How a review cycle works
Setting up the cycle
Choose the dates, questions, and people who will take part. A reviewee is the person who receives feedback. A reviewer is the person who gives feedback. Participants are everyone who takes part in the cycle. The cycle’s Participants tab lists them. If you include manager reviews, choose when managers can share results with employees. The Configure a review cycle page explains the available settings. Before you run the cycle with your company, you can use a test cycle to check the setup with a small group.Collecting feedback and completing reviews
When you create the cycle, it becomes active. Each stage starts at the time you set. Stages can overlap, so people can work on different types of reviews at the same time.An active cycle does not mean that people know about it. Windy does not contact reviewers until each stage starts. If a stage starts next month, its reviewers get nothing until then.
Comparing ratings and sharing results
If you use manager reviews, you can add a calibration. In a calibration, a group compares reviews to help make ratings consistent. The Set up a calibration page explains the requirements. After a manager submits a review, the manager can share the results with the employee when the sharing settings allow it. A cycle admin can also share results. The Share review results page explains the steps and what employees can see.Test and official cycles
Both cycle types send the same tasks and messages to the people you select. The difference is what happens to the results after the cycle.
Set the Cycle type when you create the cycle. You can change it later in the cycle settings.
Review stages
- Self review: Employees review their own work.
- Upward feedback: An assigned person, such as a direct report, gives feedback about the reviewee.
- Peer feedback: Selected peers give feedback about the reviewee.
- Manager review: The assigned manager reviews the employee and prepares the final review.
People and roles
One person can have more than one role. For example, a manager can also be a reviewee in the same cycle.
If allowed means that the cycle settings control the action. The peer nomination settings control who can nominate peers. The sharing model controls when managers can share.
The person who creates a cycle becomes its first cycle admin. Cycle admins do not automatically get access to calibrations. The Cycle admins page explains their access and responsibilities.
Before you start
Choose the review period first. This is the period of work that people should review. The default is the previous six months, but you can set a different period for one reviewee. Review stages must start after the review period ends. You can use one time zone for everyone or each person’s local time zone. Windmill uses your current org chart to suggest managers and other assignments. You can change these assignments before you create the cycle. When you create the cycle, Windmill saves the reviewees and their assigned managers. Later org chart changes do not update these saved assignments. All reviewees and reviewers must be active workspace members when you create the cycle.Next steps
Read these pages in order to set up and run a cycle:- Configure a review cycle: Set the details, stages, questions, and people.
- Select reviewees and check review assignments.
- Set up peer nominations, if the cycle has peer feedback.
- Writing a review: Learn how reviewers complete their work.
- Manage active-cycle changes: Track progress and handle changes after launch.
- Set up a calibration, if you compare ratings before sharing.
- Share review results with employees.
- Review insights after the cycle.