What to expect from your self-review — and how your manager’s review on you is written.
This review cycle, AI is helping with the writing — for both you and your manager. Here's what that means in practice: what happens when you write your self-review, and how your manager's review of you gets written.
Note: The AI drafts. People decide. Neither you nor your manager submits anything the AI wrote without reading and editing it first. Ratings are set by your manager, not generated automatically. Nothing is submitted without human review.
YOUR SELF-REVIEW — THREE PHASES
When you open your self-review, you won't start from a blank page. 15Five has already assembled evidence from your review period — check-ins, 1:1 notes, goal progress, Highfives — and organized it into specific observations called Moments. You work through that evidence before the AI writes anything.
| 1 | Reflect | Before any drafting, you step through a set of Moments — specific evidence from your review period pulled from 15Five data like check-ins, 1:1 notes, goals, and Highfives. Keep what accurately reflects your work. Exclude what doesn't. Add notes or upload files where the system missed context. What you keep shapes the draft. |
| 2 | Write | The AI drafts answers for each review question based on the Moments you selected. Every claim traces back to a specific source — you can see what each sentence is grounded in. Edit freely. The draft is a starting point; the final review is your words. |
| 3 | Check | Before submitting, preview your completed self-review from your manager's perspective — how it reads to the person evaluating your year. Make any final adjustments, then submit. |
BEFORE YOU START
- Only data from your current review period is used — not your full employment history. The dates are set by your HR admin.
- If there's context the system didn't capture such as a project that wasn't tracked or feedback that came verbally, add it as a note during the Reflect phase. It becomes part of what the AI drafts from.
- The Suggestions panel gives live feedback on your draft as you write: whether answers are specific enough, whether the tone is consistent with your rating, whether anything reads as a potential bias pattern. All advisory — none of it blocks you from submitting.
- Your manager sees only the answers you submit. Not the draft, not the Moments, not your editing process.
HOW YOUR MANAGER'S REVIEW IS WRITTEN
Your manager's review of you goes through the same AI-assisted process. They start from the same evidence base — your check-ins, goals, 1:1 notes, peer feedback where the cycle includes it, and signals from connected tools if your org has them enabled. The AI drafts structured answers; your manager edits and owns what gets submitted.
There's one phase your manager has that you don't: Discuss. Once the review is complete, 15Five generates a structured prep guide for the performance conversation — a suggested agenda, talking points drawn directly from the review, and a draft Individual Development Plan. The guide is specific to your review, not generic coaching advice.
| Written by you | Written by your manager | |
| Reflect, Write, Check | Reflect, Write, Check, Discuss | |
| AI drafts from your check-ins, 1:1 notes, goals, and Highfives | AI drafts from the same data — plus peer feedback and signals from connected tools if enabled | |
| You see your Moments, draft, and editing history | Your manager sees their own Moments and draft — you don't see any of that | |
| Your manager sees only the answers you submit | You receive the completed review your manager chooses to share |
COMMON QUESTIONS
What if a Moment is wrong or missing context?
Exclude it and add a note explaining what actually happened. Your additions go into the evidence pool the AI drafts from . The draft reflects what you know, not just what the system captured.
Do I have to use the AI draft?
No. Every answer is fully editable. If you'd rather write from scratch, clear the draft and use the text editor. The Suggestions panel will still give you feedback as you write if you want it.
Will my manager see the AI draft or just my final answers?
Your manager sees only the answers you submit — not the draft, not the Moments, and not any part of your editing process.
Can I see the Moments or draft my manager is working from?
No. Your manager's Moments, draft, and editing process are not visible to you. You receive the completed review they choose to share — the same way you would in any other cycle.
Does the AI set my rating?
No. Ratings are set by your manager. The AI assists with the written narrative. It never generates or assigns a rating.
What data does the AI actually use?
For your self-review: your check-ins, 1:1 notes, goal progress, and Highfives from within the review period. For your manager's review: the same data, plus peer feedback if your cycle includes it and signals from connected work tools like Slack or Asana if your org has those integrations enabled.