For most managers, performance reviews represent a significant investment of time, starting with a blank page that requires recalling up to a year of observations, organizing them into a clear narrative, and managing tone and bias—all based solely on memory.
15Five’s AI Assisted Reviews provides a new foundation. By compiling evidence automatically from the performance period—including 1:1 notes, check-ins, goal tracking, peer feedback, and data from tools like Slack, Asana, and Google Drive—15Five generates structured drafts for review questions.
Rather than starting from scratch, you begin with a record of actual events.
Note: You're always in control. The AI never assigns ratings, never blocks submission, and never removes you from the writing process. Every generated answer can be edited freely. Nothing goes to the employee without your review.
HOW IT WORKS — FOUR PHASES
| 1 | Reflect | Step through Performance Moments assembled for this employee — check-ins, 1:1 notes, goals, feedback, signals from connected tools or bring your own text and files. Keep what's relevant, exclude what isn't. What you keep shapes the draft. |
| 2 | Write |
AI drafts answers from the Moments you selected. Every claim traces back to a specific source — you can see exactly what each sentence is grounded in. Edit freely; the final review is yours. The Review Assistant runs throughout the writing process: the Suggestions tab flags tone mismatches, bias patterns, and claims that lack evidence as you draft, and the Chat tab lets you refine any answer by describing what you want — "make this more specific," "soften the tone" — without starting over. |
| 3 | Check | Before you submit, preview the review from the employee's perspective. Read your words the way they will. Fix anything that doesn't land the way you intend. |
| 4 | Discuss | Walk into the performance conversation with a structured agenda, talking points tied to the review, and a draft IDP. The guide is built from this employee's specific review and includes all review perspectives. |
BEFORE YOU START
- Moments from the performance period set by your HR admin are brought in as context — not the employee's full history. If the period covers Q1–Q2, Moments are scoped to that window.
- The Suggestions panel flags tone issues and bias patterns as you write. These are advisory — they explain why something might land wrong, but nothing blocks you from submitting.
- You can add your own observations at any point during the Reflect phase — typed notes or uploaded files. These become part of what the AI drafts from.
- If a connected tool like Slack or Asana isn't set up for your org, Moments will draw from 15Five data only. The experience still works; there's just less signal to pull from.
COMMON QUESTIONS
What if a Moment doesn't reflect what actually happened?
Exclude it. Any Moment can be removed before you draft — it won't appear in your review. That's expected: Moments reflect what was captured in the system, not everything you know. Add a note in the Reflect phase to capture what the data missed.
Can I ignore the Suggestions and submit anyway?
Yes. Suggestions flag issues and explain why — a tone mismatch, a bias pattern, a claim without evidence — but they don't gate submission. You decide what to address.
What's in the Conversation Guide?
A structured agenda for the performance 1:1, built from this employee's specific review — not a generic template. It includes talking points for each stage of the conversation, the employee's rating history and trajectory, and a draft IDP to share after you meet. The IDP is editable before you send it.
Can my employee see that AI was used?
No. The employee sees only the completed review, the same way they would in any other cycle. The drafting process is not visible to them.
What if I want to write the whole review myself?
You can. The AI drafts answers, but every field is fully editable. If you prefer to write from scratch, draft from the blank editor and use the Suggestions panel only if you want feedback as you go.