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Help Contents
Contents

Quick Start

Getting Started

Adding Employees

Performance Manager

Performance Manager Window

Introducing Performance Manager

Employee List

Log Events

Goals in Performance Manager

Coaching Ideas in Performance Manager

Transferring Employees

Updating Information for Multiple Employees

Performance Appraiser

Performance Appraiser Window

Introducing Performance Appraiser

Writing a Review

Maintaining Reviews

Performance Reminders

Introducing Performance Reminders

Setting Log Event Reminder Period

Starting Tasks From Performance Reminders

Editing and Printing

Language Checker

Editing Text

Printing

Other Functions

Briefcase

Extracting Review Information

Importing Employee Information

WebLinks

Technical Functions

Backing Up Data Files

Dates

Database Functions

Password

Technical Support

User Data Directory Settings


Getting Started

Performance Now Enterprise Edition Release 4 provides a powerful total performance management system that helps you track performance and establish measurable goals, as well as write complete and effective performance reviews. The program consists of the following interactive modules, which will help you manage the entire performance review process:

 Performance Manager

Use Performance Manager to manage the entire review process.

 Performance Appraiser

Use Performance Appraiser to write performance reviews.

 Form Designer

Use Form Designer to create custom review forms specific to your organization's needs.

 KnowledgePoint Application Administrator

In a multi-user installation, use KnowledgePoint Application Administrator to manage user access to all KnowledgePoint applications.

 Intelli-Text Designer

Use the optional Intelli-Text Designer to create unique performance competencies, factors, and coaching ideas.


Adding Employees

Employees can be added in either Performance Manager or Performance Appraiser. You can add new employees individually, or, to save time, you may be able to do a mass import of employees from another database.

When adding a new employee, you must (at a minimum) enter the employee's name and gender, and assign a review form from the list of available forms. Performance Now Enterprise Edition Release 4 includes seven predesigned forms.

To view the competencies included in the predesigned forms, click here [image].

Instructions:

In Performance Manager	In Performance Appraiser
1. Click [image] to open the Create New Item dialog box. 2. Click the New Employee button.	1. Click [image] to open the Employee Choices dialog box. 2. Click the Add New Employee button.
Continue:

3.	Enter the employee's last name, a comma, and first name (up to 40 characters), such as Jackson, William.

4.	It is strongly recommended that you enter an ID number for the employee. Employee ID numbers can be up to 30 characters, such as 123-45-6789.

5.	The First Name field is automatically filled in with the employee's first name, which will be used in creating the Intelli-Text statements in the review. If you want to use a nickname, such as Bill, or a more formal name, such as Mr. Jackson, you can enter it here.

6.	Select Male or Female to make sure the gender is correct for the pronouns that will automatically appear in the system-generated supporting text as you create the performance review.

7.	Click the Review Form Name selection arrow and select the type of review form you wish to use for the employee.

8.	For network installations only, click the Employee Assigned To selection arrow and select the User ID of the person to whom the employee will be assigned.

9.	Click Add. The Employee Information dialog box opens, where you can enter additional information.

Additional Information:

Entering Employee Information


Entering Employee Information

Make sure you enter information in the Employee Information fields that are designated by bold lettering, since these will automatically be printed on the performance review form. All information you enter is stored in the employee database. If you want information to print that isn't predefined in bold, you can customize a form using Form Designer.

If you are a user of KnowledgePoint's Descriptions Now for Windows, and wish to view and copy the employee's job description while using Performance Manager or Performance Appraiser, be sure to enter the full path name of the Descriptions Now file containing the related job description.

Instructions:

In Performance Manager	In Performance Appraiser
1. Select the employee name in the Employee List. 2. Click [image].	1. Click [image] to open the Employee Choices dialog box. 2. Click the Employee Information button.
Continue:

3.	In the Employee Information dialog box, be sure to enter information in all bold fields. If you are using a custom form created by you or your organization, the fields may be different than those discussed below.

4.	If you wish to change the review to be used for this employee, click the Review Form Name selection arrow, and select a new form.

5.	In the Pay Frequency and FLSA fields, click the selection arrow to choose a value.

6.	In the date fields, enter the date, or click [image] and use the pop-up calendar's scrollbar to move forward or backward in time and click OK when finished.

7.	For network installations only, click the Share With selection arrow, and select the User ID of the person who will approve or read the review.

8.	You can enter User-Defined information of up to 50 characters (which will not be printed on the review).

9.	Enter the full Descriptions Now! Job Description path, or click [image] and search for the path name. It can contain up to 80 characters, such as c:\kpoint\desnow\shared\credir.jbx.

10. When finished, click Save, then Close.

Additional Information:

Changing Employee Name and/or Employee ID

Deleting Employees

Using Share With


Changing Employee Name and/or Employee ID

Once you've added an employee, you may change the employee's name and/or ID number using the Employee Information dialog box.

Instructions:

In Performance Manager	In Performance Appraiser
1. Select the employee name in the Employee List. 2. Click [image].	1. Click [image] to open the Employee Choices dialog box. 2. Click the Employee Information button.
Continue:

3. 	Click the Change Name/ID button to open the Change Employee Name/ID dialog box.

4. 	In the Change to area, highlight the employee name and enter the new one.

5. 	If necessary, enter new data in the Employee ID field, then click OK.

6. 	Click OK to close the Employee Information dialog box.


Deleting Employees

You should be absolutely sure you want to delete an employee before performing this action. Remember that when you delete an employee, you will permanently remove from the database the employee name, all employee information, all Performance Manager information (i.e., Log events and goals), and all the employee's saved performance reviews.

Instructions:

In Performance Manager	In Performance Appraiser
1. Select the employee name in the Employee List that you wish to delete. 2. Click [image]. 3. Click [image] (or press [image] ). 4. When warned about the permanency of the deletion, click Yes.	1. Click [image] to open the Employee Choices dialog box. 2. Select the name you wish to delete. 3. Click the Employee Information button. 4. Click Delete. 5. When warned about the permanency of the deletion, click Yes.


Using Share With

Users on multi-user network installations who are accessing the same employee/review data file, may share employee records using the Share With feature.

For each employee who is assigned to you, you can invoke the Share With feature, which adds that employee to the other user's list of employees. The second user then gains complete access to all of the employee's review and employee information, including Performance Manager entries.

You can share an employee with only one other user at a time. Since the employee's review and data (and any changes made) are being shared, the review cannot be opened by both users simultaneously. The second user who attempts to open the review will be told to open the review in read-only mode, where it can be viewed, but no changes can be saved.

Instructions:

In Performance Manager	In Performance Appraiser
1. Select the employee name in the Employee List. 2. Click [image].	1. Click [image] to open the Employee Choices dialog box. 2. Click the Employee Information button.
Continue:

3. 	If necessary, click the Employee Name/ID selection arrow and select the correct name.

4. 	Verify that your User ID is in the Employee Assigned To field.

5. 	In the Share With field, select or enter the User ID of the user with whom you want to share this employee's information.

6. 	Click Save, then click Close.

7. 	When you wish to cancel the other user's access to the employee, repeat the above steps and select None in the Share With field.


Performance Manager Window

Click the [image] below for information about using Performance Manager:


Introducing Performance Manager

Performance Manager, the core module of Performance Now Enterprise Edition Release 4, is designed to be used throughout the year to manage employee information by:

Setting and managing goals

 	Documenting ongoing performance events

 	Accessing coaching ideas to help employees improve performance

Performance Manager can be opened separately at any time, or launched from Performance Appraiser while writing a review.

After you add new employees into the employee database (using either Performance Manager or Performance Appraiser), icons for all the employees you are authorized to access appear in the Employee List. When you double-click an employee's icon, it expands to show two expandable folders - the Log folder and the Goals folder.

The Log folder contains:

 Log events that you create and any attachments.

 Performance reviews created in Performance Appraiser.

 Job descriptions created in Descriptions Now.

The Goals folder contains:

 All outstanding, unrated goals.

Additional Information:

Resizing Performance Manager Windows


Resizing Performance Manager Windows

If you would like to work in a maximized Performance Manager window, the Employee List can be closed, moved, or resized to accommodate it. Or, you may just want to configure the list to suit your needs.

If you reorganize the windows during the current session, when you close Performance Manager and reopen it, the windows will retain the formatting. You can, however, easily return the windows to their default locations.

Instructions:

1. 	To close the Employee List, click [image] in its upper-right corner.

2. 	Reopen the list by selecting the Window menu and clicking Employee List (or pressing [image] + [image] ).

3. 	To resize the list, point to an edge or corner of its window until the pointer changes to a double arrow, then click and drag to make it smaller or larger.

4. 	To move the list, click and hold on its title bar and drag it to wherever you want it.

5. 	To return the windows to their default locations, select the Window menu and click Reset Window Positions.


Employee List

You can navigate and view the Employee List in a number of ways, including expanding and collapsing the list, finding specific employees, sorting the items in each Log folder by type or date, and filtering the contents of the list to show only items that fall within a specific date range.

The Employee List displays only those employees who are assigned to or shared with you. The exception is if your ID has permission to see all employees.

Each employee icon on the list contains two folders: a Log folder and a Goals folder. A [image] next to a folder indicates that it has items within it. A [image] indicates that it is expanded to show all its contents.

The buttons at the top of the list can also be used to navigate the list or to reorganize how it is displayed.

Additional Information:

Finding Employees

Expanding/Collapsing the List

Sorting Log Items

Deleting Items

Setting Date Range

Viewing Log Items


Finding Employees

If you have a large number of employee icons in your list, there is an easy way to find a specific employee.

Instructions:

1. 	Click [image] at the top of the list to open the Find Employee dialog box.

2. 	Enter as many letters of the employee's name as necessary (last name, first name, middle initial) for the closest name to be highlighted in the Employee List.

3. 	As soon as the employee name is highlighted, click OK to close the dialog box.

NOTE: Alternately, if you are already within the expanded Employee List, you can right-click any employee icon. The Find Employee option will be on the menu that pops up.


Expanding/Collapsing the List

Each employee icon in the Employee List can be expanded to display its Log and Goals folders. Each of these folders can be expanded to display any items you have entered (for more information, see Entering Log Events and Setting Goals).

You may choose to expand an individual employee icon, then collapse it when you are finished. Or you may decide to expand the entire list and leave it that way, using the Find Employee feature to highlight an individual employee icon when needed.

NOTE: Some functions (such as setting a date range for the list) may take longer when the Employee List is fully expanded. Therefore, in some cases, you may be warned to collapse the list before continuing.

Additional Information:

Expanding/Collapsing List Items

Expanding/Collapsing Entire Employee List


Expanding/Collapsing List Items

Instructions:

1. 	Find the employee icon you want to expand.

2. 	Click [image] beside the icon (or double-click the icon) to display its Log and Goals folders.

3. 	Click [image] beside the Log or Goals folder (or double-click the folder) to display its contents. If you have not yet entered any items, the folder will not open.

4. 	Click [image] beside any expanded folder (or double-click the folder) to collapse it.

5. 	To open an item, double-click it (or select it and click [image]).

6. 	To collapse the entire employee record, click [image] beside the employee icon (or double-click the icon).


Expanding/Collapsing Entire Employee List

Instructions:

1. 	Click [image] at the top of the list to expand the list.

2. 	You can also select the Setup menu and click Employee List Options to open its dialog box and select whether to collapse or expand the list.

3. 	The list expands to display all the available items for each employee.

4. 	To collapse the list, click [image].


Sorting Log Items

By default, the Log folder displays the Log events and performance reviews in date order, with the most recent first. Once you have a number of events and reviews, you may want to view the Log with performance reviews and Log events separated into two groups.

Instructions:

1. 	Move your pointer to [image] at the top of the List and hold briefly. A ToolTip tells you the manner in which the items will be sorted.

2. 	If items are already sorted in one group, the ToolTip will be List Log Events & Review Separately. Click [image] to separate the Log items.

3. 	If items are sorted separately, the ToolTip will be List Log Events & Reviews In One Group. Click [image] to group the Log items.

NOTE: You can also select the Setup menu and click Employee List Options to open its dialog box. Select the type of sort you want and click OK.


Deleting Items

If you wish to permanently delete an event, performance review, or goal from an employee's record, you may do so from the Employee List.

NOTE: When you delete a job description item from the Employee List, it will be removed from the list and its path will be removed from the employee database. However, the Descriptions Now database will be unaffected.

Instructions:

1. 	Click [image] beside the employee icon containing the event or goal you wish to delete. The icon expands.

2. 	Click [image] beside Log (to delete an event, review, or job description), or click [image] beside Goals (to delete a goal).

3. 	The folder expands.

4. 	Select the item you wish to delete and click [image] or press [image].

5. 	When warned about the permanency of the deletion, click OK if you are sure you still want to delete the item. If you are not sure, click No.


Setting Date Range

Sometimes it may be desirable to only display items on the list for a specific time period (such as the last year), or, while you are working on a review, only display list items that fall within the dates of the employee's review period. This will only hide items; it will not remove them from the database.

When a date range has been set, that information will appear at the top of the list.

NOTE: When you set a date range, it is only for that session. When you close Performance Manager, the date range is not saved, and all items will be displayed in the list when you reopen Performance Manager.

Instructions:

1. 	Click [image] at the top of the Employee List to open the Employee List Date Range dialog box (or select the Setup menu and click Employee List Options to open its dialog box and select the date range filter).

2. 	In the From field, enter the first cutoff date.

3. 	If you want all items for this date and the items following this date to display, do not enter a second date.

4. 	If you want a specific range of items to display, enter the second cutoff date in the To field.

5. 	Click OK. The items within the specified date range are no longer displayed.

6. 	To display all items, repeat the process, but this time remove any contents from both date fields.


Viewing Log Items

While entering events or goals for an employee, you may wish to take a look at an employee's previous performance reviews for comparison, or at another employee's review for an example. When you do so, the review opens as read-only. Though you cannot edit the open review, you can copy text from it and paste it into an event or goal.

If you are a user of Descriptions Now and have entered the job description filename in the Employee Information dialog box, an employee's job description will also be available in the Employee List (for more information, see Entering Employee Information). You can view a job description as read-only and copy from it as you would from a performance review.

NOTE: To view performance reviews and job descriptions not created in Performance Now or Descriptions Now, create a Log event and attach the document(s) to the event.

Instructions:

1. 	Click [image] beside the employee icon containing the review or job description you wish to view. The icon expands.

2. 	Click [image] beside the Log folder to display the review, job description, and event items.

3. 	Double-click a review or job description to open it (or select it and click [image]). Use the scrollbars to view all the text.

4. 	To copy text, highlight it and click [image] (or press [image] + [image]).

5. 	If it is not already open, open the event or goal into which you wish to paste the copied text.

6. 	Click the area where you want to paste it and click [image] (or press [image] + [image]). The text can then be edited, if necessary.

7. 	To close the review or job description, click its [image] button.


Log Events

A well-written review includes specific examples of events concerning, and actions taken by, the employee during the entire review period.

In Performance Manager, you can enter notes about the employee's performance at any time. Some examples of common Log events are:

•	Incidents demonstrating the employee's day-to-day level of performance.

•	Special assignments or actions that are unusual.

•	Complaints and praise from others.

•	Exceptional abilities or deficiencies.

•	Training/development courses or staff/organization changes that might affect performance.

•	Attendance and production statistics.

•	Confidential notes to help you complete the performance review.

Additional Information:

Entering Log Events

Attaching Documents


Entering Log Events

Not only can you enter the date and a detailed description of each event, but also, to reinforce the importance of giving immediate feedback, notes regarding any discussion you held with the employee related to the event.

NOTE: When each Log event is created, the system date and User ID of the event creator are added to the database. Also maintained are the system date and the User ID of the most recent change (if any) to that Log event. If needed, these event-record details can be printed in an Employee Event report .

Instructions:

1.	Click the correct employee name in the Employee List.

2.	Click [image] to open the Create New Item dialog box.

3.	Click New Log Event to open an untitled event dialog box. An Untitled event is entered in the employee's Log folder in the Employee List at this time.

4.	Enter the title of the event, enter a competency or topic-related category if you wish, and the event's date (or click [image] to open a calendar from which to choose a date).

5.	Enter a detailed description of the event.

6.	If the event was discussed with the employee, enter a discussion date and a description of the discussion.

7.	Edit text as necessary. If you right-click text, a menu with editing options will pop up. You can also spell check it, use the Thesaurus, and use the Language Checker to check for possibly inappropriate language.

8.	Click Save.


Attaching Documents

Performance Manager gives you the option of attaching documents from other software applications to a Log event. You may wish to attach documents that corroborate or further explain the event, such as spreadsheets or reports created by the employee. You can also use this feature to link previous performance reviews and job descriptions that were created in programs other than Performance Now or Descriptions Now to a Log event.

When you attach a document, its name appears in the attachments list along with the icon for the application that will be used to open it. To view it, just double-click the icon and the document opens in its originating program. It will then be fully editable according to that program's options (do not make and save any changes unless you wish to permanently change the original document).

Instructions:

1.	In an open event, click the Attachments tab.

2.	Click Add to open the Add Attachment dialog box.

3.	Enter a title for the attachment.

4.	Enter the path for the attachment. If you're not sure, click [image] to open the Attach File dialog box. Locate the file, and click OK.

5.	Click OK to add the attachment. When you've closed and reopened this employee's Log folder, an asterisk appears beside the event to show that it has an attachment.

6.	To view an attachment, open the Log event, click the Attachments tab, and double-click the attachment you wish to view (or select it and click Open). It opens in its originating program.

7.	Close the document according to the options in its program.


Goals in Performance Manager

Good performance management involves clarifying the performance expectations at the start of and throughout the review period. Performance Manager helps you do this by allowing you to enter goals for employees. These goals are usually agreed upon during meetings with individual employees.

Additional Information:

Setting Goals

Replicating Goals


Setting Goals

You can set goals for an employee at any time in either Performance Manager or Performance Appraiser. These can be reviewed with the employee during the review period. Later, while doing the performance review in Performance Appraiser, you can evaluate the employee's performance on the goals if the review form has a Current Goals section (for more information, see Rating Current Goals).

When you start a new review, any unrated goals with due dates that fall within the review period will appear in Performance Appraiser as Current Goals. All other unrated goals, or goals with due dates beyond the review period, will appear as Future Goals.

Instructions:

1. 	Select the employee name in the Employee List for whom you wish to set a goal.

2. 	Click [image] to open the Create New Item dialog box.

3. 	Click New Goal.

4. 	In the Add Goal dialog box, enter the Goal Title (up to 30 characters), such as Decrease Reject Rate.

5. 	Enter the Due Date of the goal, and click OK to open the goal's dialog box. Goals without due dates are always considered future goals for reviews.

6. 	Enter a Category, if you wish, to indicate how the goal relates to organizational goals, such as Commitment to Excellence or Profitability.

7. 	If the form assigned to the employee has goal weighting, you can assign a Weight by entering one or clicking the up and down arrows (for more information, see Adjusting Current Goal Weights).

8. 	Enter a Goal Description of what should result from acceptable performance of this goal (such as Decrease reject rate for second quarter).

9. 	Enter the Goal Measurement, which is a standard for evaluating the employee's success in reaching the goal (such as Decrease reject rate by 5% by June 30).

10. 	Once you have entered the goal text, it can be edited. If you right-click text, a menu with editing options will pop up. You can also spell check the text, use the Thesaurus, and use the Language Checker to check for possibly inappropriate language.

11. 	Click Save.


Replicating Goals

To save time, you can replicate the goal information of one goal to create a new goal for the same employee or another employee.

If there needs to be a difference in the content of the newly created goal, you can edit it after replicating it.

Instructions:

1. 	Double-click the employee's icon, then double-click the Goals folder.

2. 	Double-click the goal you wish to replicate.

3. 	Click Replicate to open the Replicate Goal dialog box.

4. 	To copy the goal to a different employee, click the Employee Name/ID selection arrow and select the correct employee.

5. 	If you wish, enter a new Goal Title and a new Due Date.

6. 	Click OK, make any necessary changes, and click Save. If you do not make any changes in the replicated goal, click Close and click Yes when you're asked if you wish to save.


Coaching Ideas in Performance Manager

Performance Manager gives you access to an extensive library of coaching ideas that can help you support the employee in achieving improved performance. The coaching ideas in Performance Manager are arranged by competency and, within each competency, by factor.

Within a given factor, you can see several coaching ideas under When Improvement is Needed to help an employee who needs to improve in that particular facet of performance. You can also see several coaching ideas under When This is a Strength to help develop an employee who is already performing well in that area.

NOTE: Coaching ideas can be copied and pasted into a Log event or any other document.

Instructions:

1.	Click [image] (or select the Tools menu and click Coaching Ideas), to open its dialog box.

2.	Click [image] beside the competency that seems appropriate for the event.

3.	Click [image] beside the appropriate factor.

4.	Click [image] beside either the When This is a Strength or the When Improvement is Needed folder.

5.	Click the idea(s) you want to copy. To deselect an idea, click it again.

6.	Click Copy idea(s) to the Clipboard, then click Close.

7.	Click the place in the appropriate document where you want to paste the idea, and click [image] (or press [image] + [image]).

8.	Make any necessary changes.


Transferring Employees

In a multi-user installation, a change in management or company organization may require that a different manager have access to an employee's performance data. In such cases, using Performance Manager, a user or the system administrator can transfer an employee from one manager to another within the same network. Simultaneous multiple employee transfers can also be done.

By default, all existing employee goals, all Performance Manager Log events, and all existing performance reviews will be included in the transfer. You do, however, have the option of excluding those items.

WARNING! Be careful about excluding any of the above items from your transfer. Excluded items will be permanently deleted from Performance Now.

Instructions:

1.	Close any open windows.

2.	In Performance Manager, select the Employee menu and click Transfer Employees to open its dialog box.

3.	Select the employee(s) you wish to transfer.

4.	Remove the "Xs" from the checkboxes for the information you do not wish to include. Remember that, if you do not include an option, it will be permanently deleted when the transfer is made.

5.	Click the selection arrows under New assignment to choose to whom the employee(s) should be assigned, and choose another person (if you wish) who will share the employee information.

6.	If necessary, click Transfer Selected Employees to a Different Database to locate and select the correct database.

7.	Click OK to make the transfer.


Updating Information for Multiple Employees

There may be times when you wish to make changes in the employee database that will affect all, or a certain number of, employees. For instance, if a standard job title changes, a division moves to a new location, a department name is changed, or a new manager is assigned, you will need to change this employee information. If many employees are affected, changing information for individual employees can be very time-consuming, so Performance Manager allows you to make identical changes for multiple employees simultaneously.

As a first step, you need to define Selection rules to be used in a search for the specific employees for whom you wish to make the change. You can then define the Change rule (the database change to be made) and apply it to all or a selected group of the employees who meet the search criteria.

Instructions:

1.	In Performance Manager, select the Employee menu and click Update Multiple Employees to open the Multiple Employee Information Update dialog box.

2.	If you have been assigned the See all employees permission and the permission to make changes to any employee record(s), buttons appear that allow you to add or remove database paths from the Database(s) to be changed list.

3.	If you wish to add a database, click Add Database to List and enter or locate the correct path. To remove a path, select it and click Remove Selected Database.

4.	Use the selection arrows under Define the selection rule(s) to choose the IF criteria for your first rule (by which you will search for appropriate employees). As you do so, the rule appears in the rules list.

5.	Repeat the process to add other rules, until you have defined the search to your satisfaction.

6.	If you change your mind, select a rule and click Remove Selected Rule from List. If you wish, define another rule to replace it.

7.	Use the selection arrow under Define the change rule to choose the Employee Information field you wish to change, then enter what you wish to change it to.

8.	Click OK to generate the search. The List of Employees to Be Updated dialog box opens, with the names of all employees who match the selection rules.

9.	If you agree with the complete contents of the list, click Select All, then click OK to make the change,

or, if you do not agree, hold [image] and highlight only those employees for whom you wish to make the change, then click OK.

10.	If you decide not to make any changes at all, click Cancel.


Performance Appraiser Window

Click the [image] below to see information about Performance Appraiser:


Introducing Performance Appraiser

With Performance Appraiser, you can begin to write performance reviews immediately after you have added employees. You can add new employees in either Performance Manager or Performance Appraiser.

Performance Appraiser is easy to understand and use because it is based on the most commonly accepted concepts and processes for performance management.

Additional Information:

Employee Choices


Employee Choices

When you first open Performance Appraiser, the Employee Choices dialog box appears. This is the hub of the module where you will be able to access all the features that go into producing an effective performance review.

From this dialog box, you can:

 Start a New Review

 Open an Existing Review

 Set Goals

 Enter Employee Information

 Add New Employees

 Access Performance Manager

Instructions:

1. 	If the Employee Choices dialog box is not open, click [image].

2. 	If you have not yet added any employees, click Add New Employee and do so.

3. 	Select the employee for whom you wish to perform a task.

4. 	Click the appropriate button for the task you wish to perform.


Writing a Review

The seven predesigned review forms supplied by Performance Appraiser are divided into the following sections:

•	Review Information

•	Competencies

•	Current Goals*

•	Future Goals*

•	Development Plans

•	Summary

•	Signatures and Comments

*(On Managerial, Sales, Team, and Technical/Professional review forms only)

Performance Appraiser helps you complete each of these sections. As soon as you select an employee to review and indicate the dates for the review period you are evaluating, Performance Appraiser creates the review automatically in the background and displays the Review Sections dialog box.

Instructions:

1. 	If the Employee Choices dialog box is not open, click [image].

2. 	In the Employee Choices dialog box, select the employee for whom you wish to start a review. If you have not yet added any employees, click Add New Employee.

3. 	Click Start New Review to open its dialog box.

4. 	If necessary, enter the Review Period Start Date and the Review Period End Date.

5. 	Click OK.

6. 	The Review Sections dialog box and the review form assigned to the employee open.

NOTE: You cannot change which form is assigned to an employee once you have started a review. To use a different form, close the review without saving it and go to the Employee Information dialog box, where you can assign a new form.

Additional Information:

Review Information Section

Competencies Section

Goals Sections

Development Plans Section

Summary Section

Signatures/Comments Sections

Copying Text into Reviews

Formatting Reviews


Review Information Section

The first tab in the Review Sections dialog box is entitled Review Info and shows most of the employee information already entered in the database when the employee was added in Performance Appraiser or Performance Manager.

NOTE: The information with bold headings will be printed in the Review Heading area containing employee data at the top of the review form.

When you change or add information in this tab, the changes will be saved only with the current review; changing data in this tab does not automatically update the Employee Information database. However, you will be given the opportunity, when saving or closing the review, to also save the changes to the database.

Instructions:

1. 	In the Review Sections dialog box, click the Review Info tab.

2. 	Make sure you fill in the fields designated by bold lettering.

3. 	Enter or edit any of the information you wish.

4. 	If the review period dates are incorrect, click Change Review Period to open its dialog box. Make your changes and click OK.

5. 	When finished, click Copy Changes to Form. The information is entered on the review form that appears behind the Review Sections dialog box.

6. 	Click [image] to save your work.


Competencies Section

The Performance Competencies section is intended to give an evaluation of the employee's performance in specific competencies applicable to the type of position. Each performance competency consists of four to six factors that contribute to performance within that competency. You can rate all the factors, or select just those that are appropriate for the employee's position.

On the predesigned forms supplied by Performance Appraiser, you rate the factors on a five-level scale from low to high.

To view the Default Rating Levels, click here

As you rate the factors, Performance Appraiser generates text describing performance at that rating level. This text appears in the Supporting Text area, where you can review it and reselect ratings until you produce the best description of the employee's performance.

Only the Managerial, Sales, and Team predesigned forms offer the ability to weight competencies. In the other predesigned forms, all competencies have equal value. If you are using a custom form created in Form Designer that includes weighting, see Adjusting Competency Weights.

Instructions:

1.	In the Review Sections dialog box, click the Competencies tab, where all the competencies assigned to this particular review form are listed.

2.	Select a competency and click Rate to open the Competency Rating dialog box, which lists all the factors within the selected competency.

3.	Select a rating for a factor by clicking at the appropriate rating number in the factor's rating bar (or by clicking and dragging across the bar to the desired rating).

4.	If a factor is not applicable, or if you wish to unrate an already rated factor, click to the far left under N/A .

5.	Study the text that displays in the Supporting Text and Rating for this competency areas. Select different ratings until the supporting text is closest to describing the employee's performance, then click Copy to Form.

6.	In some circumstances, warning messages will appear to reinforce the need for additional action, such as further supporting documentation.

7.	The system-generated supporting text and the rating description are added to the review form.

8.	Click Next and repeat the process until all competencies have been rated.

9.	To check the review, click it to bring it to the front.

10.	To view the Review Sections dialog box again, click it, or click [image].

Additional Information:

Adding Coaching Ideas

Rerating Competencies

Deleting Rated Competencies

Adjusting Competency Weights


Adding Coaching Ideas

While rating competencies, you also have the option of adding coaching ideas to better describe your expectations and help the employee improve or strengthen performance.

If you access coaching ideas while rating a factor, the Coaching Ideas dialog box will open to the coaching ideas related to that factor. If a factor is not selected, the Coaching Ideas dialog box will open to the list of factors within that competency.

Instructions:

1. 	While rating a factor in a competency, click Coaching Ideas to open its dialog box. It automatically opens to either improvement or strengthening ideas according to the rating you selected.

2. 	Select the idea(s) you wish to use. To select more than one, just click it. To deselect an idea, click it again.

3. 	Click Copy Ideas to the Review Form. The copied idea(s) will be placed in the Development Plans section.

4. 	Click Close when finished.


Rerating Competencies

If you have already copied a rated competency to the review form, then change your mind about how you rated it, you can easily change the rating.

Instructions:

1.	In the Review Sections dialog box, click the Competencies tab.

2.	Select the competency you wish to change and click Rate to open the Competency Rating dialog box.

3.	Select a different rating for each factor you wish to change.

4.	Select N/A if you wish to unrate a rated factor.

5.	Click Copy to Form.

6.	When you are asked if you wish to append or replace the text on the review form, click Replace.

7.	Click Close.

WARNING: Clicking Replace will overwrite any editing you did for that competency. If you want to retain your editing and put it into the new text, click Append to place the new text as a second paragraph. Then on the review itself, you can edit the new text and delete the original paragraph.


Deleting Rated Competencies

You may decide that you don't want a competency to appear on the review form after you have already rated and copied it to the form. You can easily remove a rated competency.

NOTE: If you also placed coaching ideas under the competency you are removing, they will not be removed. If you want to remove them as well, edit them on the review form.

Instructions:

1.	In the Review Sections dialog box, click the Competencies tab.

2.	Select the competency you wish to delete and click Rate to open the Competency Rating dialog box.

3.	Select N/A for all the factors.

4.	Click Copy to Form.

5.	When you are asked if you wish to remove the competency from the review form, click Yes.

6.	Click Close.


Adjusting Competency Weights

Weighting allows you to vary the relative importance of a competency compared to other competencies. It affects the calculation of the average rating for the Performance Competencies section and the overall rating for the Summary section.

NOTE: Several predesigned forms include competency weights that you can adjust. When a custom form is created in Form Designer with weighting, it may or may not allow the reviewer to adjust the weights.

For each competency, you enter a whole-number percentage that indicates the competency's relative importance (such as 15%). The total percentage weights of all competencies must equal 100%.

Instructions:

1. 	In the Review Sections dialog box, click the Competencies tab.

2. 	Click Adjust Weighting to open the Adjust Competency Weighting dialog box.

3. 	Highlight the weights for competencies you wish to adjust and enter new numbers.

4. 	If the weights are percentages, click Recalculate Weighting Total to make sure the total is 100%. If it does not total 100%, continue to adjust until it does.

5. 	When you are finished, click Save.

6. 	When you are told adjusted weights will be copied to the form for competencies that have been rated, click OK.


Goals Sections

While you can initially set goals in either Performance Manager or Performance Appraiser, you will rate goals and copy them to the review form while writing a performance review.

The Review Period Start Date, the Review Period End Date, and the Due Date you entered in Performance Appraiser when you set a goal, determine if the goal will appear in the Current Goals section of the review (within the review period) or in the Future Goals section (later than the review period end date).

The Current and Future Goals sections are included on the Managerial, Sales, Team, and Technical/Professional predesigned review forms. To add goals sections to other forms, create a customized form in Form Designer.

However, you can copy current goals to any form, even if there is not a Current Goals section on the form. They will be placed at the bottom of the form but not included in the overall Summary calculation.

Additional Information:

Setting Goals in Performance Appraiser

Replicating Goals in Performance Appraiser

Rating Current Goals

Editing Goals

Rerating or Deleting Current Goals

Adjusting Current Goal Weights

Future Goals

Deleting or Moving Future Goals


Setting Goals in Performance Appraiser

You can set goals for an employee at any time in either Performance Manager or Performance Appraiser. These can be reviewed with the employee during the review period. Later, while doing the performance review in Performance Appraiser, you can evaluate the employee's performance on the goals if the review form has a Current Goals section (for more information, see Rating Current Goals).

When you start a new review, any unrated goals with due dates that fall within the review period will appear in Performance Appraiser as Current Goals. All other unrated goals, or goals with due dates beyond the review period, will appear as Future Goals.

Instructions:

1. 	Click [image] to open the Employee Choices dialog box.

2. 	Select an employee and click Set goals to open the Employee Goals dialog box.

3. 	Click Add New to open the Add New Goal dialog box.

4. 	Enter the Goal Title (up to 30 characters), such as Decrease Reject Rate.

5. 	Enter the Due Date of the goal (goals without due dates are always considered future goals for reviews).

6. 	Click OK to open the Employee Goal Information dialog box.

7. 	Enter a Category if you wish, to indicate how the goal relates to organizational goals, such as Commitment to Excellence or Profitability.

8. 	If the form assigned to the employee has goal weighting, you can assign a Weight by entering one or clicking the up and down arrows (for more information, see Adjusting Current Goal Weights).

9. 	Enter a Goal Description of what should result from acceptable performance of this goal (such as Decrease reject rate for second quarter).

10. 	Enter the Goal Measurement, which is a standard for evaluating the employee's success in reaching the goal (such as Decrease reject rate by 5% by June 30).

11. 	Once you have entered the goal text, it can be edited. If you right-click text, a menu with editing options will pop up.

12. 	Click Save.


Replicating Goals in Performance Appraiser

To save time, you can replicate the goal information of one goal to create a new goal for the same employee or another employee.

If there needs to be a difference in the content of the newly created goal, you can edit it after replicating it.

Instructions:

1. 	Click [image] to open the Employee Choices dialog box.

2. 	Select an employee and click Set goals to open the Employee Goals dialog box.

3. 	Select the goal you wish to replicate, and click Edit to open the Employee Goal Information dialog box.

4. 	Click Replicate to open the Replicate Goal dialog box.

5. 	To copy the goal to a different employee, click the Employee Name/ID selection arrow and select the correct employee.

6. 	If you wish, enter a new Goal Title and a new Due Date.

7. 	Click OK to return to the original goal and click Close.

8. 	To edit the replicated goal, select it in the list and click Edit.


Rating Current Goals

The Current Goals section is intended to give an evaluation of the employee's success in accomplishing set goals during the review period. Depending on the design of the form, goal ratings may be calculated and included on the review and combined with the performance competencies ratings for an overall rating in the Summary section.

You can also replicate a goal while rating it. This is a good way to transfer information from a current goal to create a similar future goal for the next review period.

You evaluate and write the Current Goals section by accessing the Current Goals tab. If you have not yet added current goals, you can do so using this section tab.

NOTE: After a goal has been rated and copied to the review, it no longer appears in the Goals lists in Performance Appraiser or in the Goals folder in Performance Manager.

Instructions:

1. 	In the Review Sections dialog box, click the Current Goals tab.

2. 	If you have not yet set up any current goals, click Add, enter the Goal Title and Due Date, click OK, then enter the appropriate information.

3. 	Select the goal you wish to rate.

4. 	Click Rate/Edit to open the Goal Rating dialog box.

5. 	To rate the goal, enter text in the Goal Results area that evaluates the employee's success

6. 	In the Rating area, click the rating for the employee's performance on the scale of low to high.

7. 	If you do not want to rate the goal, but still want it to appear on the review, click Copy to Form without rating it. It will be added to the review without a rating.

8. 	Click Copy to Form. The completed Current Goal is added to the review form. .


Editing Goals

Priorities and conditions can shift frequently in business, thereby impacting goals which may have been set. For these reasons, goal setting can be successful only if the goals are closely monitored and adjusted during the review period. On an ongoing basis, managers can double-check goal status and determine whether a goal needs to be modified.

One way to help you monitor goals regularly is to create Log events recording your meetings with the employee about the status of outstanding goals. Use the Performance Reminders function to ensure you enter Log events frequently.

Instructions:

1. 	Expand the employee's icon, then expand the Goals folder.

2. 	Double-click the goal you wish to edit.

3. 	Make any changes you wish, including the title, category, due date, weight (if available), or goal text.

4. 	When you are finished editing, click Save, then Close.


Rerating or Deleting Current Goals

If you have already copied a rated goal to the review form, then change your mind about how you rated it, you can change the rating.

If you decide that you don't want a goal to appear on the review form after all, you can easily remove a rated goal. The goal will remain in the Current Goals list and can be copied to the form at a later date, or you can delete it after you unrate it.

To keep the goal on the review form but not have any rating appear, replace the rated goal with the unrated goal. Because it is unrated, it will remain as an outstanding goal until it is deleted.

Instructions:

1. 	In the Review Sections dialog box, click the Current Goals tab.

2. 	Select the goal you wish to change and click Rate/Edit to open the Goal Rating dialog box.

3. 	Select a different rating to rerate the goal, or click N/A to unrate the goal.

4. 	Click Copy to Form.

5. 	If you selected a different rating, the goal replaces the original rated goal on the review form.

6. 	If you unrated the goal, you are asked if you wish to remove the existing goal, or replace it with the unrated one. Make your selection and click OK.

7. 	Click Close.


Adjusting Current Goal Weights

Weighting current goals allows you to vary the relative importance of one goal compared to the others. It affects the calculation of the average rating for the Current Goals section and the overall rating for the Summary section. Weighting is affected by choices made in Form Designer for the review form you are using.

For each weight, you enter a whole-number percentage that indicates the goal's relative importance (such as 35%). The total percentage weights of all goals must equal 100%.

Instructions:

1. 	In the Review Sections dialog box, click the Current Goals tab.

2. 	Click Adjust Weighting to open the Adjust Goal Weighting dialog box.

3. 	Select the weights for goals you wish to adjust and enter new numbers.

4. 	Click Recalculate Weighting Total to make sure the total is 100%. If it does not total 100%, continue to adjust until it is. When finished, click Save.

5. 	When told the adjusted weights will be copied to the form for any current goals that have been rated, click OK.


Future Goals

A future goal is any goal which has a Due Date beyond the review period end date, or has no Due Date assigned. Many future goals become the goals that will be evaluated in the Current Goals section of the next review.

You write the Future Goals section by accessing the Future Goals tab. If you do not yet have any future goals, you can add them here.

Instructions:

1.	In the Review Sections dialog box, click the Future Goals tab.

2.	If you have not yet set future goals, click Add, enter the Goal Title and Due Date, and click OK, then enter the appropriate information.

3. 	Select the goal you wish to add to the review form.

4. 	Click Copy to Form.

5. 	If you are warned that there is no Future Goals section on this form, click OK to have the goal placed at the bottom of the review.

6. 	Repeat the process until you have copied all the goals you wish to the review form.


Deleting or Moving Future Goals

If you have already copied a future goal to the review, then change your mind, you can delete it by editing it directly on the review form itself. The goal will remain in the Future Goals list and can be copied to the form at a later date.

You can also delete a future goal from the list, or change it into a current goal by changing its Due Date.

Instructions:

1. 	Click the review form to bring it to the front.

2. 	Select the text of the future goal you wish to remove. If you do not want any Future Goals to appear on this form at all, select the heading text as well.

3. 	Press [image].

4. 	Click [image] (or click the Review Sections window) to bring the Review Sections window to the front.

5. 	Select a goal and click Edit.

6. 	To delete the goal from the Future Goals list, click Delete and click Yes.

7. 	To change the goal to a current goal, click Change Title/Due Date, then change the Due Date to one within the review period, and click OK.

8. 	Click Close.


Development Plans Section

A good performance review should do more than describe the strengths and weaknesses of the employee's past performance. It should also look forward and include action steps to improve performance or to develop the employee for increased responsibilities. The Development Plans section provides a place to enter these proposed actions.

To view what Development Plans might include, click here

As a starting point, Performance Appraiser includes many coaching ideas to help managers in the coaching process. For each factor within a competency, there are several ideas to help those employees who need improvement in that area. There are also several coaching ideas to help further develop those employees who are fully performing in the factor. These coaching ideas can be accessed and copied to the review form either while rating a competency or when creating the Development Plans section.

For the predesigned forms, all coaching ideas are automatically placed in the Development Plans section of the review form in the order they are copied to the form. To customize the Development Plans subheadings and their location, use Form Designer.

Instructions:

1.	In the Review Sections dialog box, click the Development Plans tab.

2.	Select the Competency that needs improvement or strengthening and click Coaching Ideas to open its window. The selected competency's folder is expanded to reveal the factors within the competency.

3.	Click [image] beside a factor to reveal the When This is a Strength and When Improvement is Needed folders.

4.	Click [image] beside the appropriate folder to expand it.

5.	Click each idea you want to copy. You may select multiple ideas, even in different folders. If you wish to deselect an idea, just click it again.

6.	Click Copy Ideas to the Review Form.

7.	Click Close. You can now edit the Development Plans section to personalize it and make it specific to the employee.


Summary Section

The Summary section is intended to give a complete perspective on performance. It can contain the overall rating for the review and a short paragraph summarizing the employee's performance. This is an area where you can add special circumstances or situations that occurred during the review period.

If you also include a Development Plans section, you may want to keep your Summary section brief, including only the overall rating and one or two summarizing sentences. You can either write your own Summary section text or start with an example provided by Performance Appraiser.

Instructions:

1. 	In the Review Sections dialog box, click the Summary tab.

2. 	If the form includes both a Performance Competencies section and a Current Goals section, each section will have a weight to indicate its relative importance. If the form allows you to adjust section weights, and you wish to do so, click Adjust Weighting.

3. 	Click the up or down arrows to change the Current Goals section weight (the Performance Competencies section weight adjusts accordingly), then click OK.

4. 	If you wish, click Summary Examples to open its dialog box, which will open to examples that might be appropriate for the summary rating calculated for the review.

5. 	Click the example you want to copy and click Copy Text to Form.

6. 	If you wish to edit the example, select it and click Edit Text Before Copying. Edit the text, then click Copy Edited Text to Form.

7. 	Click Close.


Signatures/Comments Sections

These sections of the predesigned forms are intended to be edited directly on the review form or be written by hand (such as signatures) after the review is printed. You can choose to omit these sections, rename them, or add others using Form Designer.

Additional Information:

Employee Comments

Employee Acknowledgment

Reviewer Comments

Reviewer Signature


Employee Comments

After the review form and discussion have been completed, you can give the employee the opportunity to add comments to the form. The employee may write directly on the printed form or on a separate piece of paper.

The employee can also enter comments into a Windows word-processing program, then save the document in Rich Text Format (RTF). You can then open the review, open the document the employee created, then copy and paste text from that file into the review (for more information, see Copying from Other Files).


Employee Acknowledgment

It is considered good business practice to have the employee sign the review to acknowledge that he or she has read it, though not necessarily agreed with it. In the event of a legal challenge, the fact that the employee saw the review could be an important factor.

If you wish, the default text of the Employee Acknowledgment section can be edited on the review form to meet your organization's requirements. You can create your own customized text in this section using the explanatory text function in Form Designer.


Reviewer Comments

Complete the Reviewer Comments section after the review discussion has taken place and before printing the document. The comments can be in response to the employee's comments, a description of the discussion, or any note suitable for the permanent record.


Reviewer Signature

Sign the appropriate area in the Reviewer Signature section before copying and filing the form. Most legal experts also recommend giving a copy to the employee.


Copying Text into Reviews

Although Performance Appraiser helps write an effective performance review, it is critical that any review be supported by employee-specific details and examples of performance. You can do this by editing the review in two ways: 1) editing the text in the review itself and 2) copying text into the review from the following sources:

Additional Information:

Copying from Performance Manager

Copying from Existing Performance Review

Copying from Other Files

Copying from Job Description


Copying from Performance Manager

To save time and create a more effective performance review, you can copy pertinent Performance Manager information and paste the information directly into the review. This also provides specific documentation to support your evaluation.

Instructions:

1. 	In an open review in Performance Appraiser, click [image] to open Performance Manager. The current employee's name is highlighted in the Employee List.

2. 	Locate and open the Log or Goals item from which you wish to copy.

3. 	Highlight the text you want to copy, then click [image] (or press [image] + [image] ). You can also copy an entire event or goal by clicking [image].

4. 	Click [image] to return to Appraiser.

5. 	Click in the review where you want to paste the text, and click [image] (or press [image] + [image] ). The text appears in the review.

6. 	Since some of the copied text may be too cryptic or informal, you can revise it on the review form.


Copying from Existing Performance Review

You can copy text from earlier performance reviews for the same employee or from reviews of other employees. For instance, you may wish to copy a portion of the Development Plans section from the employee's last review into the same section of the current review.

NOTE: When you open another review, it opens as read only. You can view this review and copy from it, but you cannot change it in any way.

Instructions:

1. 	While writing a review in Performance Appraiser - click [image] to open the Open Review - Read Only dialog box.

2. 	If you wish, click the Employee Name/ID selection arrow to select the name of a different employee.

3. 	Select the correct Review Period date, then click Open Review - Read Only.

4. 	Highlight the text you want to copy, and click [image] (or press [image] + [image] ).

5. 	Click the current review to bring it to the front, or select its name from the Window menu.

6. 	Click where you want to insert the text and click [image] (or press [image] + [image] ). The text appears in the current review.

7. 	When finished, click the Read Only review form, and click its [image] button (or select the File menu and click Close) to close it.

8. 	You can edit the copied text on the review form.


Copying from Other Files

You may open a file in Performance Appraiser that was created in another program. You can then review it or copy text from it into your current review.

To open a file created outside of Performance Now, it must be a Rich Text Format (RTF) or Text (TXT) file. If you saved reviews from an earlier version of Performance Now (REV files), they can also be opened.

NOTE: You can also open a file in its own program, then use the Windows features to toggle between the two files to review or copy text.

Instructions:

1. 	While writing a review - click [image] to open the Open Review - Read Only dialog box.

2. 	Click Open Other File to open the Open dialog box.

3. 	Click the List files of type selection arrow, select TXT, RTF, or REV, then locate the correct file, and click OK to open it.

4. 	Highlight the text you want to copy, and click [image] (or press [image] + [image]).

5. 	Click the current review to bring it to the front.

6. 	Click where you want to paste the text and click [image] (or press [image] + [image]). The text appears in the current review.

7. 	When finished, click the other file, then click its [image] button (or select the File menu and click Close).

8. 	You can edit the copied text on the review form.


Copying from Job Description

Since performance expectations should be closely linked to the duties of the employee's position, it is helpful to examine the employee's current job description during the review process.

If you are a user of KnowledgePoint's Descriptions Now program, you can open a window containing the employee's job description and view it as you write the performance review or an employee event.

You can also copy from the job description, such as text from the Essential Duties and Responsibilities section, to the review form's Performance Competencies section.

NOTE: For information on how to copy from job descriptions while in Performance Manager, see Viewing Log Items.

Instructions:

1. 	In an open review in Performance Appraiser, if you have not yet set up the link between Performance Now and Descriptions Now, select the Employee menu and click Employee Information.

2. 	In the Descriptions Now! Path field, enter the path name for the file containing the employee's job description (it has a JBX extension, such as c:\kpoint\desnow\shared\salesmgr.jbx) (or click [image] and search for the path name). Click Save, then click Close.

3. 	Select the Employee menu, and click Job Description. The employee's job description appears in its own window.

4. 	Review it, or highlight the text you want to copy and click [image] (or press [image] + [image]).

5. 	Click the current review to bring it to the front, click where you want to insert the text, and click [image] (or press [image] + [image]).

6. 	When finished, click the job description window (or select its name from the Window menu) to bring it to the front, then click Close.

7. 	Since some of the copied text may need fine-tuning, you can edit it on the review form.


Formatting Reviews

When you complete a review, you may accept the form as it is designed, or you can change some of the formatting to meet your own visual needs. For example, you can apply text attributes, such as bold, or specify margin widths and paragraph alignment.

Additional Information:

Characters

Default Font and Size

Paragraphs

Page Layout


Characters

Character formatting does not affect the document's layout; it only affects the attributes of text. Attributes that can be applied to selected text in a review include bold and italic styles, underlining, and different fonts and sizes.

Instructions:

1. 	Highlight the text you wish to format. You can select a single character, a single word, a paragraph, or the whole document.

2. 	To make it bold, press [image] + [image] (or select the Format menu and click Bold).

3. 	To make it italic, press [image] + [image] (or select the Format menu and click Italic).

4. 	To make it underlined, press [image] + [image] (or select the Format menu and click Underline).

5. 	To undo any of the above formatting, select the text again and repeat the original process.

6. 	To change the font of selected text, press [image] + [image] (or select the Format menu and click Font) to open the Font dialog box.

7. 	Select a Font, a Font style, and a font Size. Then click OK.


Default Font and Size

The default font that is used for all reviews in Performance Now is preset to Times New Roman. However, you can define a different font for all subsequent reviews that you write, no matter which review form you are using.

NOTE: While this will affect both headings and body text, the font style and size of the headings will not be altered. To change the style and font size of headings, do so by selecting them individually.

Instructions:

1. 	Select the Setup menu and click Font Defaults to open the Font dialog box.

2. 	Select a Font, a Font style, and the font Size.

3. 	Click OK. All text in subsequent reviews will appear in the defined font.


Paragraphs

Paragraph formatting affects entire selected paragraphs. A paragraph (or a selected group of paragraphs) can be aligned left, right, or centered.

You can also change the indentation for selected paragraphs without modifying the page setup for the entire document. One of your choices is to apply a hanging indent to a paragraph. This indents the second line and all additional lines of the same paragraph. You can also add a first line indent, where only the first line of each selected paragraph is indented.

If a page breaks awkwardly in the middle of text or leaves a heading at the bottom of a page unconnected to the text that follows, you can add manual page breaks to move text from one page to the next.

Instructions:

1.	In an open review in Performance Appraiser, click anywhere in the paragraph you wish to format, or highlight a group of paragraphs.

 Align the paragraph(s) to the left.

 Align the paragraph(s) to the right.

 Align the paragraph(s) to the center.

 Add a hanging indent (or a first line indent).

 Change the margins for the selected text only.

 To enter a page break.


Page Layout

The default margins in Performance Appraiser are preset at one inch from each edge of the page. Using the Setup menu, you can change the default formatting of the margins in all subsequent reviews. You can also reset the widths of hanging and first line indents.

Instructions:

1. 	Select the Setup menu and click Page Layout.

2. 	Double-click the contents of each of the fields and type the number of inches that you want the document text to be from the edge of the page.

3. 	You can also use the up and down arrows to enter the figures.

4. 	When you are finished, click OK. All subsequent reviews will now be formatted with these margins.

NOTE: Margin formatting will not affect the printing of blank forms.


Maintaining Reviews

Completed and saved performance reviews can be reopened for editing purposes, viewed before opening, or deleted if they are no longer valid.

Additional Information:

Saving Reviews

Closing Reviews

Opening, Deleting, and Viewing Reviews

Warning Messages


Saving Reviews

Performance reviews are saved in a database according to the employee name and ID and the review period end date. This allows you to link more than one review (for different review periods) to an employee. However, you cannot save multiple reviews with the same review period end date.

When you save a review in Performance Appraiser, it will also appear in Performance Manager in the Employee List. You can open it there, copy from it, and print it, but you cannot make any changes.

Instructions:

1. 	In an open review, click [image].

2. 	You can also select the File menu and click Save.

3. 	If you are asked if you wish to update the main Employee Information database, click Yes.


Closing Reviews

Before you can work on another review, you must first close the current review. You may, however, while still working in the current review, open other reviews in read only format. This allows you to review previous work, or copy text you wish to add to the current review.

Instructions:

To close a review:

1.	To close a review, select File from the menu bar and click Close, or click the review's [image] button.

2.	If you are asked if you wish to save changes, click Yes.

To close review and start new one:

1. 	In an open review, click [image] to open the Employee Choices dialog box.

2. 	Select an employee name and click Start New Review.

3. 	When you are asked if you want to close the current review first, click Yes.

4. 	If you are asked if you wish to save changes, click Yes.


Opening, Deleting, and Viewing Reviews

You may use the Open Review dialog box to open an unfinished review and continue working on it or delete it. To make it easier to select a specific review, you can also view a review's contents before opening it.

NOTE: You may also, while working with a review, open a different review or a file from another program, in order to examine it or copy text from it.

Instructions:

1. 	In the Employee Choices dialog box, select an employee's name and click Open Existing Review (or select the File menu and click Open, or click [image] ).

2. 	The Open Review dialog box opens.

3. 	If you wish to select a different employee, click the Employee Name/ID selection arrow and select a name.

4. 	Select the correct Review Period dates.

5. 	To preview the selected review before opening it, click View, browse through it, then click Close.

6. 	To open a selected review, click Open Review.

7. 	To delete a selected review, click Delete. When asked if you're sure, click Yes.


Warning Messages

You should always add supporting details to the text created by Performance Appraiser. It is particularly important in some situations, such as when you evaluate an employee as less than satisfactory.

In such circumstances, Performance Appraiser provides warnings to remind you when supporting documentation is particularly important.

After you have been using Performance Appraiser for awhile, you may be more used to providing support documentation and wish to toggle this feature off.

Instructions:

1.	In Performance Appraiser, select the Setup menu.

2.	If there is a [image] in front of it, click Display Warnings to turn this feature off.


Introducing Performance Reminders

The Performance Reminders feature keeps you apprised of performance reviews which are due, as well as reminds you to regularly create Log events for employees. Performance Reminders consists of two parts - the calendar on the left and the reminder list on the right, both of which use colors to help alert you to overdue tasks. From Performance Reminders, you can also begin a new review or Log event.

The reminder list displays:

 Employees who have a Next Review Date that falls within the reminder period.

 Employees who are overdue for Log events.

 Employees for whom Log events have never been entered.

Excluded from the reminder list are:

•	Employees who have no Next Review Date.

•	Employees who had Log events entered that were dated within the reminder period.

•	Employees for whom you have selected the "Do not display any Log event reminder for this employee" option.

You can also choose not to be reminded at all for any due reviews or Log events. The reminder list is sorted in date order, but you can also sort it by due reviews and Log events.

Additional Information:

General Performance Reminders Options

Opening Performance Reminders Automatically

Sorting Reminder List


General Performance Reminders Options

On the calendar and in the reminder list, overdue and future items are highlighted in dark red and blue. You can change the color of the highlighting and select whether you want reviews, Log events, or both to appear in the reminder list.

Instructions:

1.	Click [image] (or select the Tools menu and click Performance Reminders).

2.	Click [image] (or select the Setup menu and click Reminder Properties) to open the Reminder Properties dialog box.

3.	On the General tab, if you do not want reviews or events to appear in the reminder list, click Reviews or Log Events to deselect it (make sure the "x" disappears).

4.	To select new highlighting colors, click [image] beside the item you want to change.

5.	In the Color dialog box, choose a new color, and click OK.

6.	Click Apply to see how the changes will appear. Change them again, if you like, or click OK to make the changes.


Opening Performance Reminders Automatically

To assist you in keeping your performance entries up to date, you have the option of setting up Performance Reminders to open automatically whenever you:

•	Start Performance Manager.

•	Start Performance Appraiser.

•	Turn on your computer.

NOTE: If you do not choose to open Performance Reminders automatically, it can be opened at any time that you need to see event or performance review status by clicking [image].

Additional Information:

Open Performance Reminders When You Start a Module

Open Performance Reminders When You Start Your Computer


Open Performance Reminders When You Start a Module

When you choose this option, the Performance Reminders window will appear whenever you open the Performance Manager and/or Performance Appraiser modules.

Instructions:

In Performance Manager	In Performance Appraiser
1. Select the Setup menu. 2. Point to Performance Manager Startup. 3. Click Show Reminders.	1. Select the Setup menu. 2. Click Show Reminders on Perf. Appraiser Start.


Open Performance Reminders When You Start Your Computer

When you choose this option, the Performance Reminders window will appear each time you boot up your computer.

Instructions:

1.	Start Performance Manager or Performance Appraiser.

2.	Click [image] (or select the Tools menu and click Reminders) to open the Performance Reminders window.

3.	Select the Performance Reminders Setup menu, point to Windows Startup Group Icon, and click Create Reminders Icon.

4.	The Performance Reminders icon is displayed in the Start Up window.

5.	Click [image] to close the Startup window.


Sorting Reminder List

The default sort for the reminder list is always by date. However, you can also sort alphabetically by Employee Name (and again by date).

NOTE: Whatever you set for the current session, when you close and reopen Performance Reminders, the sort will revert to the date default.

Instructions:

1.	To sort by employee, click Employee Name at the top of the reminder list.

2.	To sort again by date, click When at the top of the list.

3.	You can also click [image] to open the Sort Options tab in the Reminder Properties dialog box, then select how you want the reminder list to be sorted.


Setting Log Event Reminder Period

You can change the default Log event reminder period for all employees to another number of days (such as 7 to be reminded to update the Log weekly). You can also override the default reminder period for one or more individual employees.

Additional Information:

Changing Default Reminder Period

Setting Reminder Period for Individual Employee


Changing Default Reminder Period

The default reminder time period for entering Log events for all employees assigned to you is 30 days. You can change this default to any number of days that is appropriate for your employee performance process.

Instructions:

1.	Click [image] (or select the Setup menu and click Reminder Properties) to open the Reminder Properties dialog box.

2.	Click the Log Event Reminders tab.

3.	Enter the default number of days that may pass before you are reminded to enter new Log events for all employees.

4.	To reset the default, click Reset to Default, select Reset for all employees, and click OK.


Setting Reminder Period for Individual Employee

It is possible to set a different Log event reminder period for one or more employees.

While you have the option of choosing not to be reminded to update the Log for a specific employee, if that employee has a Next Review Date (and you have selected to display reviews), you will still be reminded for a due review.

Instructions:

1.	In the Reminder Properties dialog box, select the employee's name.

2.	Click Set Override Period.

3.	In the Override Reminder Period for [Employee] dialog box, set the reminder period to the number of days that may pass before being reminded to enter Log events for the selected employee (or choose to use the default interval).

4.	If you always want to bypass this employee, choose to not display a Log event reminder.

5.	Click OK.

6.	To reset the default, select the employee's name and click Reset to Default, select Reset for selected employee only, then click OK.


Starting Tasks From Performance Reminders

All employees in the database for whom you've entered a Next Review Date or a Log event appear in the reminders list. The Performance Reminders window will always open with the current date on its calendar. To make it easier to review, due dates are highlighted in specific colors both on the calendar and in the reminders list.

Instructions:

1.	In Performance Manager or Performance Appraiser, click [image] to open the Performance Reminders window.

2.	On the calendar and in the employee list, overdue items are highlighted in dark red, and future items are highlighted in blue, or in the colors you already set.

3.	On the calendar, to move between months, click the scroll bar arrows. To move between years, click the scroll bar itself.

4.	Click a highlighted date to select the corresponding employee name, along with what is due and when.

5.	Double-click the item in the reminders list (or select it and click Begin Selected Task) to open the module where the task is to be completed.


Language Checker

When you have finished writing a review or a Log event, it is a good idea to check it for words and phrases that might be considered discriminatory or overly subjective. The Language Checker helps you audit your review.

For example, the Language Checker searches for text relating to age that may be considered inappropriate. If such words as young, old, senior, mature, or elderly are found, a message will remind you to be careful that you are not implying that the employee's age is somehow a consideration in the review, since references to the employee's age could be construed as discriminatory or preferential.

NOTE: Because these messages are informational only, make a note of any changes that should be made, then change questionable language in the review's text. Even after using this feature, you should still review your text for any subjective, personal, or discriminatory language.

Instructions:

1. 	Click [image] (or select the Tools menu and click Language Check).

2. 	If no questionable language is found, a message tells you the check is complete. Click OK.

3. 	If any questionable language is found, the Language Check dialog box opens with advice on what may be discriminatory and how it can be corrected. Make a note of any changes that should be made.

4. 	Click Continue Checking.

5. 	If no more questionable language is found, a message tells you the check is complete. Click OK.

6. 	When finished checking, make the changes in the text using the editing features, such as Find & Replace.


Editing Text

After creating a review in Performance Appraiser (or an event or goal in Performance Manager), you will want to fine-tune the text. You can modify, copy and paste, and spell check text, as well as access the online Thesaurus. For protection against including language that may appear to be discriminatory or inappropriate, the Language Checker checks for questionable terminology.

In Performance Appraiser, you can also find and replace text and format reviews.

NOTE: While Performance Now provides the most common word processing functions, it does not offer some of the features of a commercial word processing application. If you wish to use more sophisticated editing features, you may copy reviews to your own word processor.

Additional Information:

Keyboard Shortcuts

Changing Text

Finding and Replacing Text

Spell Checking

Using the Thesaurus


Keyboard Shortcuts

Usually, to move around in a document, you use the scroll bars and simply click with the mouse pointer to place the insertion point. However, if you are keyboard-oriented, you can also get around by using the keyboard.

Action:	Keyboard Shortcut:
Move to the top of a document	+
Move to the end of a document	+
Move to the beginning of a line
Move to the end of a line
Select one word to the right	, [image] +
Select one word to the left	, [image] +
Select one paragraph up	, [image] +
Select one paragraph down	, [image] +
Move up one screen at a time
Move down one screen at a time


Changing Text

In both Performance Appraiser and Performance Manager, you can highlight text before you edit it using the mouse or keystrokes. To make text more readable or accurate, you may insert additional words into existing text and also delete, cut, and copy text. You can also undo several of your latest actions.

NOTE: In Performance Manager, you can right-click text in an event or goal window to pop up a list of available formatting commands.

Instructions:

 Highlight (select) text

 Insert text

 Replace text

 Delete text

 Cut text:

 Copy text

 Paste text

 Undo text editing


Finding and Replacing Text

To find text in a review in Performance Appraiser, use the Find feature. To globally change a word or block of words, such as a questionable term discovered by the Language Checker, use the Replace feature.

Additional Information:

Finding Text

Replacing Text


Finding Text

Instructions:

1. 	In an open review in Performance Appraiser, select the Edit menu and click Find to open its dialog box.

2. 	Type the text you wish to find in the Find what field.

3. 	To find only entire words, click Match whole word only.

4. 	To match uppercase and lowercase exactly, click Match case.

5. 	Click OK to begin the search. The found text is highlighted and the dialog box closes. You can now edit the text.

6. 	To repeat the last search, press [image].


Replacing Text

Instructions:

1. 	In an open review in Performance Appraiser, select the Edit menu and click Replace to open its dialog box.

2. 	Enter the text you wish to find in the Find what field, then enter the replacement text in the Replace with field.

3. 	To find only entire words, click Match whole word only, and to match uppercase and lowercase exactly, click Match case.

4. 	Click OK. The found text is highlighted and the Replace & Continue dialog box opens.

5. 	Click Replace to replace the highlighted text and find the next occurrence, or click Replace All to replace all occurrences.

6. 	Click Skip to find the next occurrence without changing the first occurrence.

7. 	The dialog box closes when the search is over, or you can click Cancel at any time to stop the search.


Spell Checking

Performance Appraiser and Performance Manager allow you to check your text against a standard dictionary for spelling errors. If you often use words that are not in the dictionary and that are repeatedly highlighted by the spell checker, you can add them to your custom dictionary. You can also edit the custom dictionary to add or delete words.

Instructions:

1. 	Click [image] (or select the Tools menu and click Spell Check). The Spell Check dialog box opens only if a questionable word is found.

2. 	Click Ignore to leave the word unchanged and continue,

or click Ignore All to leave all of the same words unchanged,

or click Change to replace the word with the suggested word in the Change To field,

or click Change All to replace all of the same words with the suggested word.

3. 	You can also click a word in the Suggestions list and click Change or Change All.

4. 	If there are no suggestions (or all the suggestions are incorrect, and you know how to spell the word), highlight the word in the Change To field, type the correct word, and click Change or Change All.

5. 	Click Add to add the word in the Change To field to your custom dictionary.

6. 	Continue until you are told that the spell check is complete, then click OK (or click Cancel to stop it at any time).

Additional Information:

Editing Custom Dictionary


Editing Custom Dictionary

Instructions:

1. 	In Windows 3.x, go to Program Manager, and double-click the Notepad icon in the Accessories group,

or in Windows 95, click [image], point to Programs, point to Accessories, and click WordPad.

2. 	Select the File menu and click Open.

3. 	Click the Files of type selection arrow and select All Documents.

4. 	Navigate to and open the custom.dct file in the Performance Now (usually the Perfent) directory.

5. 	Select the word(s) you wish to remove and press [image]. Be careful not to delete any of the default words (unless it meets a specific need of your organization).

6. 	To add words, type them in at the end of the list.

7. 	Select the File menu and click Save.

8. 	Select the File menu and click Exit.


Using the Thesaurus

To help you write with more exactness and to use a variety of words, Performance Appraiser and Performance Manager provide an online thesaurus of many words commonly used in business. Just select a word and the thesaurus provides the synonyms for you.

Instructions:

1. 	In an open document, highlight the word you want to look up.

2. 	Click [image] (or select the Tools menu and click Thesaurus).

3. 	Click the synonym in the Suggestions list that you want as a replacement, and click Replace to replace the highlighted word.

4. 	To change the word you are looking up, select the word in the Look Up Word field and type the new word.

5. 	Click Look Up for more suggestions.


Printing

You can print not only performance reviews, but employee Log events, goals, and job descriptions from within Performance Manager and/or Performance Appraiser.

Additional Information:

Printing Performance Manager Items

Printing Performance Reviews

Running Reports

Setting Up Printer

Exporting to Word Processor


Printing Performance Manager Items

You can print individual events, goals, or existing job descriptions and performance reviews from within Performance Manager. They can be printed to a printer or to a disk. To print more than one event or goal for an employee, see Running Reports.

To print an item, the item must first be open. Otherwise, all printing options (except for Print Setup) are deactivated on the File menu and the toolbar.

NOTE: You can also preview an item before printing it, by selecting the File menu and clicking Print Preview. After previewing the item, you can print directly or close without printing.

Instructions:

1.	Make sure your printer is set up properly before printing.

2.	Open the item you want to print.

3.	To select printing options, select the File menu and click Print.

4.	If you are printing an event or goal, the Print (item) Options dialog box opens. Select whether you want to print the currently open item or a report of some or all like items. Click OK.

5.	If you selected to print a report of some or all items, see Running Reports.

6.	If you selected to print the currently open item, the Print [item] dialog box opens.

7.	If you are printing a Log event and want to print a record of when and by whom the event was originally created and last updated, click Include event record details to place a [image] in the checkbox.

8.	Click Printer, then click OK to print directly,

or click Disk, insert a floppy disk (if you don't wish to save to your hard disk or to a network file), click OK, enter the appropriate information in the Save As dialog box, then click OK.


Printing Performance Reviews

In addition to printing performance reviews, Performance Appraiser gives you the opportunity to print a blank form before you write the review. You can also use Print Preview to check the format of a written review, and paginate it to your satisfaction before printing it.

Additional Information:

Using Print Preview

Printing a Review

Printing Blank Review Form


Using Print Preview

Before you print a completed review, it is a good idea to check its formatting using Print Preview. You can see if headings are separated from text, or if the pages break in awkward places. After you have previewed the review, you can then add page breaks where appropriate.

Instructions:

1. 	With a review open, select the File menu and click Print Preview.

2. 	If there is weighting in your review form, the Print Choices dialog box opens. Select whether you want to view the review only, the review along with weighting calculations, or weighting calculations only. Click OK to open the Print Preview window.

3. 	Scroll to the bottom of the page to see if the page breaks where you want it to. If it does not, make a note of where you want to place a new page break.

4. 	Click Next Page and/or Previous Page to move between pages.

5. 	To make the text larger, click Zoom In; to make it smaller so you can see more of the document, click Zoom Out.

6. 	If you find text that should be formatted differently or needs a page break inserted, click Close and make the editing changes.

7. 	To add a page break, click at the beginning of the text where you want the page to break and press [image] + [image] (or select the Format menu and click Add Page Break). A red line shows where the page will break.

8. 	Return to Print Preview to view any changes and check for other areas that may need page breaks. Continue to preview the document until you're sure it's how you want it to be printed.


Printing a Review

To print a performance review, the review itself should be in the open window. You can then choose to print only the performance review, or (if the form includes weighting) the review with weighting calculation details, or only weighting calculation details.

The weighting calculation details page can be used to verify calculations, or as a quick overview. It displays all competencies and goals for the review, as well as the weights and ratings for each. It also shows the calculations that created the overall ratings for the Performance Competencies section, the Current Goals section, and the review Summary.

Instructions:

1. 	Make sure your printer is set up properly before printing.

2. 	With a review open, click [image] to print directly (or, if you wish to print to disk, select the File menu and click Print).

3. 	If there is weighting in your review form, the Print Choices dialog box opens. Select whether you want to print the review only, the review along with weighting calculations, or weighting calculations only. Then click OK.

NOTE: If the weighting calculation details options are dimmed (showing they are not available for printing), the overall Summary may not yet have been calculated. Go back to the Summary tab and do so before printing.

4. 	The review prints directly, or the Print Review dialog box opens.

5. 	To print directly, click Printer, and click OK.

6. 	To copy the review to a floppy or hard disk, or to a network file, click Disk and click OK.

7. 	In the Export Current Review dialog box, enter the filename, select whether you want it to be exported as TXT or RTF, and locate the correct directory. Insert a floppy disk, if necessary, then click OK.


Printing Blank Review Form

To make it easy for the employee or others to contribute to the review process, you can print a blank review form before you write the performance review. This blank review form can be used to collect preliminary information or for an employee to write a self-review.

You can choose to print a blank review form for any employee or a specific employee. Other options include printing the performance factors, as well as rating boxes that can be filled in for self-reviews.

Instructions:

1.	If a review is open, close it. Select the File menu and click Print Blank Form to open its dialog box.

2.	If you want to exclude employee information (such as employee name, goals, etc.), click Exclude employee-specific information for the selected blank review form. Click the selection arrow for this choice and select the type of review form you wish to print.

3.	If you want to include employee information, click Include employee-specific information for the selected employee and review period. Click the selection arrow for this choice and select the name of the employee. Select the correct review period or enter dates to define a new one.

4.	Select whether or not you want to Print performance factors on the form or Print rating boxes for self-reviews.

5.	Select an output destination.

6.	If you selected Printer, and want to print more than one copy, enter the appropriate number, then click Print.

7.	If you selected Disk, insert a disk into the floppy drive (if you don't wish to save to your hard disk or a network file) and click Print. Enter the appropriate information in the Save Blank Form dialog box and click OK.

8.	If you selected Screen, click Print to open the Print Preview window. Preview the material and click Print to print it, or click Close.


Running Reports

For all employees you have permission to access, you may print reports that help you track employee performance throughout the year. A report can contain anywhere from a single event for one employee, to a list of review dates for all employees.

NOTE: A report will cover information for any employee assigned to you. However, if you have been assigned to the See all employees permission, you may access all employee and review data in the current data file, as well as others to which you have network access (see the separate "Multi-User Planning and Installation Guide" for information on available permissions).

You can start a report from either Performance Appraiser or Performance Manager.

Additional Information:

Employee Goal Report

Employee Event Report

Employee Information Report

Next Review Date Report


Employee Goal Report

Instructions:

1. 	Select the Employee menu, point to Employee Reports, and click Goals.

2. 	If you have the See all employees permission, the Select Data for Report dialog box opens (this does not open if you have selected the Next Review Date Report or if you have not been assigned to this permission). Select which data you want to access, then click OK.

3. 	If you want the report to cover all the employees to whom you have access, click Print goals for all employees.

4. 	If you want the report to cover only certain employees, click Print goals for selected employee(s), then select the name(s) in the list you want to appear in the report.

5. 	If you want to print the goals set for a specific range of dates, click Date range and enter the range.

6. 	Click OK to open the Print Report dialog box.

7. 	To print directly click Printer, then click OK.

8. 	To save the report to a floppy disk, hard disk, or network file, click Disk. Insert a floppy disk, if necessary, then click OK. Enter the appropriate information in the Save As dialog box and click OK.

9. 	To view the report, click Screen and click OK. Preview the information, then click Print or Close.


Employee Event Report

Instructions:

1. 	Select the Employee menu, point to Employee Reports, and click Log Events.

2. 	If you have the See all employees permission, the Select Data for Report dialog box opens (this does not open if you have selected the Next Review Date Report or if you have not been assigned to this permission). Select which data you want to access, then click OK.

3. 	If you want the report to cover all the employees to whom you have access, click Print events for all employees.

4. 	If you want the report to cover only certain employees, click Print events for selected employee(s), then select the name(s) in the list you want to appear in the report.

5. 	To print a record of when and by whom the events were written and updated, click Include event record details.

6. 	If you want to print the events set for a specific range of dates, click Date range and enter the range.

7. 	Click OK to open the Print Report dialog box.

8. 	In the Print Report dialog box, to print directly click Printer, then click OK.

9. 	To save the report to a floppy disk, hard disk, or network file, click Disk. Insert a floppy disk, if necessary, then click OK. Enter the appropriate information in the Save As dialog box and click OK.

10. 	To view the report, click Screen and click OK. Preview the information, then click Print or Close.


Employee Information Report

Instructions:

1. 	Select the Employee menu, point to Employee Reports, and click Employee Information.

2. 	If you have the See all employees permission, the Select Data for Report dialog box opens (this does not open if you have selected the Next Review Date Report or if you have not been assigned to this permission). Select which data you want to access, then click OK.

3. 	If you want the report to cover all the employees to whom you have access, click Print employee information for all employees.

4. 	If you want the report to cover only certain employees, click Print employee information for selected employee(s), then select the name(s) in the list you want to appear in the report.

5. 	Click OK to open the Print Report dialog box.

6. 	In the Print Report dialog box, to print directly click Printer, then click OK.

7. 	To save the report to a floppy disk, hard disk, or network file, click Disk. Insert a floppy disk, if necessary, then click OK. Enter the appropriate information in the Save As dialog box and click OK.

8. 	To view the report, click Screen and click OK. Preview the information, then click Print or Close.


Next Review Date Report

Instructions:

1. 	To print a report covering a specific range of dates, click Date range.

2. 	Enter the range.

3. 	Click OK to open the Print Report dialog box.

4. 	In the Print Report dialog box, to print directly click Printer, then click OK.

5. 	To save the report to a floppy disk, hard disk, or network file, click Disk. Insert a floppy disk, if necessary, then click OK. Enter the appropriate information in the Save As dialog box and click OK.

6. 	To view the report, click Screen and click OK. Preview the information, then click Print or Close


Setting Up Printer

In order to use the print process, it is necessary to first set up your printer. You can do so from either Performance Manager or Performance Appraiser.

NOTE: Before setting up the printer, check your system to make sure your printer driver is installed and connected properly.

Instructions:

1.	Select File and click Print Setup to open its dialog box.

2.	If your printer is not already noted under Default Printer, click the selection arrow under Specific Printer and select your printer.

3.	Select the page Orientation as Portrait.

4.	Select the Paper Size as Letter.

5.	Select the Paper Source appropriate for your type of printer.

6.	Click OK to exit the Print Setup dialog box.


Exporting to Word Processor

In order to share reviews with others who do not have Performance Now installed on their computers, you can export reviews to a word processor by printing to disk. You can also use the word processor's enhanced formatting and printing features if you wish to format and print reviews outside of Performance Now.

NOTE: You can cut and paste an entire review from Performance Now into your word processor, usually with little loss in formatting. However, by printing to disk, you can also include the weighting calculation details page (if any) in the exported document.

Reviews can be printed to disk as either Rich Text Format (RTF) or Text (TXT) documents. Rich Text Format documents retain formatting, while Text documents retain only word-wrap and minimal formatting.

Instructions:

1.	Open the review you wish to export.

2.	Select the File menu and click Print.

3.	If there is weighting in your review form, the Print Choices dialog box opens. Select whether you want to export the review only, the review along with weighting calculations, or the weighting calculations only.

4.	Click OK to open the Print Review dialog box. Select Disk and click OK

5.	In the Export Current Review dialog box, enter the name for the exported file (up to 8 characters).

6.	Under Save file as type, select RTF or TXT, then select the drive and directory into which you wish to export the file. If you selected a floppy drive, insert a floppy disk.

7.	Click OK. The exported file can be opened in a word processing program according to the word processor's procedures.


Briefcase

There may be times you will want to work on reviews at home or while traveling. To accommodate this need, you can use the Briefcase function to check out employee data in either Performance Appraiser or Performance Manager.

Using Briefcase, you can check out one or more reviews to a floppy disk. The files can then be checked in and modified using another computer on which the same version of Performance Now is already installed.

A checked-out file includes all of an employee's reviews, employee information, goals (if any), and Log events.

A briefcased employee's name remains on all the employee lists in Performance Appraiser and Performance Manager, but will be designated by a briefcase icon to show that the record cannot be accessed on that computer. This guarantees that, when the employee is checked back in, the data is synchronized between the two computers.

Additional Information:

Checking Out Employee

Checking In Employee

Forcing Employee Check-In


Checking Out Employee

If a checked-out file is too large to fit on one floppy disk, select fewer employees and begin again. Then, check out the remaining employees onto additional floppy disks. You can also briefcase the data to a hard disk location and use a compression program to make the file fit onto a floppy disk (then decompress the file onto the hard disk of the second computer).

If you have e-mail functionality, you may also save a briefcased file to your hard drive, then e-mail the file as an attachment to be picked up on another computer. Or, if you are going to use Briefcase frequently, you might consider using an external zip drive.

If any review forms in the briefcased employee's files contain custom competencies created in Intelli-Text Designer, you must make sure your FACTORS.KPD and MISC.KPD files have also been copied to the computer where the briefcased file will be checked in.

Instructions:

1.	Before briefcasing, close all open windows.

2.	Make sure the employee is assigned to the correct review form that is to be used for the review.

3.	Select the Tools menu, point to Briefcase, and click Check Out to open its dialog box.

4.	Select the employee you want to check out (to select multiple employees, hold [image] and click each name).

5.	For a floppy-disk destination, insert the floppy disk.

6.	Click Check Out to open the Destination for Briefcase File dialog box. If you inserted a floppy disk, the drive is already selected.

7.	Enter a filename (up to 8 characters). It will save the file with a BRF extension.

8.	For a hard drive destination (or if you insert a floppy disk at this point), click the Drives selection arrow and select the correct drive and directory.

9.	Click OK to create the briefcased file.

10.	When you are told the file is completed, click OK. A briefcase icon appears beside the checked-out name(s) to show that the employee(s) will not be accessible until checked back in.


Checking In Employee

You must have the briefcased floppy disk in hand, or an existing briefcased hard disk file to check employees back in. If you do not, see Forcing Employee Check-In.

Instructions:

1.	If the checked-out file is on a floppy disk, insert the floppy disk.

2.	Select the Tools menu, point to Briefcase, and click Check In to open the Locate Briefcase File dialog box.

3.	For a hard drive file location, or if you insert a floppy disk at this point, select the correct drive and directory.

4.	Select the filename of the briefcased file you want to check in.

5.	Click OK to open the Briefcase - Check In dialog box.

6.	Select the employee you want to check in (to select multiple employees, hold [image] and click each name).

7.	Click Check In.

8.	When you are told the check-in is complete, click OK.


Forcing Employee Check-In

If you misplace the Briefcase floppy disk or inadvertently delete the hard disk Briefcase folder containing a checked-out employee file, you may need to circumvent the normal check-in sequence to be able to access the file.

Performance Appraiser allows you to do so by forcing an employee check-in, which restores the file as it was before it was checked out.

NOTE: If you do not have access to the PNE 4 Force Briefcase Check-In icon, you may not have been assigned that icon. See your KnowledgePoint system administrator for assistance.

Instructions:

1.	In Windows 3.x, go to Program Manager and double-click the Force Briefcase Check-In icon to open the PNE 4 Force Employee Check-In dialog box,

or in Windows 95, click [image], point to Programs, point to KnowledgePoint Applications, and click the PNE 4 Force Briefcase Check-In icon.

2.	Locate the file containing your employee database (EMPLOYEE.KPD), and click OK.

3.	Select the employee(s) you wish to check in and click Check In.

4.	When you're told the check-in is completed, click OK. You can now access the employee file as it was before it was checked out.


Extracting Review Information

You may want to create reports and analyze the information saved in Performance Now. For example, you may wish to analyze the ratings of all employees over an entire year.

Performance Now provides this flexibility by letting you extract review data in Microsoft Access® database file format with the MDB extension. After you have extracted the data, you can use your copy of Access, version 2.0 or higher, to produce the reports and to export data to text and spreadsheet files or other database formats.

See (page 6.14) in the Performance Now Enterprise Edition Release 4 user manual for a list of the technical extract information.

NOTE: On a network installation, users assigned the See all employees permission may extract data located in multiple employee/review user data directories. For example, the Human Resources Manager may want to analyze the data from all Performance Now users on the network (for more information, see the separate KnowledgePoint Application Administrator guide).

Instructions:

1.	In Performance Appraiser, select the Employee menu and click Extract Review Data to open the Extract Review Data for All Employees dialog box.

2.	If you want the data from all review periods, click Extract all records,

or to specify a specific time period, click Extract records with review period end dates between. Enter the review period end dates or click [image] to select the dates.

3.	If you have been assigned to the See all employees permission, you may select either Use the data file you are currently in or Search all data files to which you have network access.

4.	Click OK to open the Destination for Extracted Review Data dialog box.

5.	Enter a filename and browse to select the directory in which you want the data placed.

6.	Click OK. You can now open this file in Microsoft Access.


Importing Employee Information

If you use a human resources information system (HRIS) or any database to store employee information, you can probably transfer data to Performance Now's employee information database. This eliminates excessive data entry and improves accuracy.

For Performance Now to be able to import employee information, your database must have the ability to export data in ASCII text, either in comma-delimited or fixed-length formats. You can re-order fields by exporting database data to a spreadsheet program before importing into Performance Now.

To view Technical Import information, click here

NOTE: Before importing information from your database, back up the EMPLOYEE.KPD employee information database file to which you want to import data.

Instructions:

1.	In Performance Manager or Performance Appraiser, select the Employee menu and click Import Employee Data to open its dialog box.

2.	Select Comma delimited or Fixed length fields and click OK.

3.	In the Comma Delimited (or Fixed Length) File Specifications dialog box, click the checkboxes of the fields included in the text file (make sure an "X" appears). For Fixed length specifications, enter the length of the fields you are importing.

4.	If appropriate, click the checkbox for If employees already exist in database, overwrite all existing employees' data without additional warning during data transfer? to select it.

5.	To save these specifications for further use, click Save Specifications, enter a filename, and click OK. (To use this file at a later date, open this dialog box, click Load Specifications, and browse for the saved file.)

6.	Click OK to open the Paths for Employee Data Import dialog box.

7.	Enter the full directory paths for the text file to be imported and for the EMPLOYEE.KPD file, or click [image] to find and select each path. After the paths are entered, click OK.

8.	When you are told the import is complete, and the number of processed records is noted, click OK.


WebLinks

While working in either Performance Manager or Performance Appraiser, you have the option to link directly to the Performance Now Web site, for more information on performance management, special offers, and links to KnowledgePoint resources.

Instructions:

1. 	In Performance Manager or Performance Appraiser, click [image], or select the Tools menu and click WebLinks.

2. 	If you have set up Web access properly, the Performance Now Web site will open.

3. 	Click the links in which you are interested.

4. 	When finished, exit the Internet in your usual manner.


Backing Up Data Files

To protect against the loss of data in case of electrical or hardware failure, it is a good idea to regularly back up the data files you create as you use Performance Now.

Use whichever backup program is available to your organization to back up the following program data files (if you also have Intelli-Text Designer installed, back up those custom files as well):


Dates

Performance Now Enterprise Edition Release 4 is designed to handle year 2000 dates, as well as dates in other formats, such as dd/mm/yy.

For Performance Now to handle year 2000 dates accurately, you will need to change your Windows desktop date setting so the year is shown as four digits rather than two.

Instructions:

1. 	In Windows 3.x, open the Control Panel and click the International icon. Under Date Format, click Change. Click the Century checkbox to display the years as "yyyy" instead of " yy."

2. 	In Windows 95, click [image], point to Settings, and clickControl Panel. Double-click Regional Settings and select the Date tab. Click the Short date style arrow and select a style containing "yyyy." Click OK.


Database Functions

Individual reviews, employee and review information records, goals, Log events, and the review form formats are stored in databases, which can be rebuilt, repaired, and compacted:

•	EMPLOYEE.KPD, for reviews, employee and review information, goals, and Log events.

•	FORMS.KPD, for Form Designer database of review form formats.

Additional Information:

Rebuilding Databases

Compacting Databases


Rebuilding Databases

In the unlikely event that you notice irregular data or unexpected results with database-related functions in an application, you may repair or rebuild the databases.

Instructions:

1.	Back up the EMPLOYEE.KPD and FORMS.KPD files, which are located in the Performance Now program directory.

2.	In Windows 3.x, open Program Manager, open the KnowledgePoint Applications group, and double-click the PNE4 Repair Database icon.

or in Windows 95, click [image], point to Programs, point to KnowledgePoint Applications, then click the PNE4 Repair Database icon.

3.	The Data Manager dialog box opens.

4.	Click Repair Database to open the Database to Repair dialog box.

5.	Select the EMPLOYEE.KPD or FORMS.KPD file to repair and click OK.

6.	When you are told the database is repaired, click OK.

7.	Click Exit to close Data Manager, or continue by compacting the database you just repaired.


Compacting Databases

It is recommended that you also compact the databases after repair by removing deleted records and entries.

If you do not find the PNE4 Repair Database icon on your desktop, see your KnowledgePoint system administrator.

Instructions:

1.	Back up the EMPLOYEE.KPD and FORMS.KPD files.

2.	In Windows 3.x, open Program Manager, open the KnowledgePoint Applications group, and double-click the PNE4 Repair Database icon.

or in Windows 95, click [image], point to Programs, point to KnowledgePoint Applications, then click the PNE4 Repair Database icon.

3.	The Data Manager dialog box opens.

4.	Click Compact Database to open the Database to Compact From dialog box.

5.	Select a data file and click OK to open the Database to Compact To dialog box.

6.	Enter a temporary filename (for example, if you selected EMPLOYEE.KPD, enter EMPLOYEE.SAV).

7.	Click OK.

8.	When you are told the database is compacted, click OK to return to the Data Manager dialog box.

9.	Click Exit.

10.	In Windows 3.x File Manager or Windows 95 Windows Explorer, go to the application's files and rename the Compact From database file (for example, rename EMPLOYEE.KPD to EMPLOYEE.BAK).

11.	In Windows 3.x File Manager or Windows 95 Windows Explorer, rename the Compact To database file to the Compact From filename (for example, rename EMPLOYEE.SAV to EMPLOYEE.KPD).

12.	After you have tested to make sure the database is working properly, delete the renamed Compact From database filename (for example, delete EMPLOYEE.BAK).


Password

Since performance reviews and employee events should be treated as confidential material, the password security feature blocks unwanted or inadvertent access to Performance Now.

For a single-user installation, you can set a password if you wish. However, password security is required on a network, so a default password is set by the KnowledgePoint system administrator for all users in a multi-user installation.

If you want a unique password, you can modify the default multi-user password for yourself only. Doing so will establish your password for all KnowledgePoint applications covered by the KnowledgePoint Application Administrator module.

NOTE: Your organization may restrict access to this function. If you wish to change your password and the User Application Setup icon is not displayed with your other KnowledgePoint icons, contact your system administrator.

Your password must be entered at startup to allow Performance Now to open. It is a good idea to change your password periodically to maintain security integrity.

Additional Information:

Setting a Single-User Password

Setting an Individual Multi-User Password


Setting a Single-User Password

A single-user installation does not require password security. However, if security is an issue, you may set a single-user password.

WARNING: It is important that you make a note of your password and keep it in a safe place in case you forget it, since you will not be able to open the program without it.

Instructions:

1. 	In Performance Appraiser, select the Setup menu and click Set Password to open the Change Password dialog box.

2. 	Enter the default word Password. Only asterisks appear as you enter, to maintain security.

3. 	Enter your new password (up to 8 characters), then enter it again in the Verify new password field and click OK.

4. 	When you are told the password is changed, click OK.

5. 	To change your password, repeat the process.

6. 	To remove the password altogether, repeat the process, only enter the default word password as your new password. You will be told Password Protection Set Off.


Setting an Individual Multi-User Password

Instructions:

1. 	In Windows 3.x, double-click the User Application Settings icon in the KnowledgePoint Applications group,

or in Windows 95, click [image], point to Programs, point to KnowledgePoint Applications, and click User Application Settings.

2. 	Enter your User ID and current Password and click OK to open the User Application Settings dialog box.

3. 	Select Change Password to open its dialog box.

4. 	Enter the current password, the new password (up to 8 characters), and the new password again to verify.

5. 	Click OK, then Close.


Technical Support

As a registered owner of Performance Now Enterprise Edition Release 4, technical support services from KnowledgePoint are available to you without charge. Questions about the installation of Performance Now Enterprise Edition and procedures for managing performance and creating performance reviews will be answered by phone, fax, e-mail, or mail.

After reviewing other options, if you still need help, direct your inquiries to KnowledgePoint. Be prepared to provide your program title, version number, and serial number (located on the Setup Disk 1 label and the bottom of the outer product box).

Technical Support
KnowledgePoint
1129 Industrial Ave.
Petaluma, CA 94952-1141

Phone:	(707) 762-0333
Fax:	(707) 762-0802
E-mail:	support@knowledgepoint.com
Web site:	http//www.knowledgepoint.com
Hours:	9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Pacific Time, Monday - Friday


User Data Directory Settings

In multi-user installations, as each user is added and granted authorization to use Performance Now, the system administrator specifies the user data directory locations. If your organization has all users share the same user data files, there is usually no reason to change these settings.

However, when a senior manager needs to view and approve the reviews of managers whose employee/review data resides in separate user data files, these settings may need to be changed.

Performance Now contains two types of user data for which you can specify locations:

•	Employee/Review data, which contains performance reviews, employee information, review information, goals, and Log entries.

•	Forms data, which contains both predesigned review forms and any custom forms created using Form Designer.

NOTE: Your organization may restrict access to this function. If you wish to change your user data directory settings and the User Application Settings icon is not displayed with other KnowledgePoint icons, contact your KnowledgePoint system administrator.

Instructions:

1. 	Exit from Performance Now.

2. 	In Windows 3.x, double-click the User Application Settings icon in the KnowledgePoint Applications group,

or in Windows 95, click [image], point to Programs, point to KnowledgePoint Applications, and click User Application Settings.

3. 	Enter your User ID and current Password and click OK to open the User Application Settings dialog box.

4. 	Select the directory you want to change.

5. 	Click Change Directory to open the Select Directory Path dialog box.

6. 	Locate the directory to which you want to change.

7. 	Select Set Up User File to check if the directory you selected exists and contains the correct files. If not, you are prompted to create the directory and/or copy empty data files to the directory.


WHAT'S THIS STUFF

Nontext


Rating Levels


Form Designer

Although Performance Now provides seven predesigned review forms, these forms cannot be modified. If the predesigned forms do not meet your needs, you can create customized forms using Form Designer, a module that is installed with Performance Now.

NOTE: In a multi-user installation, if you have not been assigned the permission to use Form Designer, its icon will not appear on your desktop. See your KnowledgePoint system administrator for more information.

With Form Designer you can:

•	Choose and rename performance competencies on the form.

•	Choose and rename fields in the review form heading.

•	Choose and rename sections.

•	Enter explanatory text that further defines a section or performance competency.

•	Choose 2 to 6 rating levels.

•	Rename the rating level descriptions.

•	Indicate which rating level is high and which is low.

•	Modify the calculated ratings ranges (breakpoints).

•	Include or exclude ratings on the review form.

•	Assign weights to the Performance Elements and Current

Goals sections.

•	Assign weights to each performance competency and current goal.

To open Form Designer:

1.	In Windows 3.x, in Program Manager double-click the KnowledgePoint Applications Group icon, and double-click the PNE4 Form Designer icon.

2.	In Windows 95, click [image], point to Programs, point to KnowledgePoint Applications, and click PNE4 Form Designer.

3.	Access Form Designer online Help and Advice (or the Performance Now documentation) for information on how to use the program.


Cue Cards

When you first open Performance Manager, if there are no employees, a Performance Manager Cue Card will display explaining that you need to add an employee before you can start using Performance Manager.

When you subsequently open Performance Manager, another Cue Card will display reminding you how to use the module. Review the options that will be available when you close it.

If you don't want the Cue Cards to display every time you open Performance Manager, click Show Cue Cards at startup (make sure the "x" disappears). To continue, click OK.


Intelli-Text Designer

The Intelli-Text Designer module, used in conjunction with Performance Now Enterprise Edition, helps you create custom performance competencies, factors, Intelli-Text, and Coaching Ideas that meet your organization's specific needs. These competencies are added to custom review forms using Form Designer. For more information about Intelli-Text Designer, call KnowledgePoint at (800) 727-1133.


Predesigned Forms


Change Review Period Dates

When making changes in the Review Info folder, use this dialog box to change the review-period dates on the review.

This change will not necessarily be saved to the Employee Information database. You will be asked, upon saving or closing the review, if you wish to save the changes to the database.

Instructions:

1. 	Enter the new dates.

2. 	You may click [image] to browse for dates.

3. 	Click OK.


Print Preview (blank form)

Use this dialog box to preview the material in a blank review form before printing it.

Instructions:

1.	Preview the form.

2.	Click Print to print it.

3.	If you do not wish to print the blank form, click Close.


Select Data for Report

This dialog box opens only if you have the See all employees permission.

Instructions:

1. 	Select the database you want to access.

2. 	If you select to search for all network databases to which you have access, the search may take a few minutes.

3. 	Click OK.


View Report

Use this dialog box to preview a Performance Now report before printing it.

Instructions:

1. 	Use the Page arrows to review the information.

2. 	If you wish to print the report, click Print.

3. 	If you don't wish to print, click Close.


Destination for Briefcase File

Use this dialog box to designate where you want the Briefcase file to be placed. If you inserted a floppy disk, the drive is already selected.

Instructions:

1.	If necessary, select the appropriate drive.

2.	Enter a filename (up to 8 characters). It will save with a brf extension.

3.	If you insert a floppy disk at this point, click the Drives selection arrow and select the correct drive letter.

4.	For a hard drive destination, select the correct drive and directory.

5.	Click OK to create the Briefcase file.

6.	When you are told the file is completed, click OK.


Locate Briefcase File

Use this dialog box to find the briefcase file that contains the employee files you want to check in. If you've inserted a floppy disk, the correct drive is already selected.

Instructions:

1.	If you insert a floppy disk at this point, select the correct drive.

2.	For a hard drive file location, select the correct drive and directory.

3.	Select the filename of the Briefcase file and click OK.

4.	In the Briefcase - Check In dialog box, select the employees you want to check in (to select multiple files, hold [image] and click each name).

5.	Click Check In.


Print Preview Choices

Use this dialog box to choose the print preview option you want. Because weighting is used for the review you are printing, you may preview the weighting calculation details page which discloses how the ratings were calculated.

Instructions:

1.	If you only want to preview the review, click Performance review only.

2.	If you want to preview the review and any weighting calculations that may be included, click Performance review and weighting calculation details.

3.	If you want to preview only the weighting calculations, click Weighting calculation details only.

4.	Click OK.


Select Directory Path for Job Description

Use this dialog box to find the path and filename of the employee's Descriptions Now! job and copy it to Employee Information. By selecting the correct path name in this dialog box, you can later open a job description in Descriptions Now that you can view or copy into a review.

Instructions:

1.	Select the correct drive.

2.	Select the correct directory.

3.	Select the correct file (it ends with jbx).

4.	Click OK.


Destination for Extracted Review Data

Use this dialog box to specify the location of the Microsoft Access file created from this extraction.

Instructions:

1. 	Enter the name of the file. It will be saved with the mdb extension.

2. 	Select the drive that contains the directory to which you want to save the file.

3. 	Select the correct directory on that drive.

4. 	Click OK.


Comma Delimited File Specifications

Use this dialog box to indicate the specifications of a text file you have exported from your employee database or human resources information system (HRIS).

Instructions:

1. 	Click the checkboxes of the fields included in the exported text file (make sure an "X" appears). If your data exceeds the noted maximum field length, it will be truncated.

2. 	To save these specifications for further use, click Save Specifications.

3. 	To load a specifications file you saved previously, click Load Specifications.


Fixed Length File Specifications

Use this dialog box to indicate the specifications of a text file you have exported from your employee database or human resources information system (HRIS).

Instructions:

1.	Click the checkboxes of the fields included in the exported text file (make sure an "X" appears).

2.	Enter the length of the fields you are importing. If these are longer than the noted maximum length, they will be truncated.

3.	To save these specifications for further use, click Save Specifications.

4.	To load a specifications file you saved previously, click Load Specifications .

5.	Click OK and enter the correct information in the Paths for Employee Data Import dialog box.


Load Specification File

Use this dialog box to open data file specifications you saved previously.

Instructions:

1. 	Select the drive where the file is located.

2. 	Select the correct directory. The file extension must be SPC.

3. 	Click OK.


Save Specification File

Use this dialog box to make it easier to import the same type of data file in the future.

Instructions:

1. 	Enter a name for the file. The extension SPC is inserted automatically.

2. 	Select the drive containing the directory where you wish to save the file.

3. 	Select the correct directory.

4. 	Click OK.


Paths for Employee Data Import

Use this dialog box to import a data file into an Employee Information database.

Instructions:

1.	Enter the full directory path of the text file to be imported or click [image] to find and select the file.

2.	Enter the directory path of the EMPLOYEE.KPD file, or click [image] to find and select the file.

3.	After the paths are entered, click OK.

4.	When you are told the import is complete and the number of records that were processed, click OK.


Create New Item

Use this dialog box to enter information in the employee database and create items in the Performance Manager Employee List.

Instructions:

1.	If necessary, select the name of the employee for whom you wish to create a document.

2.	Click New Log Event to create performance documentation that will be added to the employee's Log folder in the Employee List.

3.	Click New Goal to create a goal that will be added to the employee's Goals folder in the Employee List and to Performance Appraiser.

4.	Click New Employee to add an employee's information to the employee database. The employee will then appear in the Employee List in Performance Manager and be listed in Performance Appraiser.


Select Database for Update (Multiple Employee Update)

If you have been assigned the See all employees permission and the permission to make changes to any employee record(s), you can add or remove database paths from the Database(s) to be changed list. Use this dialog box to locate the correct path.

Instructions:

1. 	Locate the correct drive.

2. 	Locate the correct directory.

3. 	Locate the correct database file.

4. 	Click OK.


Attach File

Use this dialog box to locate the file you wish to attach to a Log event.

Instructions:

1.	Locate the correct drive.

2.	Locate the correct directory.

3.	Locate and select the correct file.

4.	Click OK.


Edit Attachment Information

Use this dialog box to change the name of an attachment. If the path to the document has changed, you can enter or browse for it here.

Instructions:

1. 	Enter the new name.

2. 	Enter the new path name, or click [image] and locate the file.

3. 	Click OK.


Save Blank Form

Use this dialog box to locate the file where you want to place your blank form. If you inserted a floppy disk, the correct drive is already selected.

Instructions:

1. 	Enter the filename.

2. 	Select the correct drive.

3. 	Select the correct directory.

4. 	Click OK.


Print Report

Use this dialog box to print a report. You can print directly, save the report to a floppy disk or hard drive, or view the report on the screen.

Instructions:

1. 	To print directly click Printer, then click OK.

2. 	To save the report to a floppy disk, hard disk, or network file, click Disk. Insert a floppy disk, if necessary, then click OK. Enter the appropriate information in the Save As dialog box and click OK.

3. 	To view the report, click Screen and click OK. Preview the information, then click Print or Close.


Save As

Use this dialog box to enter the report's filename and designate where you wish to save it.

Instructions:

1. 	Enter the filename.

2. 	Select the correct drive.

3. 	Select the correct directory.

4. 	Click OK.


Print Preview

Use this dialog box to preview an item before printing it. After previewing the item, you can print directly or close without printing.

Instructions:

1. 	Click Next Page and/or Previous Page to move between pages.

2. 	To make the text larger, click Zoom In; to make it smaller so you can see more of the document, click Zoom Out.

3. 	To print directly, click Print.

4. 	To exit without printing, click Close.


Reset to Default Period

If you set a Log event period to override the default for a single employee or for all employees, you can use this dialog box to restore the default.

Instructions:

1. 	To restore the default for a single employee, you must have an employee selected before opening this dialog box. To reset the default, click Reset for selected employee only.

2. 	To restore the default for all employees, it doesn't matter which employee is selected when you open this dialog. To reset the default, click Reset for all employees.

3. 	Click OK.


Employee Goal Information

Use this dialog box to set a goal for an employee at any time in either Performance Manager or Performance Appraiser. These can be reviewed with the employee during the review period. Later, while doing the performance review in Performance Appraiser, you can evaluate the employee's performance on the goals if the review form has a Current Goals section (for more information, see Rating Current Goals).

1. 	Enter a Category if you wish, to indicate how the goal relates to organizational goals, such as Commitment to Excellence or Profitability.

2. 	If the form assigned to the employee has goal weighting, you can assign a Weight by entering one or clicking the up and down arrows (for more information, see Adjusting Current Goal Weights).

3. 	Enter a Goal Description of what should result from acceptable performance of this goal (such as Decrease reject rate for second quarter).

4. 	Enter the Goal Measurement, which is a standard for evaluating the employee's success in reaching the goal (such as Decrease reject rate by 5% by June 30).

5. 	Once you have entered the goal text, it can be edited. If you right-click text, a menu with editing options will pop up.

6. 	Click Save.


Change Goal Title/Due Date

Priorities and conditions can shift frequently in business, thereby impacting goals which may have been set. Use this dialog box to change a goal's title and/or due date. You might wish to do so, for instance, in order to change a current goal to a future goal if conditions have changed.

1. 	Enter a new title for the goal.

2. 	Enter a new due date, or click [image] and select a new date.

3. 	Click OK.


List of Employees to Be Updated

When you have completed a search to make changes in the employee database that will affect specific employees, this dialog box displays the names of all employees who match the selection rules you entered.

1.	If you agree with the complete contents of the list, click Select All, then click OK to make the change,

2.	If you do not agree, hold [image] and highlight only those employees for whom you wish to make the change, then click OK.

3.	If you decide not to make any changes at all to the database, click Cancel.


Employee List Options

You can use this dialog box as a central location to manipulate the Employee List. You can make your choices all at once and view the results before closing the dialog box.

1. 	Select the appropriate sort option.

2. 	Select whether to collapse or expand the list.

3. 	Click Set Date Range Filter for List Items in order to hide items you no longer need in the list.

4. 	In the From field, enter the first cutoff date.

5. 	If you want all items for this date and the items following this date to display, do not enter a second date.

6. 	If you want a specific range of items to display, enter the second cutoff date in the To field.

7. 	Click OK. The items within the specified date range are no longer displayed.

8. 	To display all items, repeat the process, but this time remove any contents from both date fields.

9. 	When finished, click OK.


Technical Import Information

Import fields in the following order:


Select Database for Update (Transferring Employees)

If the person to whom you are transferring the employee is using a different database, use this dialog box to select the correct database.

Instructions:

1. 	Locate the correct drive.

2. 	Locate the correct directory.

3. 	Locate the correct database file.

4. 	Click OK.


For more information, see the separate KnowledgePoint Application Administrator Guide.


The seven predesigned forms are:
• Administrative
• Managerial (includes goals sections and weighting)
• Operations/Production
• Sales (includes goals sections and weighting)
• Service
• Team (includes goals sections and weighting)
• Technical/Professional (includes goals sections)
In addition, custom forms can be assigned that were designed using Form Designer.


If you do not fill in the information in these fields, the headings will appear on the review form, but the fields will be blank. In Performance Appraiser, you can delete unneeded heading fields on the review itself.


Descriptions Now is the software program that writes ADA-ready job descriptions customized to your specific needs. For more information about Descriptions Now, contact KnowledgePoint at (800) 727-1133.


WARNING: When entering information, do not insert quote marks for any entry.


IMPORTANT: Remember that this user will have full access to all the employee's confidential information.


WARNING: Since the second user will be able to view and make changes to all the employee's reviews, employee information, and Performance Manager entries, be very sure to make this confidential data available to appropriate people only and for a limited duration. The only function the second user cannot perform is to change the Assigned To or Share With information. Therefore, it is important that you remember to remove the Share With assignment when it is no longer needed.


Performance Manager shares many features with Performance Appraiser. You can easily toggle between the two modules, when necessary, to complete a task by clicking their buttons on the toolbar:
 Performance Appraiser
Performance Manager.

You do not need to close Performance Manager to start a performance review. Just toggle to Performance Appraiser to write a review for an employee already selected in Performance Manager
1. Select an employee name in the Employee List.
2. Click [image]. Performance Appraiser opens with the employee name selected.


Descriptions Now is the software program that writes ADA-ready job descriptions customized to your specific needs. For more information about Descriptions Now, contact KnowledgePoint at (800) 727-1133.


For more information about this permission, see your KnowledgePoint system administrator.


Point to a button at the top of the Employee List to pop up a ToolTip that describes the button's function.


At times, the name of an item might be too long to display completely within the list's narrow window. To see the entire item name, move your pointer to it and hold briefly. The entire name will display.


Descriptions Now is the software program that writes ADA-ready job descriptions customized to your specific needs. For more information about Descriptions Now, contact KnowledgePoint at (800) 727-1133.


When you are writing a review, relevant information from Performance Manager can be copied into the review.


If you click Close without first saving the event, you will be asked if you wish to save. To save it, click Yes. To discard it, click No, and the untitled new event will disappear from the employee's Log folder.


While writing goals, press [image] to access Advice about what a well-written goal should include.


After a goal has been rated and copied to the review in Performance Appraiser, it no longer appears in the Goals folder in Performance Manager or in the Goals list in Performance Appraiser.


If you are using a custom review form created in Form Designer with customized goal categories, you can click the selection arrow and choose a category from the list.


For multi-user installations, you must have been assigned to the Update multiple employees' information permission in order to use this feature (for more information, see your KnowledgePoint system administrator).
NOTE: Users who have permission to only perform the Update Multiple Employees function for their own employees will be unable to change the Assigned To or Share With fields for employees who are shared with them.


For more information, see your KnowledgePoint system administrator or the separate "Multi-User Planning and Installation Guide for Performance Now Release 4."


For instance, you may wish to find all employees IF they have the Employee Information field Job Title that IS Equal To "Account Manager."


For instance, you may wish to search for employees with a specific Job Title in a specific Department who are assigned to a specific User ID - three rules that, automatically combined, narrow the search.


For instance, you may wish to change the Job Title for all employees who have the job title of Account Manager to the job title of Account Executive


Customized forms can be designed with different sections using Form Designer.


The Review Sections dialog box contains tabs for all the major parts of the review. You can move between the Review Sections window and the review form itself merely by clicking on the one that is behind the other.


After you save the review, the Last Review Date will automatically be set to match the Review Period End Date you enter here. On the next review for the employee, the Review Period Start Date will automatically be set as the day following the Last Review Date.


If you are asked if you wish to update the main Employee Information database, click Yes. If you are unsure, click No and review the Employee Information dialog box later.


Evaluate all incumbents in similar jobs with the same competencies and factors to ensure uniformity in the evaluation process.


To change the rating-scale breakpoints, redefine the levels (from as few as two to as many as six), or reverse the rating levels, you must use the Form Designer module to create a custom form.


Once you copy the text to the review form, you will be able to edit it further.


NOTE: While rating a competency, you have the option of accessing coaching ideas that can be added to the Development Plans section to help address performance issues or encourage development of existing strengths in that specific competency.


If you do not rate a competency, and competencies are weighted on the review form you are using, you will need to rate all weighted competencies or adjust the weighting before you can write the Summary section


The order in which you rate the competencies is the order in which they will appear on the review form. Therefore, if you want competencies to appear in a specific order, rate them in that order.


Predesigned forms add the rating description only to the review form. If you want to have rating numbers or the factor ratings appear, use Form Designer.


If you wish to have the coaching ideas automatically placed with the rated competency, you must use Form Designer.


If you are using a custom form where the weighting uses numerical weighting instead of percentages, enter a whole number from 1 to 999.


After a goal has been rated and copied to the review in Performance Appraiser, it no longer appears in the Goals folder in Performance Manager or in the Goals list in Performance Appraiser.


If you are using a custom review form created in Form Designer with customized goal categories, you can click the selection arrow and choose a category from the list.


You also have the option to copy a goal to a review without rating it. It will appear on the review without a rating and will not be included in the Summary calculation.


If you are using a customized form that includes weighting, see Adjusting Current Goal Weights. If there is no weighting on the predesigned form, all goals have equal value.


Such as, "While James did reduce his reject rate from 4% to 3.3%, he was unable to reach the goal of 2.5%."


If there is no Current Goals section on this form, the rated goal will be placed at the bottom of the form.


All goals will remain on the goal list until you delete or rate them.


If you are using a custom form that uses number values instead of percentages, enter a whole number from 1 to 999.


The most successful development plans are a result of joint effort between the employee and the manager. Usually, this section will be completed as part of the performance review discussion, or later at a separate meeting devoted specifically to next steps.

The Development Plans section might include:
• Identification of those areas where improvement is needed or required.
• Descriptions of the expected outcomes.
• A timetable for when improvement is necessary.
• A statement of what happens if required improvement is not achieved.
• Actions the employee might take to further develop existing strengths.
• Identification of training or resources to be utilized.


In Form Designer, there are options to:
• Place the coaching ideas in the Development Plans section divided into two groups: Strengths to Build On and Areas to Work On.
• Place all coaching ideas associated with a rated competency under that competency, also divided into the above two groups.


If the review form includes weighting, an overall rating will not be calculated until all weighted competencies and/or goals have been rated.


You can also select the Window menu and click Tile Documents to view two or more reviews in windows arranged horizontally.


Descriptions Now is the software program that writes ADA-ready job descriptions customized to your specific needs. For more information about Descriptions Now, contact KnowledgePoint at
(800) 727-1133.


To apply character formatting to text that you will enter from the insertion point on, apply the attributes before you type.


Press [image] + [image] (or select the Format menu and click Align Left).


Press [image] + [image] (or select the Format menu and click Align Right).


Press [image] + [image] (or select the Format menu and click Align Center).


Select the Format menu, and click Add Hanging Indent (or Add First Line Indent).
To remove an indent, select the Format menu and click Remove Hanging Indent or Remove First Line Indent.


Select the Format menu and click Margins. Select the new settings and click OK.


Use Print Preview to better choose where a page break should be added.
Select the point where you want the page to end and press [image] + [image] (or select the Format menu and click Add Page Break). A red line appears to show where the page break has been added.
To remove the page break, click the red line and press [image].


While writing a review, it's a good idea to save it regularly as you work. If there is a power failure, work not saved before the incident will be lost.


For these employees, "Review" displays in the What's Due column and the date of the Next Review Date displays in the When column.


Overdue is calculated as not having had a Log event entered for a period greater than the default reminder period (or the individual employee's reminder period override, if any).
For these employees, "Log Event" displays in the What's Due column and the date of the most recent Log event, with the number of days in the reminder period added to it, displays in the When column.
For example, if the current date is 4/8/98 or later, and if the employee's most recent Log Event is 4/1/98, and the employee has a reminder period set to seven days, 4/8/98 would display in the When column.


For these employees, "Log Event" displays in the What's Due column and the current day's date displays in the When column.


You can also start Performance Reminders by clicking [image] and pointing to Programs, pointing to KnowledgePoint Applications, and clicking Performance Reminders.


You can also start Performance Reminders by clicking [image], pointing to Programs, pointing to KnowledgePoint Applications, and clicking Performance Reminders.


 Double-click a single word, click and drag across text, or use a keyboard shortcut to highlight text.


Click where you want to insert text and type the new text. The existing text shifts to make room.
If you reach the edge of the screen while inserting text, do not press [image] unless you want to start a new paragraph. Keep typing past the edge; the text will automatically wrap down to the next line.


Highlight the text you wish to replace and type the new text or paste in copied text. It instantly replaces the highlighted text.


Highlight text you wish to permanently delete and press [image].


Select the text you wish to cut and click [image] (or press [image] + [image] ). The cut text can then be pasted into (moved to) a different location.


Select the text you wish to copy and click [image] (or press [image] + [image] ).


Click the position in the text where you wish to insert cut or copied text and click [image] (or press [image] + [image] )


Select the Edit menu and click Undo (or press [image] + [image] ) to restore edited text to its previous condition. You may undo multiple levels of actions.


Your chances of finding a synonym improve when you select a word in the present tense, i.e., manage rather than managed.


To send the item directly to the printer without selecting any options, click [image].


When each Log event is created, the system date and User ID of the event creator are added to the database. Also maintained are the system date and the User ID of the most recent change (if any) to that Log event. If needed, these event-record details can be printed.


After inserting a page break, the text following the page break may also break inappropriately. Keep using Print Preview to check the document until you're sure it is formatted the way you want it to be printed.


To remove a manual page break, click the red line and press [image].


NOTE: You can also print a saved review from within Performance Manager by opening a review (from an employee's Log folder) and clicking [image].


Hold [image] and click to select a range of names, or hold [image] and click to select noncontiguous individual names.


Hold [image] and click to select a range of names, or hold [image] and click to select noncontiguous individual names.


Hold [image] and click to select a range of names, or hold [image] and click to select noncontiguous individual names.


It is recommended that this method be used only for reading/approving reviews, not for content changes, since changes will not be saved to the Performance Now database and could impact future data integrity.


According to the KnowledgePoint software License Agreement, Performance Now can be installed on your office, portable, and home computers, as long as it is used by you on only one computer at a time.


The Intelli-Text Designer module, used in conjunction with Performance Now Enterprise Edition, helps you create custom performance competencies, factors, Intelli-Text, and Coaching Ideas that meet your organization's specific needs. These competencies are added to custom review forms using Form Designer. For more information about Intelli-Text Designer, call KnowledgePoint at (800)-727-1133.


Check the employee's Employee Information.


If, for instance, you are importing data for 600 employees, 500 of whom are existing employees, you won't get 500 message boxes asking you if you want to overwrite that employee's data.


Intelli-Text Designer, used with Performance Now Enterprise Edition, helps you create custom competencies, Intelli-Text, and Coaching Ideas that meet your organization's needs. For more information, call (800) 727-1133.


Free technical support is subject to change without notice.


Before contacting Technical Support for help, it is requested that you first refer to the appropriate online help windows, user manual sections, and the Read Me file. You may also access the Technical Support page on the KnowledgePoint Web site.


Before you change your user data directory settings, there are important security issues to consider. It is recommended that you contact your KnowledgePoint system administrator before changing your settings.


When you change your user data directory settings, existing data files remain in the original directory.


If you are using a custom review form created in Form Designer with customized goal categories, you can click the selection arrow and choose a category from the list.