Performance review writer
Draft honest, evidence-backed performance review text by gathering review context, surfacing contributions from WorkIQ or user notes, applying STAR structure, and saving a markdown draft the user can review manually.
When to invoke
- "Write my self-assessment for this review cycle."
- "Draft a peer review for a colleague."
- "Help me write upward feedback for my manager."
- "I have my annual or mid-year review due."
- "Write a 360 review or performance appraisal."
Prerequisites and context
- WorkIQ MCP access is recommended for Microsoft 365, Outlook, Teams, meeting, and communication evidence.
- If WorkIQ is unavailable or sparse, ask the user for
3–5 bullet points and proceed with those.
- Save drafts as markdown under
outputs/<year>/<month>/, for example outputs/2025/12/2025-review-self-assessment.md or outputs/2025/12/2025-peer-review-alex-chen.md.
- Never submit a review; only draft text for the user to review and submit manually.
Procedure
- Gather at most three initial facts unless already provided: review type, subject, and review period.
- Use WorkIQ or user-provided bullets to collect evidence for the review period. Summarize and redact evidence; do not reproduce raw excerpts, attendee lists, or sensitive personal details.
- Draft using the schema for self-assessment, peer review, or upward feedback.
- Mark thin claims with
[NEEDS DETAIL] instead of inventing evidence.
- Iterate on requested edits.
- Save the final markdown draft to
outputs/<year>/<month>/ with a descriptive filename.
Review types and evidence
| Type |
Subject |
Evidence to find |
Tone |
| Self-assessment |
The user |
Delivered results, initiatives led, problems solved, repeated projects, praise, feedback, collaboration breadth. |
Confident, evidence-backed, growth-oriented, first person. |
| Peer review |
A colleague |
Interactions between the user and subject, shared projects, help given, friction, observable impact. |
Specific, constructive, balanced. |
| Upward feedback |
The user's manager |
Direction, support, feedback patterns, expectation clarity, recognition, availability, development support. |
Diplomatic, honest, forward-looking. |
Use STAR for achievements: Situation, Task, Action, Result. Name projects, dates, outcomes, and people when appropriate; use numbers such as reduced review time by 30% only when supported.
Style rules
| Do |
Do not |
| Use specific projects, dates, outcomes, and observable behaviors. |
Write vague filler such as "goes above and beyond", "team player", or "hard worker". |
| Acknowledge real challenges and what was learned. |
Omit struggles entirely or overstate impact. |
| Use first person for self-assessments. |
Write passively, such as "it was achieved". |
Keep most fields to 2–4 sentences. |
Over-write; longer is not better. |
| Frame development areas as next-cycle goals. |
Attack personality, character, or motives. |
Mark [NEEDS DETAIL] when evidence is weak. |
Leave thin sections unmarked. |
Review-cycle vocabulary
Use impact-focused language for self, peer, and manager feedback. For peer/upward reviews, describe what you/they did with observable evidence. If the review is a mid-year check-in, name it that way. Filename examples include 2025-review-self-assessment.md and 2025-peer-review-alex-chen.md.
Output template
## <Review period> <review type> draft — <subject>
**Status:** draft | needs detail | blocked
**Evidence used:** <WorkIQ summary or user-provided bullets, redacted>
**Saved to:** `outputs/<year>/<month>/<filename>.md`
### Draft
<self-assessment, peer review, or upward feedback content>
### Sections needing detail
- <section>: <specific missing evidence or "none">
### Validation
- WorkIQ or user notes reviewed: <yes/no and source type>
- Sensitive raw excerpts omitted: <yes/no>
- Draft saved: <yes/no and path>
Examples
Self-assessment schema
## [Review Period] Self-Assessment — [Your Name]
### Summary
1–2 sentence overview of your year and primary areas of impact.
### Key Achievements
**[Project or Initiative Name]**
- Context: what was the situation or goal?
- What I did: specific actions taken
- Impact: measurable result or observable outcome
- [NEEDS DETAIL] — flag if evidence is thin
### Collaboration & Influence
How you worked with others, supported teammates, or contributed beyond your direct role.
### Growth & Development
What you learned, skills you built, or behaviours you improved this period.
### Areas for Development
1–2 honest areas where you want to grow next cycle. Frame as goals, not failures.
### Goals for Next Period
2–3 specific, concrete goals with a rough success measure.
Peer review schema
## Peer Review — [Colleague Name], [Their Role]
## Submitted by: [Your Name] | Period: [Review Period]
### Overall Impression
1–2 sentences on working with this person.
### Strengths (with examples)
**[Strength]**
- Example: specific situation where this showed up
- Impact on you / the team / the project
### Areas for Growth
1–2 specific, constructive observations. Frame as "I think [name] would have even more impact if..." not as criticism.
### Collaboration
How easy it was to work together: responsiveness, reliability, communication.
### Would you work with this person again?
Yes/No and a brief honest reason. Only include if the review form asks.
Upward feedback schema
## Feedback for [Manager Name]
## Submitted by: [Your Name] (anonymous if applicable) | Period: [Review Period]
### What's working well
2–3 specific things your manager does that help you do your best work.
### What could be better
Use: "When [X happens], I find it harder to [Y]. It would help if..."
### Support for my development
Specific development support, feedback, or opportunities.
### One thing I'd ask them to do more / less / differently
A single, clear, actionable ask.
Limits
- Do not submit reviews or access systems to submit them.
- Decline requests to create dishonestly negative reviews or personal attacks; offer constructive reframing.
- Do not include sensitive information from unrelated conversations or threads.
Quality gate
1---2name: performance-review-writer-33description: Draft self-assessments, peer reviews, 360 reviews, upward feedback, annual reviews, mid-year reviews, and performance appraisals in the user's voice. Use when asked to write or improve review-cycle feedback using WorkIQ evidence, STAR examples, constructive tone, and markdown drafts saved under outputs/<year>/<month>/.4---56<!-- Generated from harness/github-copilot/plugins/career-productivity/skills/performance-review-writer/SKILL.md by harness/claude-code/scripts/convert_from_copilot.py. Edit the source, not this file. -->78# Performance review writer910Draft honest, evidence-backed performance review text by gathering review context, surfacing contributions from WorkIQ or user notes, applying STAR structure, and saving a markdown draft the user can review manually.1112## When to invoke1314- "Write my self-assessment for this review cycle."15- "Draft a peer review for a colleague."16- "Help me write upward feedback for my manager."17- "I have my annual or mid-year review due."18- "Write a 360 review or performance appraisal."1920## Prerequisites and context2122- WorkIQ MCP access is recommended for Microsoft 365, Outlook, Teams, meeting, and communication evidence.23- If WorkIQ is unavailable or sparse, ask the user for `3–5` bullet points and proceed with those.24- Save drafts as markdown under `outputs/<year>/<month>/`, for example `outputs/2025/12/2025-review-self-assessment.md` or `outputs/2025/12/2025-peer-review-alex-chen.md`.25- Never submit a review; only draft text for the user to review and submit manually.2627## Procedure28291. Gather at most three initial facts unless already provided: review type, subject, and review period.302. Use WorkIQ or user-provided bullets to collect evidence for the review period. Summarize and redact evidence; do not reproduce raw excerpts, attendee lists, or sensitive personal details.313. Draft using the schema for self-assessment, peer review, or upward feedback.324. Mark thin claims with `[NEEDS DETAIL]` instead of inventing evidence.335. Iterate on requested edits.346. Save the final markdown draft to `outputs/<year>/<month>/` with a descriptive filename.3536## Review types and evidence3738| Type | Subject | Evidence to find | Tone |39| --- | --- | --- | --- |40| Self-assessment | The user | Delivered results, initiatives led, problems solved, repeated projects, praise, feedback, collaboration breadth. | Confident, evidence-backed, growth-oriented, first person. |41| Peer review | A colleague | Interactions between the user and subject, shared projects, help given, friction, observable impact. | Specific, constructive, balanced. |42| Upward feedback | The user's manager | Direction, support, feedback patterns, expectation clarity, recognition, availability, development support. | Diplomatic, honest, forward-looking. |4344Use STAR for achievements: Situation, Task, Action, Result. Name projects, dates, outcomes, and people when appropriate; use numbers such as `reduced review time by 30%` only when supported.4546## Style rules4748| Do | Do not |49| --- | --- |50| Use specific projects, dates, outcomes, and observable behaviors. | Write vague filler such as "goes above and beyond", "team player", or "hard worker". |51| Acknowledge real challenges and what was learned. | Omit struggles entirely or overstate impact. |52| Use first person for self-assessments. | Write passively, such as "it was achieved". |53| Keep most fields to `2–4` sentences. | Over-write; longer is not better. |54| Frame development areas as next-cycle goals. | Attack personality, character, or motives. |55| Mark `[NEEDS DETAIL]` when evidence is weak. | Leave thin sections unmarked. |5657## Review-cycle vocabulary5859Use impact-focused language for self, peer, and manager feedback. For peer/upward reviews, describe what you/they did with observable evidence. If the review is a mid-year check-in, name it that way. Filename examples include `2025-review-self-assessment.md` and `2025-peer-review-alex-chen.md`.6061## Output template6263```markdown64## <Review period> <review type> draft — <subject>6566**Status:** draft | needs detail | blocked67**Evidence used:** <WorkIQ summary or user-provided bullets, redacted>68**Saved to:** `outputs/<year>/<month>/<filename>.md`6970### Draft71<self-assessment, peer review, or upward feedback content>7273### Sections needing detail74- <section>: <specific missing evidence or "none">7576### Validation77- WorkIQ or user notes reviewed: <yes/no and source type>78- Sensitive raw excerpts omitted: <yes/no>79- Draft saved: <yes/no and path>80```8182## Examples8384### Self-assessment schema8586```markdown87## [Review Period] Self-Assessment — [Your Name]8889### Summary901–2 sentence overview of your year and primary areas of impact.9192### Key Achievements93**[Project or Initiative Name]**94- Context: what was the situation or goal?95- What I did: specific actions taken96- Impact: measurable result or observable outcome97- [NEEDS DETAIL] — flag if evidence is thin9899### Collaboration & Influence100How you worked with others, supported teammates, or contributed beyond your direct role.101102### Growth & Development103What you learned, skills you built, or behaviours you improved this period.104105### Areas for Development1061–2 honest areas where you want to grow next cycle. Frame as goals, not failures.107108### Goals for Next Period1092–3 specific, concrete goals with a rough success measure.110```111112### Peer review schema113114```markdown115## Peer Review — [Colleague Name], [Their Role]116## Submitted by: [Your Name] | Period: [Review Period]117118### Overall Impression1191–2 sentences on working with this person.120121### Strengths (with examples)122**[Strength]**123- Example: specific situation where this showed up124- Impact on you / the team / the project125126### Areas for Growth1271–2 specific, constructive observations. Frame as "I think [name] would have even more impact if..." not as criticism.128129### Collaboration130How easy it was to work together: responsiveness, reliability, communication.131132### Would you work with this person again?133Yes/No and a brief honest reason. Only include if the review form asks.134```135136### Upward feedback schema137138```markdown139## Feedback for [Manager Name]140## Submitted by: [Your Name] (anonymous if applicable) | Period: [Review Period]141142### What's working well1432–3 specific things your manager does that help you do your best work.144145### What could be better146Use: "When [X happens], I find it harder to [Y]. It would help if..."147148### Support for my development149Specific development support, feedback, or opportunities.150151### One thing I'd ask them to do more / less / differently152A single, clear, actionable ask.153```154155## Limits156157- Do not submit reviews or access systems to submit them.158- Decline requests to create dishonestly negative reviews or personal attacks; offer constructive reframing.159- Do not include sensitive information from unrelated conversations or threads.160161## Quality gate162163- [ ] Review type, subject, and period are known or explicitly marked missing.164- [ ] Evidence comes from WorkIQ summaries or user-provided bullets, not invented details.165- [ ] Achievement claims use STAR or equivalent context-action-impact structure.166- [ ] Thin areas are marked `[NEEDS DETAIL]`.167- [ ] Peer and upward feedback focus on observable behavior, not personality.168- [ ] No raw private excerpts, attendee lists, or sensitive unrelated details are included.169- [ ] Draft is saved under `outputs/<year>/<month>/` when file writing is requested or possible.