0 / 24

Model 10 of 74 · Leadership & People

Performance Management & OKRs Maturity Assessment

Assess how well your organisation sets goals, gives feedback, and develops and recognises performance.

Pillars & areas

Focus

Set direction

  1. 01Goal-Setting & Alignment
  2. 02Progress Check-ins

Converse

Talk about progress

  1. 03Feedback & Coaching
  2. 04Evaluation & Calibration

Develop

Recognise and grow

  1. 05Recognition & Reward
  2. 06Underperformance & Development

Levels

  1. 1Annual RitualYearly forms & vague goals
  2. 2Regular RhythmAligned goals & regular check-ins
  3. 3Growth CultureFeedback-rich & fair

01 Goal-Setting & Alignment

Are goals clear, measurable and connected to the organisation's priorities?

0/4 answered

GS-1How are individual and team goals set?

Think about whether goals describe specific outcomes with a way of measuring progress, or are broad statements of responsibilities.

GS-2How well do goals connect to the organisation's priorities?

Consider whether people can see how their goals contribute to team and organisational objectives.

GS-3How are goals adjusted when priorities change during the year?

Think about what happens to goals when the business changes direction mid-cycle.

GS-4How well embedded is your organisation's goal-setting framework, such as OKRs?

Consider whether a shared framework (OKRs, objectives, KPIs or similar) is understood and used to make decisions, or is a set of documents filled in and forgotten.

02 Progress Check-ins

Is progress against goals reviewed regularly, with obstacles surfaced and acted on?

0/4 answered

PC-1How often do managers and team members discuss progress?

Think about whether there is a regular rhythm of one-to-ones, or whether progress is only discussed at formal reviews.

PC-2How is progress against goals tracked and made visible?

Consider whether people and teams can see how they are doing at any point, or only find out at the end of the cycle.

PC-3How are obstacles and risks to goals surfaced?

Think about whether people feel able to say early that a goal is at risk, or whether problems are hidden until it is too late.

PC-4How well do team-level reviews support performance?

Consider whether teams review how they are doing together, not just individuals with their managers.

03 Feedback & Coaching

Does useful feedback flow regularly, and do managers coach people to improve?

0/4 answered

FC-1How often do people receive feedback on their work?

Think about whether feedback happens close to the event, or is saved up for formal reviews.

FC-2Does feedback flow in more than one direction?

Consider whether people give feedback to their managers and peers, not just receive it from above.

FC-3How capable are managers at coaching their people?

Think about whether managers help people find solutions and develop, or mainly tell them what to do.

FC-4How are difficult performance conversations handled?

Consider whether managers address problems honestly and respectfully, or avoid them.

04 Evaluation & Calibration

Is performance evaluated fairly, consistently and on evidence?

0/4 answered

EV-1What criteria are used to evaluate performance?

Think about whether people know in advance how they will be evaluated, and whether criteria cover both results and behaviours.

EV-2How much does evaluation rely on evidence?

Consider whether ratings are supported by specific examples and data, or by general opinion.

EV-3How does your organisation ensure ratings are consistent across managers and teams?

Think about whether one manager's 'exceeds expectations' means the same as another's.

EV-4How does your organisation check performance outcomes for bias?

Consider whether ratings, promotions and pay outcomes are analysed by gender, ethnicity, disability, working pattern and other characteristics.

05 Recognition & Reward

Is good performance recognised in timely, meaningful and fair ways?

0/4 answered

RR-1How is good work recognised day to day?

Think about whether people hear when they have done something well, close to the time.

RR-2How clearly is performance linked to pay and progression?

Consider whether people understand how performance affects their pay, bonus and promotion prospects.

RR-3How fair and consistent are reward decisions?

Think about whether people in similar roles with similar performance receive similar outcomes.

RR-4Does recognition reach everyone, including less visible roles?

Consider whether people in support, part-time, remote or frontline roles are recognised as much as those who are highly visible.

06 Underperformance & Development

Is underperformance addressed early and fairly, and is everyone supported to develop?

0/4 answered

UD-1How is development planned as part of performance conversations?

Think about whether performance discussions lead to agreed development actions, or focus only on ratings.

UD-2How early is underperformance identified and supported?

Consider whether problems are spotted and addressed when they first appear, or allowed to build up.

UD-3How fair is your formal process for managing poor performance?

Think about whether formal capability or improvement processes are consistent, documented and respectful.

UD-4How does your organisation evaluate whether its performance approach is working?

Consider whether anyone measures how useful employees and managers find the process, and what it achieves.

Self-assessment report

Performance Management & OKRs

Answer the questions above and your report builds here: an overall score, a score and target for each area, and the three changes that matter most.

About this model

About the Performance Management & OKRs maturity model

Most people want to do good work, understand how it contributes, and know how they are doing. Performance management should make that easier. Too often it does the opposite: goals are set once a year and forgotten, feedback arrives months late in a form-filling exercise, ratings feel arbitrary, and the process consumes management time without improving anyone's performance.

This model takes the view that performance management is a continuous conversation, not an annual event. It covers how goals are set and connected to the organisation's priorities — whether through OKRs or another approach — how progress is reviewed, how feedback flows, how performance is evaluated fairly, how good work is recognised, and how poor performance is addressed with respect. The aim is not a perfect process but a system that helps people focus, grow and do their best work.

The Performance Management & OKRs maturity model contains 24 questions across 6 areas, covering goal-setting and alignment, progress check-ins, feedback and coaching, evaluation and calibration, recognition and reward, and managing underperformance. Each question describes three levels of maturity through concrete practices. It goes deeper than the performance area of the broader People & Talent model, and works whether your organisation uses OKRs, objectives, KPIs or a mix.

Who this assessment is for

  • HR and people leaders responsible for performance processes
  • Executives and strategy teams introducing or improving OKRs
  • Line managers who set goals and give feedback
  • Team leads and individual contributors who want clearer goals and more useful feedback
  • Reward and recognition specialists

The three maturity levels

  • Level 1 — Annual Ritual: Goals are set once a year, often loosely, and rarely revisited. Feedback mostly happens at the annual review, if at all, and ratings depend heavily on the individual manager. Recognition is inconsistent, and poor performance is either ignored or handled abruptly. People see the process as an administrative burden with little connection to their real work or development.
  • Level 2 — Regular Rhythm: Goals are set with clear measures and linked to team and organisational priorities, and they are reviewed at regular check-ins. Managers hold frequent one-to-ones that include feedback and development, and evaluations use defined criteria with some calibration across teams. Recognition schemes exist and underperformance is managed through a fair, documented process.
  • Level 3 — Growth Culture: Everyone understands how their work connects to what matters most, and goals are adjusted as priorities change. Feedback flows in all directions as a normal part of work, and managers act as coaches. Evaluation is fair, evidence-based and checked for bias, recognition is timely and meaningful, and underperformance is addressed early with genuine support. Employees describe the system as helpful rather than bureaucratic.

The 6 areas assessed

1. Goal-Setting & Alignment

How goals, objectives or OKRs are set and connected across the organisation. This area looks at the quality of goals, whether they cascade or align with organisational priorities, whether people are involved in setting their own goals, and how goals are adjusted when circumstances change.

2. Progress Check-ins

How progress is reviewed between goal-setting and evaluation. This area covers the frequency and quality of one-to-ones and team check-ins, how progress is tracked and made visible, and whether problems are raised early and dealt with.

3. Feedback & Coaching

How feedback is given and received, and the role of managers as coaches. This area examines the frequency and quality of feedback, whether feedback flows upward and between peers, manager capability in coaching, and the culture around giving and receiving difficult messages.

4. Evaluation & Calibration

How performance is assessed and how consistency and fairness are ensured. This area covers evaluation criteria, the use of evidence, calibration across teams, and checks for bias in ratings and their consequences.

5. Recognition & Reward

How good performance is recognised and rewarded. This area looks at everyday recognition, the link between performance and pay or progression, the transparency of reward decisions, and whether recognition reaches all parts of the organisation.

6. Underperformance & Development

How the organisation supports development and handles performance that falls short. This area covers development planning linked to performance conversations, early support for people who are struggling, the fairness of formal performance processes, and how the effectiveness of the overall performance system is measured.

How this model relates to other frameworks

This is an original, simplified maturity model and is not derived from or intended to replace any of the following. However, organisations that use this assessment may also find value in these established frameworks:

  • OKRs (Objectives and Key Results) — a widely used goal-setting approach that pairs ambitious objectives with measurable key results
  • Balanced Scorecard — a strategic performance framework that links objectives across financial, customer, process and learning perspectives
  • CIPD research on performance management — evidence reviews and guidance from the UK professional body for HR
  • ISO 30414 (Human capital reporting) — guidelines for reporting on human capital, including performance-related metrics

Frequently asked questions

What is the Performance Management & OKRs maturity model?

Assess how well your organisation sets goals, gives feedback, and develops and recognises performance. It is an original, simplified model with three maturity levels (Annual Ritual, Regular Rhythm and Growth Culture), assessed through 24 questions across 6 areas: Goal-Setting & Alignment, Progress Check-ins, Feedback & Coaching, Evaluation & Calibration, Recognition & Reward and Underperformance & Development.

How long does the Performance Management & OKRs assessment take?

Most people finish in 10–14 minutes. Each of the 24 questions has three concrete answer options. Your progress is saved in the page URL, so you can bookmark it and come back later.

How is the score calculated?

Each answer scores 1 (Annual Ritual), 2 (Regular Rhythm) or 3 (Growth Culture). An area's score is the average of its answered questions, and the overall score is the average of the area scores, so every area counts equally. Scores run from 1.0 to 3.0.

Is my data stored or shared?

No. Your answers are never sent to a server. They are stored only in the page URL, which you control. Copy the link to share results with colleagues, or export a PDF or CSV report.

How should I use the results?

Start with "Where to focus" in your report. It lists the questions with the biggest gap to the target you set for each area, and shows what the next level looks like in practice. For a fuller picture, ask several people from different teams to complete the assessment and compare their links. Differences in perception are often as revealing as the scores themselves.