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Documentation Index

Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://help.gowindmill.com/llms.txt

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When collecting feedback, Windy is trained to ask for more specific, constructive input. If responses are vague, Windy follows up with prompts focused on work products and outcomes rather than personalities.For example, when collecting peer feedback, Windy might ask:
  • “What project or outcome are you referring to?”
  • “Can you share a specific example of their impact on a recent project?”
  • “In which ways did they make the process smoother?”
By encouraging feedback focused on work products rather than personalities, Windmill ensures that performance reviews are more actionable, fair, and grounded in reality.
Yes. Windmill supports flexible review cadences including monthly, quarterly, bi-annual, and annual cycles. You can also run different review types on different schedules—for example, quarterly peer reviews with annual manager reviews.Because Windmill continuously gathers context from Slack, meetings, and connected tools, your next review is always ready.
When it’s time to draft reviews, Windmill consolidates data that’s been collected throughout the review period:
  • Employee self reviews completed in Slack
  • Peer feedback from colleagues
  • Upward feedback from direct reports
  • Context from connected tools (Jira, Salesforce, GitHub, Google Workspace, etc.)
  • Recaps, pulse surveys, and 1:1 notes
By surfacing this context in one Performance Review Packet, Windmill eliminates the need for managers to rely on scattered notes or memories.Instead of spending 1-2 hours per review, managers can complete a full, data-backed assessment in as little as six minutes.
Windmill supports four review types:Self reviews — Completed in Slack with Windy’s guidancePeer reviews — Two-phase process (nominations + feedback) in SlackUpward feedback — Direct reports provide feedback about their manager in SlackManager reviews — Comprehensive assessments drafted in the Windmill DashboardAll four types feed into one Performance Review Packet that managers use when drafting their reviews.
Windy aggregates feedback, recaps, and pulse responses into Performance Review Packets that highlight patterns, risks, and challenges.During calibration, Windmill flags potential inconsistencies such as:
  • High ratings with limited supporting evidence
  • Low ratings despite strong peer feedback
  • Misalignment between performance signals and manager assessments
This helps cycle admins and managers spot underperformance earlier and prepare for difficult conversations with supporting documentation.
Windmill works best when Windy is added to relevant Slack channels. Channel-based engagement provides richer context than DMs alone.Windy collects:
  • Collaboration signals (who works with whom on what projects)
  • Shoutouts and recognition from teammates
  • Project discussions and decision-making
  • Meeting recaps and action items
This context is surfaced in Performance Review Packets so feedback is grounded in actual work. Slack messages are used to generate insights and summaries—raw message content is not directly exposed in reviews.
Yes. After managers submit draft reviews, cycle admins can create a calibration session to compare ratings across managers and ensure fairness.The Calibration Board allows leadership to:
  • Review rating distributions across teams
  • Compare employees side-by-side
  • Adjust ratings based on evidence
  • Document calibration decisions
All changes are audit-logged and sync back to employee reviews before they’re shared.Learn more in Calibration.
Upward feedback is not visible to the manager being reviewed. It goes to the manager’s manager and to cycle admins, so employees can share honest feedback without concern.Employees do not see upward feedback for their own manager—it’s used exclusively for leadership and development conversations. See Who sees what for the full breakdown.
No. Review visibility is determined by the frozen org chart for the cycle, not by access delegation. If you have delegated access to another person’s account, you will not be granted visibility into any reviews through that delegation—including reviews of their direct reports or team.This is expected behavior and ensures that review confidentiality follows the official reporting structure captured when the cycle was created.
Yes. After completing a review in Slack with Windy, employees can still edit their responses in the Windmill Dashboard.This lets employees:
  • Refine answers after reflecting further
  • Add examples they remembered later
  • Adjust phrasing for clarity
If a deadline passes and a review is still not submitted:
  • The review status changes to overdue in the tracking views
  • Cycle admins can see who’s behind in the All Employees view
  • The employee or manager can still submit after the deadline
Cycle admins can follow up with individuals who are overdue to understand blockers. Windmill sends automated reminders before and on the deadline to minimize late submissions.
Yes. When creating a cycle, you select which review stages to include:
  • Self Review
  • Peer Feedback (nominations + feedback)
  • Upward Feedback
  • Manager Review
You can include all four or just a subset. For example, you might run quarterly peer reviews without manager assessments, or annual manager reviews without upward feedback.Each stage is configured independently with its own timeline and participants.
Managers can track their team’s progress in the My Team view, which shows completion status for each direct report.Cycle admins can monitor org-wide progress in the All Employees view, with filtering by department, team, or manager.Both views update in real-time and show status for self reviews, peer feedback, upward reviews, and manager reviews.Learn more in Progress Tracking.
Yes. When creating a cycle, you configure questions for each review type—self reviews, peer feedback, upward feedback, and manager reviews. All review types support the same question types: text, rating, and yes/no.For self, peer, and upward reviews, these questions are the prompts Windy uses to guide the conversation in Slack. For manager reviews, they are the questions managers answer in the Windmill Dashboard.Questions are fully customizable to match your company’s review process.Learn more in Cycles.