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Calibrations help your company apply the same performance standards across managers and teams. After manager reviews are mostly or fully submitted, a calibration committee compares ratings, reviews the supporting evidence, and decides whether any ratings or feedback need another look. Windmill supports both live sessions and asynchronous review. In either format, participants work from the same review packets, comments, proposed changes, Discussion, and History.

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Why teams run calibrations

Managers can interpret the same rating scale differently. One manager may reserve the highest rating for exceptional results, while another uses it more broadly. Calibration gives leaders a structured way to:
  • Align on what each rating means
  • Compare similar work against consistent expectations
  • Identify ratings that don’t match the supporting evidence
  • Catch patterns such as one manager rating consistently higher or lower than others
  • Document decisions before reviews are shared with employees

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Choose a calibration format

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Live calibration

In a live session, a facilitator shares their screen and guides the committee through the calibration. Use People to review one packet at a time or Grid to compare the group visually. This format works well when decisions require discussion or when your company is establishing shared rating standards for the first time.

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Asynchronous calibration

In an asynchronous calibration, participants review packets and add comments on their own schedule. Facilitators can make proposed answer changes, and the committee can use Discussion to follow each conversation. This format works well across time zones or when participants need time to review detailed evidence. Set a clear deadline and name a facilitator who owns the final decisions. Many teams combine both approaches: participants complete a pre-read and leave initial comments asynchronously, then meet live to resolve the highest-priority cases.

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Understand calibration access

A calibration has three groups: Here, ✓ means the role has access and — means it does not. Facilitators and committee members are calibration participants. Reviewees are included for review but cannot open the calibration. Access is granted separately for each calibration. Having the Admin or HR Admin access level—or being a cycle admin, manager, or skip-level manager—does not automatically provide access to its contents. Learn more in Create a calibration and manage access.

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Follow the calibration workflow

1

Prepare manager reviews

Wait until manager reviews are mostly or fully submitted. Lock submitted reviews if you want the committee to work from a stable set of inputs.
2

Create the calibration

A cycle admin selects the facilitators, committee members, and reviewees. All manager review questions are visible by default.
3

Prepare the committee

Windmill starts generating the pre-read when the calibration is created. A facilitator reviews it, refreshes it if inputs changed, and sends it to participants.
4

Review and discuss

Use the available calibration views, comments, and proposed answer changes to focus the committee’s attention.
5

Submit the outcome

Apply answer changes directly or send them to managers as recommendations. You can also share unresolved comments with managers.
6

Complete manager follow-up

If managers receive recommendations or shared comments, the affected reviews are unlocked automatically. Managers can decide on each recommendation, update their reviews, and resolve shared comments.

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Calibration best practices

  • Define the standard first. Share the rating rubric and role expectations before discussing individuals.
  • Start with the pre-read. Review the cases and manager patterns Windy flags before the session.
  • Compare relevant groups. Use filters and stats to compare people with similar roles, levels, or work contexts.
  • Discuss evidence, not reputation. Open the packet and connect each decision to specific outcomes and feedback.
  • Timebox routine reviews. In a live session, use the shared stopwatch to keep the committee moving while allowing more time for complex cases.
  • Use comments for follow-up. Leave a clear, actionable note when a manager needs to add context or reconsider an answer.
  • Assign a decision owner. Facilitators should make the final call when the committee does not reach consensus.

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FAQs

Begin when manager reviews are mostly or fully submitted. You can include an unfinished manager review, but the committee will have less evidence until it is submitted.
Reviewees cannot access the calibration or see its internal comments, History, pre-read, or proposed changes. They see the final manager review only through the normal review-sharing process.
Yes. Create a separate calibration for each round. You can duplicate an earlier calibration to reuse its roster, then adjust the participants, reviewees, or visible questions for the next committee.
No. You can run the full process asynchronously or combine asynchronous preparation with a live decision meeting.

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Explore calibrations