Impact review writing - guidelines & examples

Delivering feedback in writing to fellow teammates during our impact review process is just one of the ways in which we put into practice Sourcegraph’s value of Continuous Growth. On this page, you’ll find suggestions on how to write clear, actionable feedback.

This page contains guidance on:

Tips for writing effective reviews
Writing an effective self review
Writing effective peer reviews
Writing effective manager-to-teammate reviews
Writing effective direct report-to-manager reviews

Tips for writing great reviews

No surprises: what you write in your review should never be a surprise to the teammate receiving the feedback. We believe in direct and continuous feedback, so please ensure you don’t wait until the impact review process to share feedback on how a teammate should improve.
Be specific: focus on specific and concrete examples to support your ratings and feedback. This will make your review more impactful and memorable. You should never give feedback without providing supporting examples. The SBI model can be helpful to leverage in delivering great feedback.
- Situation: what did you or the teammate do? Begin by describing the situation or context in which the performance took place. What were the expectations and goals for the task or project? Be specific and clear in setting the context for the review.
  - Example: “During the third quarter, the team was tasked with increasing sales in the Northeast region by 15%. The team’s goal was to identify new prospects, deepen relationships with existing clients, and close deals.”
- Behavior: how you or the teammate did it(what you observed directly, not your interpretation or bias). Describe the behavior and actions in the situation. What was done to achieve the goals and expectations? Were there any specific tasks or responsibilities that you/they took on that stood out? Use specific examples to illustrate your points.
  - Example: “[Teammate name] took a proactive approach to identifying new prospects, conducting in-depth research to target high-potential clients. They also established strong relationships with key clients, resulting in several successful contract renewals. They consistently met or exceeded their sales targets, and their efforts helped the team achieve its overall goal.”
- Impact: what was the impact or ROI of the work product or action? Describe the impact of the behavior on the team or company. What positive results or outcomes did the actions generate? Be specific and use data or metrics to support your claims whenever possible.
  - Example: “Thanks to [Teammate name]‘s efforts, the team was able to exceed our sales target for the quarter by 20%. Their contributions helped to build stronger relationships with our clients, resulting in an increase in repeat business and higher customer satisfaction ratings.”
Provide balance: when providing a self-review, it’s important to be specific and provide concrete examples to support your rating, and to strike a balance between being confident and self-assured, and being humble and open to feedback. When writing reviews on other teammates, strike a balance between being positive and constructive. Acknowledge your teammate’s strengths and successes, while also providing constructive feedback & specific areas for improvement.
Make it actionable: use language that is clear, concise, and non-judgmental. Avoid using negative or accusatory language, and instead, focus on objective and actionable feedback.
Be concise: reviews don’t have to be long to be impactful. We recommend anywhere from 300-1000 words max. Anything longer is unnecessary.
Don’t overthink: the time it takes to write a review can vary depending on the person. Some teammates can write a review in 15-minutes, and others need an hour. If you are taking more than an hour to write one review, please reach out to your People Partner for support. It is likely that you are writing too much or overthinking the review.
- Please feel free to use technology, like ChatGPT and Anthropic, to help speed up the review writing process!
Rating scale: you can read more about our rating scale definitions in the handbook here.

Writing an effective self review

A self review is your chance to celebrate and reflect on your performance over the past six months. It is also an opportunity to showcase ways in which you live our values through your work, communicate how you’d like to grow in the next six months, and indicate to your manager where you need support.

Example - self review

Self Review Question	Example Response
Performance: Looking back over the past review period, how would you rate your performance against the expectations of your role, level and our values? Please provide specific examples in the comment field that justifies your performance rating. Where did you excel? Where do you need improvement? [Rating Scale: 1 Distinguished Performance, 2 Superior Performance, 3 Meets Performance Expectations, 4 Partially Successful Performance, 5 Unsuccessful Performance] Please provide examples in the comment field that support your rating.	I would rate my performance over the past 6-months as: ____. [Rating Scale: 1 Distinguished Performance, 2 Superior Performance, 3 Meets Performance Expectations, 4 Partially Successful Performance, 5 Unsuccessful Performance]. At a high level, I have demonstrated my ability to contribute to the company in a meaningful way and have accomplished several projects that I’m proud of and have contributed to the success of the business. Here are some key areas where I feel I successfully achieved my commitments in the past 6-months: Example 1 Situation: [Explain the situation] Behavior: [Provide concrete example of how you achieved the goal, project, etc.] Impact: [explain the impact or significance of the accomplishment] Example 2 Situation: [Explain the situation] Behavior: [Provide concrete example of how you achieved the goal, project, etc.] Impact: [explain the impact or significance of the accomplishment] Overall, I feel that I have effectively fulfilled my commitments and demonstrated my ability to contribute to the company in a meaningful way. Despite facing some challenges and obstacles such as [insert challenges], I overcame them by [insert any actions taken]. I am confident in my abilities and open to feedback to continue growing and improving in my role.
Goal Setting: What goals are you setting for yourself over the next 6 months to be successful?	Over the next review period, my goal is to continue to grow and develop my skills and knowledge in line with my role and level expectations. Specifically, I aim to: [Insert specific goal, e.g. enhance my technical skills by completing relevant training programs and seeking out challenging projects]. [Insert specific goal, e.g. contribute to the success of cross-functional teams by effectively collaborating with colleagues and bringing new ideas to the table]. [Insert specific goal, e.g. meet or exceed performance targets by utilizing my time management and organizational skills to effectively prioritize and manage my responsibilities]. To be successful over the next review period, I need support and/or training in the following ways: [insert anything your manager or the People Team can do to support you].
Additional Feedback (Optional): Please share any additional feedback that may be helpful for your manager to review as a part of your self-review assessment.	As part of my self-review assessment, I would like to provide some additional feedback that may be helpful for my manager. [Insert any additional feedback or insight not covered in questions above].

Writing effective peer reviews

Feedback from teammates we work closely with is some of the most valuable we will give, and receive, during the impact review process. We encourage teammates to give each other direct and actionable feedback regularly throughout the year, but the bi-annual impact review is a chance to give specific feedback in a more formal way.

Example - peer review

Peer Review Question	Example Response
Performance: In the past 6-months, this teammate consistently delivers quality work in line with the expectations of their role/level/values. Please provide specific examples in the comment field that supports how this Teammate contributed to the success of a project, team, or initiative over the past review period. Where did they excel? Where do they need improvement?.[Rating Scale: 1 Truly Oustanding, 2 Exceeds Expectations, 3 Meets Expectations, 4 Partially Successful Performance, 5 Below Expecations] Please provide specific examples in the comment field that supports how this Teammate contributed to the success of a project, team, or initiative over the past review period. * Note: Response is only visible to this teammate’s Manager.	[Teammate name] consistently delivers quality work that aligns with their role. Below are some examples that help explain why I rated them as a _____. [Rating Scale: 1 Truly Oustanding, 2 Exceeds Expectations, 3 Meets Expectations, 4 Partially Successful Performance, 5 Below Expecations] Example 1 Situation: successful completion of [specific accomplishment or goal] Behavior: [provide concrete example of how they achieved the goal] Impact: [explain the impact or significance of the accomplishment] Example 2 Situation: successful completion of [specific accomplishment or goal] Behavior: [provide concrete example of how they achieved the goal] Impact: [explain the impact or significance of the accomplishment]
Goal Setting: How can this teammate better support you, your team, and the company over the next 6 months? * Note: Response is visible to this teammate.	In general, [Teammate name] is a great teammate and is very collaborative and supportive. This[Teammate name] could better support me by: Example 1 Situation: [insert a way in which this teammate can better support you] Behavior: [provide concrete example of how they can support you] Impact: [explain why this is important to you and the impact it will make if they begin supporting you in this way] Example 2 Situation: [insert a way in which this teammate can better support you] Behavior: [provide concrete example of how they can support you] Impact: [explain why this is important to you and the impact it will make if they begin supporting you in this way]
Additional Feedback (Optional): Please share any additional feedback that may help this teammate grow in the next review period. * Note: Response is visible to Reviewee.	[Insert any additional feedback or insight not covered in questions above that will help this teammate grow].

Writing effective manager-to-teammate reviews

People leaders at Sourcegraph play a vital role in shaping the experiences of their team members. While we encourage managers to provide continuous feedback throughout the year, whether it be via Regular 1:1s or career conversations, our bi-annual impact reviews provide a great opportunity where in-depth, formal feedback can be provided both ways: teammate-to-manager, as well as manager-to-teammate.

When it comes time for a manager to write performance reviews about their direct reports, many come to realize that it is much easier said than done. Successfully drafting and delivering a meaningful review to a teammate is no small feat, but it is incredibly important to provide thoughtful feedback to help guide and support teammate growth and development. The key to a successful review is to be thorough, honest, and clear, while also focusing on both strengths and areas for improvement. By taking the time to carefully consider the teammate’s performance and by actively engaging in an open dialogue, a manager can help foster a culture of continuous improvement and growth, and create a foundation for future success.

Once all reviews are written and the manager has gone through the calibration process with the people team, it is necessary that you deliver the feedback in an effective way. You can read more about delivering impact review feedback here.

Example - manager-to-teammate review

Manager-to-teammate Review Question	Example Response
Performance: Looking back over the past review period, how would you rate this teammate’s performance against the expectations of their role, level and our values. In 2-3 sentences, please provide justification for selected performance rating. Additionally, Where did they excel? Where do they need improvement? [Rating Scale: 1 Distinguished Performance, 2 Superior Performance, 3 Meets Performance Expectations, 4 Partially Successful Performance, 5 Unsuccessful Performance] Please provide supporting examples regarding accomplishments, role/skill execution, and other feedback reflective of the past review period.	Over the past 6-months, [Teammate name] has shown [Distinguished Performance, Superior Performance, Met Performance Expectations, Partially Successful Performance, Unsuccessful Performance]. Here are some examples that justify this performance rating: Example 1 Situation: successful completion of [specific accomplishment or goal] Behavior: [provide concrete example of how they achieved the goal] Impact: [explain the impact or significance of the accomplishment] Example 2 Situation: successful completion of [specific accomplishment or goal] Behavior: [provide concrete example of how they achieved the goal] Impact: [explain the impact or significance of the accomplishment] Example SBI response: Situation: I asked Charlie to develop a new marketing campaign for our upcoming product launch Behavior: Charlie immediately took on the open-ended task with enthusiasm and creativity, and delivered a comprehensive campaign strategy that included detailed plans for social media, email marketing, and event promotions Impact: The impact of this project has been huge, specifically in terms of our return on investment. Since implementing Charlie’s marketing campaign, we have seen a 20% increase in pre-orders for our new product. Additionally, their creative approach to the campaign has received positive feedback from our customers and helped to strengthen our brand image (impact). —-------------------- Below is what your peers said about your performance: Insert quote from peer reviews (but maintain peer anonymity) Insert quote from peer reviews (but maintain peer anonymity) Insert quote from peer reviews (but maintain peer anonymity)
Goal Setting: What goals do you want this teammate to achieve over the next 6 months?	To be successful in the next 6-months, I would like to see [Teammate name] focus on: 1. Insert goal 2. Why is this goal important 3. How do you expect the teammate to achieve the goal? What support will you provide? 1. Insert goal 2. Why is this goal important 3. How do you expect the teammate to achieve the goal? What support will you provide? 1. Insert goal 2. Why is this goal important 3. How do you expect the teammate to achieve the goal? What support will you provide?
Promotion Readiness: I am recommending this teammate for promotion. [Yes/No] * Note: Response is not visible to teammate and will only be used as part of calibration.	[Select Yes or No…]
Additional Feedback (Optional): Please share any additional feedback that may help this teammate grow in the next review period.	[Insert any additional feedback or insight not covered in questions above that will help this teammate grow].

Writing effective Direct Report-to-manager reviews

Gathering feedback from a manager’s direct reports is important in the performance review process because it provides a more comprehensive and well-rounded view of the manager’s performance. Direct reports are in a unique position to observe the manager’s day-to-day behavior, communication style, and leadership skills, and can provide valuable insights into areas of strength and areas for improvement. This feedback can help managers understand how they are perceived by their team and make necessary changes to improve their management style and overall effectiveness. Additionally, involving direct reports in the performance review process can increase their engagement and sense of ownership in the company, and promote a culture of open communication and continuous improvement.

Example - direct report-to-manager review

Teammate-to-manager Review Question	Example Response
Performance: My manager enabled me to do my best work over the past review period. [Rating Scale: 1 Truly Oustanding, 2 Exceeds Expectations, 3 Meets Expectations, 4 Partially Successful Performance, 5 Below Expecations] Please provide specific examples in the comment field that supports if and how your manager enabled your success over the past review period. * Note: Response is only visible to your Manager’s Manager. Your direct Manager will not see your responses.	Over the past 6-months, my manager has helped me be successful in my role in the following ways: Example 1 Situation: [insert specific way your manager has enabled your success] Behavior: [provide concrete example of how they helped you be successful / achieve a goal] Impact: [explain the impact or significance of their management and/or support] Example 2 Situation: [insert specific way your manager has enabled your success] Behavior: [provide concrete example of how they helped you be successful / achieve a goal] Impact: [explain the impact or significance of their management and/or support]
Goal Setting: What support do you need from your manager to be successful in the next 6-months? * Note: Response is visible to your manager.	To be successful in the next 6-months, I need my manager’s support in the following ways: 1. Insert goal 2. Why is this goal important 3. In what ways do you need your manager’s support to achieve the goal? 1. Insert goal 2. Why is this goal important 3. In what ways do you need your manager’s support to achieve the goal? 1. Insert goal 2. Why is this goal important 3. In what ways do you need your manager’s support to achieve the goal?
Additional Feedback (Optional): Please share any additional feedback that may help your manager grow in the next review period. * Note: Response is visible to your manager.	[Insert any additional feedback or insight not covered in questions above that will help your manager be better.]