How to use Review templates

It is always helpful to standardize processes so you can save time and ensure a smooth experience for yourself and your team.

Why review templates are useful

With review templates, you can cover a broad spectrum of use cases:

• Delegate performance assessment administration to managers by providing them with a standardized template to assess their teams.
• Enable employees to start their own streamlined 360º assessments.
• Automate the use of review templates for probation period assessments based on an employee's entry date and a specific template.
• Automate company or team-wide reviews to go out on a recurring basis.

If you need guidance on which type of assessment you should run, check out our recommended reviews blueprint.

How to set up a cycle template

To set up a new cycle template, please navigate to 'Reviews' > 'Templates' > 'Actions' and click 'Create Template'. The process of setting up a cycle template is very similar to setting up an actual cycle. Here are the core differences:

• In the first step, you will select who should be able to use your template. By default, other admins can use your template. You can also enable managers or employees to use your templates. Managers will be able to set up cycles for their team (or teams they are part of), while employees will only be able to set up cycles for themselves.
• You will not select any participants. These will be selected when using a template.
• Instead of selecting an actual timeline, you will define the steps of your cycle by defining the number of days between kickoff and each step. When a cycle is created, we will automatically prepare a corresponding timeline (which can still be edited).
• As soon as you 'activate' a template, it will become visible to the corresponding people (admins and managers/employees, if selected).

How to use an active template

Once you activated a template, it will become visible in the 'Templates' section for admins and - if applicable - managers or employees. From here, you can click 'Launch new cycle' to create a draft cycle based on the template.

What can be edited when I use a template?

• Admins will be able to edit all template settings when setting up a cycle, select participants and update the timeline. However, questions can not be edited! 
• Managers will be able to update the name and description, select participants from their team/teams they are part of and update the timeline.
• Employees will only be able to update the name, description, and update the timeline.

Updating and removing a template

A template can be updated at any time. Here are a few things to consider when updating or removing a template:

• If your template uses company or team competencies, any changes in that section will automatically be taken into account for future cycles created from the template.
• If you remove a template, it will not affect an existing review cycle that uses the template or closed cycles that use the template.
  
• If you change an existing question in a template, this will change that question in all past/current cycles which contain this question.
• If you add or remove a question from a template (or change the order of questions), this will not affect existing cycles.
• If you add or remove weights from a question/category in a template, this will not affect existing cycles. 
• Changes made to manual translations within a template will also affect active cycles using that template.
• If the scale for a question is changed, then cross-cycle analytics will automatically be normalized.
• Barring any additional permissions to view analytics, individuals marked as template owners will only be granted access to the analytics of cycles created after the point at which they are made an owner.