best-Self Review needs to be set-up prior to creating the first review cycle. An admin would assign review admins and fine tune the process according to the company's needs. An email is automatically sent to all of the admins in the account notifying them of the activated feature.
Assigned as a review admin
When an admin assigns someone as a review admin, the person being assigned will receive an email to notify them of the change.
An email is automatically sent to all of the admins in the account notifying them of the activated feature.
Review cycle has ended
A review cycle has ended email is sent on the day you specified as the cycle end date at 8:15 AM UTC (check this time). The email is sent automatically to all review participants and review admins.
Emails sent to all participants and review admins
Review cycle kick-off email
A review cycle kick-off email is sent on the day you specified as the cycle start date at 8:23 AM in the company's specified time zone. The email is sent automatically to all review participants and review admins.
Self review 7 day reminder email
A reminder email for completing a self review is triggered automatically 7 days before the self review due date. This email is sent to all participants completing a self review. Admins can opt-out all participants from this email in the review settings page.
Self review 3 day reminder email
A reminder email for completing a self review is triggered automatically 3 days before the self review due date. This email is sent to all participants completing a self review. Admins can opt-out all participants from this email in the review settings page.
Self review due today reminder email
A reminder email for completing a self review is triggered automatically on the self review due date. This email is sent to all participants completing a self review. Admins can opt-out all participants from this email in the review settings page.
Self review past due email
A past due email for completing a self review is triggered automatically one day after the self review due date. This email is sent to all participants completing a self review. Admins can opt-out all participants from this email in the review settings page.
Results shared email
A reminder email for completing a self review is triggered automatically on the self review due date. This email is sent to all participants completing a self review. Admins can opt-out all participants from this email in the review settings page.
Emails sent to managers
Self review is submitted
When a direct report submits a self review, an email is sent to the manager. Admins can opt-out all participating managers from this email in the review settings page.
Manager review 7 day reminder email
A reminder email for completing a manager review is triggered automatically 7 days before the manager review due date. This email is sent to all participating managers completing a manager review. Admins can opt-out all participants from this email in the review settings page.
Manager review 3 day reminder email
A reminder email for completing a manager review is triggered automatically 3 days before the manager review due date. This email is sent to all participating managers completing a manager review. Admins can opt-out all participants from this email in the review settings page.
Manager review 3 day reminder email
A reminder email for completing a manager review is triggered automatically on the day the manager review due date. This email is sent to all participating managers completing a manager review. Admins can opt-out all participants from this email in the review settings page.
Manager review past due email
A reminder email for completing a manager review is triggered automatically one day after the manager review due date. This email is sent to all participating managers completing a manager review. Admins can opt-out all participants from this email in the review settings page.
Share results reminder email
After a manager completes the manager review, the next step is to schedule a meeting to discuss the results of the review. This reminder email to share the results of the review is sent 1 day after the manager review deadline. Admins can opt-out all participants from this email in the review settings page.
Share results due today email
When the cycle has ended Managers will receive a reminder to share and release results so both the Manager and Review will receive the Review Summary. Admins can opt-out all participants from this email in the review settings page.
Manual emails
Nudge to submit self review email
This is a reminder to complete your Self-review and is sent to note the deadline of the review.
Nudge to submit manager review email
This is a reminder to complete your Manager-review and is sent to note the deadline of the review.
Nudge to share results review email
This is a reminder to share review results with your direct reports so that they can see the Manager Review and receive the Review Summary.
Edit settings in an active review cycle
How do I add a user to an active review cycle?
We understand that you make changes to personnel often; Adding this functionality allows administrators more management power, and keeps the review cycle aligned with your current staff. Review admins can now add and remove participants from an active review cycle. Use the 'Manage participants' link in your review 'Overview' page.
Assuming that you have not excluded users or groups from the review cycle, any person that is active in 15Five before the start date will automatically be added to the review participants.
Review cycle participants can also be managed through the Review cycle settings page. This page can be found from the cycle overview page by clicking on the gear icon, and then clicking on 'Edit review cycle.
- Click on 'Features' from the left navigation.
- Click on 'Best-Self Review'.
- Click on the active review cycle. (You can also click on the three dots to the right of the cycle name, and then ‘View review cycle’.)
- From the ‘Overview’ tab, click on the gear icon and then ‘Manage participants’. (You can also click on the ‘X Participants’ link to edit.)
- Manage your participants by clicking ‘Add to cycle’ or ‘Remove from cycle’.
- Once the participant has been removed or added, you should see a banner appear in the top right of your screen confirming the action.
There are important changes that happen if you update a participant's reviewer during an active cycle. To see more about these changes:
Success Center article 🗒: Change a reviewer before, during, or after a review cycle
How do I assign or edit review admins?
Due to the often sensitive nature of Reviews, a specific Review administrator(s) will need to be assigned. Review administrators can create review cycles and question templates, and view all submitted reviews.
If you need to add an additional review admin, or remove a current review admin, you can do so at any time during a cycle. Review admins will be able to see the details of any review that is activated; i.e. review specific admins are not available at this time.
To manage review admins:
- Click on your avatar/profile picture in the top right of your 15Five page.
- Click on 'Manage features'.
- Scroll down to the Best-Self Review section and click 'Configure'.
- Add or Remove Review Administrators.
To send review reminders:
If you want to remind your team and gently nudge them to complete their Review 15Five will send them a nudge.
- Click on 'Features' from the left navigation.
- Click on 'Best-Self Review'.
- Click on 'View review cycle'.
- Click on the '...' next to the deadline for which notifications need to be sent out and then select 'Nudge'.
Success Center article 🗒: Send nudges during an active cycle
Report on a cycle's progress
At any time during a review cycle, a review admin or 15Five admin can run a progress report. The report includes all participants, a participant’s peers, a participant’s direct reports, submission dates, a participant’s answers, and multiple other fields.
To download a progress report:
- Click on 'Features' from the left navigation.
- Click on 'Best-Self Review'.
- Click on the active review cycle. (You can also click on the three dots to the right of the cycle name, and then ‘View review cycle’.)
- From the ‘Overview’ tab, click on the gear icon and then ‘Download progress as CSV’.
- Your report should automatically download and appear in your Downloads folder.
When do reviews become visible?
Self reviews become visible to managers and review admins once they have been submitted by the employee.
Peer reviews become visible to managers and review admins once they have been submitted by the peer. Peer reviews become visible to the employee once their manager decides to 'Share results'; usually after the final meeting.
Upward reviews become visible to the manager's manager and review admins once they have been submitted by the employee. Upward reviews become visible to the manager once their manager decides to 'Share results'.
For example: I am one of Charlotte's employees. I submit my upward review of Charlotte. Charlotte's manager is notified that I submitted the upward review and can view my comments. Once Charlotte's manager clicks 'Share results', Charlotte will be able to see my upward review of her.
Manager reviews become visible to the employee once the manager decides to 'Share results'.
The Summary becomes visible to the employee once the manager decides to 'Share results'.
After the cycle is complete
Lock a review cycle
Locking a review cycle means that users will no longer be able to submit reviews or edit any details within the cycle. This should only be done when the review cycle is fully completed and all summary meetings have been held.
To lock a cycle:
- Click on 'Features' from the left navigation.
- Click on 'Best-Self Review'.
- Click on the ended review cycle that you wish to lock. (You can also click on the three dots to the right of the cycle name, and then ‘View review cycle’.)
- Click the orange ‘Lock cycle’ button.
- Check or uncheck the ‘Release all unreleased reviews to teammates’. This box is checked by default.
- Click ‘Lock review cycle’.
Download or print review details (for specific employees)
If you would like to view and analyze review data for specific employees, you can download or print the results from within their specific review page after the results have been shared and finalized.
To download or print an employee's final data:
- Click on 'Features' from the left navigation.
- Click on 'Best-Self Review'.
- Click on the cycle that applies.
- From the 'Overview' tab, you will see 3 buttons labeled 'My reviews', 'My team', and 'Reviewer drill-down'.
- Click the 'My team', 'Reviewer drill-down', or 'Whole company' button; whichever applies.
- Scroll down to 'Review progress' for your selected group, click the '...' next to the employee whose review info you want to download, and then click 'View'.
- There will be a gear icon towards the top right of the page, across from their name. Click the gear icon and either 'Download summary as CSV' or 'Print'.
Success Center article 🗒: F.A.Q. Best-Self Review™ and 360 reviews