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Performance Review Templates → Engineering

Engineering Performance Review Template

Use this template to run fair, evidence-based performance reviews for software engineers and engineering managers. Includes competency framework, example phrases, and rating guidance.

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IC Track (Software Engineer / Senior Engineer / Staff+)

Individual Contributor Template

1. Technical Execution

Scope and quality of technical work delivered. Complexity of problems owned. Architectural decisions made.

Exceeds Solves problems at a scope beyond their level. Architectural decisions are adopted by the broader team. Catches systemic issues before they surface.
Meets Delivers assigned work at the expected scope and quality. Code reviews are thorough. Incidents in their area are rare.
Below Requires significant rework or scope reduction. Technical decisions need frequent correction. Delivery is inconsistent.
Example phrases:
  • "Redesigned the data ingestion pipeline, eliminating a class of race conditions that had caused 3 incidents over 6 months."
  • "Routinely takes on the most complex work in the sprint without prompting."
  • "Delivered the auth refactor under budget, enabling the mobile team to ship 3 weeks early."

2. Cross-Team Impact

Influence and contribution beyond the immediate team. Who relies on this engineer for expertise or unblocking.

Exceeds Consulted regularly by engineers outside their team. Drives cross-functional initiatives. Influence visible in org-wide decisions.
Meets Works effectively with adjacent teams when needed. Proactive about sharing context and unblocking dependencies.
Below Primarily siloed. Cross-team dependencies cause friction. Limited visibility into how their work affects other teams.
Example phrases:
  • "Data from Confirm's ONA shows they are the most-consulted engineer on authentication across 4 teams."
  • "Proactively documented the API contract changes that prevented a multi-team incident."

3. Mentorship & Knowledge Sharing

Development of more junior engineers. Contribution to team knowledge base. Code review quality.

Exceeds Actively develops junior engineers to independence. Code reviews teach, not just catch bugs. Creates documentation others reference.
Meets Responsive to junior engineer questions. Code reviews are timely and substantive. Documents as-built behavior.
Below Junior engineers avoid asking for help. Code reviews are cursory or delayed. Knowledge stays siloed.
Example phrases:
  • "Grew two L3 engineers to L4 in 6 months through consistent pairing and structured code reviews."
  • "The system design doc they wrote is now used as an onboarding resource for new backend engineers."

4. Reliability & Ownership

Follow-through on commitments. Operational ownership of systems. Response to incidents and production issues.

Exceeds Never drops the ball on commitments. Proactively surfaces risks before they become misses. Owns systems end-to-end, including ops.
Meets Delivers on sprint commitments. Handles on-call rotation effectively. Escalates blockers early.
Below Commitments slip without early notice. On-call response is slow or incomplete. Work needs significant follow-up.
Manager Track (Engineering Manager / Director of Engineering)

Engineering Manager Template

1. Team Outcomes

Did the team deliver? Velocity, quality, and reliability metrics for the manager's team over the review period.

Exceeds Team consistently delivers on commitments at high quality. Few incidents. Stakeholders view the team as a reliable partner.
Meets Team delivers the majority of planned work. Incidents are addressed promptly. Stakeholders generally satisfied.
Below Frequent misses or quality issues. Stakeholders manage around the team. Incidents recur without systemic fixes.

2. People Development

Growth, retention, and promotion readiness of direct reports. Attrition risk in their team.

Exceeds Multiple promotions in the team. Low attrition. Engineers actively seek to join the team. Confirm flight risk scores are low.
Meets Reports are developing. Attrition is at or below company average. Promotions are on pace with tenure.
Below Stagnant team development. Elevated attrition risk signals on Confirm. Promotions lag or feel political.
Example phrases:
  • "Three engineers on the team received promotion recommendations this cycle—highest rate in the org."
  • "Confirm's ONA shows their team has the highest collaboration density in Engineering, suggesting strong team health."

3. Cross-Functional Leadership

Partnership with Product, Design, and other stakeholders. Presence in planning and strategic decisions.

Exceeds Sought out by product and design partners for technical direction. Shapes roadmap, not just executes it. Trusted voice in org-wide decisions.
Meets Effective partner to product and design. Represents engineering perspective in planning. Escalates technical blockers clearly.
Below Reactive to product asks. Limited engineering perspective in planning. Cross-functional relationships have friction.

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