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Performance Review Templates → Skills-Based → Decision-Making

Decision-Making Skills Performance Review Template

Evaluate decision quality, judgment under uncertainty, and speed-accuracy tradeoffs with behavioral anchors and example phrases. For senior ICs, managers, and leadership roles.

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Particularly important for senior ICs, managers, and leadership

Decision-Making Competency Template

1. Decision Framing & Problem Definition

Ability to define what decision is actually being made, identify the key variables, and separate the decision from the implementation.

ExceedsReframes decisions that others define incorrectly. Identifies when the group is solving the wrong problem. Clarifies the decision criteria before the group invests in options.
MeetsFrames decisions clearly with appropriate criteria. Identifies who owns the decision vs. who is consulted. Doesn't conflate a decision with its implementation.
BelowRushes to options before the decision is well-defined. Conflates disagreement on criteria with disagreement on options. Decisions revisited because the question was wrong, not the answer.
Example phrases:
  • "In the pricing discussion, reframed the question from 'what price?' to 'what does this price signal to our target segment?'—unlocked a completely different set of options."
  • "Before the team spent two weeks building a business case, identified that the underlying question had already been answered—saved the time immediately."

2. Speed-Accuracy Calibration

Appropriate balance between decisiveness and rigor. Moves at the right speed—neither impulsive nor paralyzed by analysis.

ExceedsCalibrates speed to decision reversibility and stakes. Makes Type 2 decisions fast. Invests appropriately in Type 1 decisions. Rarely under-commits or over-investigates.
MeetsGenerally moves at an appropriate pace. Doesn't over-analyze low-stakes decisions. Doesn't rush high-stakes ones without adequate information.
BelowAnalysis paralysis on decisions that should move faster. Or impulsiveness on high-stakes decisions that need more rigor. Speed-accuracy calibration is often wrong.

3. Judgment Under Uncertainty

Quality of decisions when information is incomplete. Willingness to make a call, state confidence level, and update when new information arrives.

ExceedsMakes well-reasoned calls with incomplete information and documents the assumptions. Calibrates confidence appropriately—states what they know vs. what they're guessing. Updates position correctly when evidence changes.
MeetsWilling to make a call with imperfect information. States what would change their position. Doesn't require certainty before acting.
BelowWaits for certainty that never comes. Decisions default to inaction. Or makes calls with false confidence—unable to distinguish what they know from what they're assuming.
Example phrases:
  • "Made the go/no-go call with 70% of the data available—correctly identified that waiting for 100% would cost more than the incremental accuracy was worth."
  • "When new data contradicted their initial position, updated the recommendation within 48 hours—no defensiveness, no delay."

4. Learning from Decisions

Retrospective quality on significant decisions. Whether the person extracts useful lessons and updates their mental models accordingly.

ExceedsActively documents decision rationale and revisits outcomes. Extracts structural lessons, not just tactical fixes. Shows visible improvement in judgment over time.
MeetsReflects on significant decisions when they go wrong or right. Doesn't repeat the same decision-making mistakes cycle after cycle. Open to feedback on judgment.
BelowSame patterns recur in decision-making despite repeated cycles. Limited reflection on why decisions succeeded or failed. Attributes outcomes to luck rather than process.

Judgment is the hardest thing to evaluate consistently.

Confirm's AI-assisted review drafts surface behavioral patterns from across the review period—specific decisions made, how they played out, and how the person responded to setbacks—so judgment ratings are grounded in what actually happened.

80%
time saved on reviews
40%
reduction in rating bias
98%
review completion rate
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