Virginia Tech Performance Management Program
Instructions for Completing the Performance Plan (Form P112 & P112S)
These instructions are intended to assist supervisors in completing the Performance
Planning section or portion of the Performance Plan & Evaluation (P112).
Although the primary responsibility for creating the performance plan belongs to the
supervisor, it is important you discuss this document with the reviewer and the employee.
The supervisor should create an initial draft of the performance plan with input from the
employee. This draft performance plan should then be shared with the reviewer. The reviewer
is the supervisor’s supervisor, or someone at a higher level of authority designated to review
the performance plan. Reviewers should ensure that performance plan is aligned (to the
extent possible) with business unit goals as well as with the Reviewer’s and Supervisor’s goals
before the performance plan is finalized and reviewed with the employee. The employee
should be asked to sign the performance plan. Whether the employee signs the performance
plan or not, the plan is in effect once it has been reviewed with the employee.
Before developing a performance plan, review the position description to ensure that it is still
accurate and complete. When the job changes, the position description should be revised and
approved in People Admin. The position description is summary of all the responsibilities of
the employee in the position. A copy of the position description should be provided to the
employee.
The Performance Plan consists of three main parts; goals/responsibilities (with metrics),
competencies and career development.
Step One: Identify goals/responsibilities and metrics
Goals
Identify 1 – 4 goals/responsibilities. Goals/responsibilities are outcomes.
Goal-setting involves establishing specific, measurable objectives (outcomes) to be
accomplished within a specific timeframe. Work on the theory of goal-setting suggests that it
can serve as an effective tool for making progress by ensuring that participants have a clear
awareness of what they must do to achieve or help achieve an objective. Goal-setting helps
employees focus on specific aspects of their job that are related to the objectives for that
review period.
If you can answer, “yes” to the following questions then you have written a quality goal.
 Do I know the timeframe and/or quantity?
 Does the goal state the intended result or outcome?
Instructions for Writing a Position Description and Performance Plan (PS/LW)
October 15, 2001
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Virginia Tech Performance Management Program
Following are some examples of project focused goals:
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Implement new technology (action) to allow for mail sorting to occur before 9:00AM
(outcome)
Alter the routing of the mail carriers (action) as necessary to ensure mail pick up
and delivery (outcome) for the new biogenetic lab on Draper Road
Manage Hokie Mart training (action) to ensure that users are prepared for the
October 1 launch date (outcome)
Catalogue and reshelf returned books (action) within 12 hours to help ensure
optimal service and availability to customers (outcome).
Cross train in the Accounting department (action) at least once per week and be
able to independently reconcile statements by April 30, 2009 (outcome).
Improve student aid service and delivery (action) by determining, within four
business days, the eligibility of students and families who apply for student aid,
cutting the processing time in half (outcome).
Process payroll for 15 wage employees/students (action) and ensure that working
hours are accurately documented/entered and funding sources are properly allotted
(outcome).
Provide People Admin support (action) in the department hiring process to ensure
that the job postings are created and the approval action is taken by the senior
management in a timely manner (outcome).
Complete Microsoft Access training (action) to help the department launch a new
time tracking system for wage employees by June 2009 (outcome).
Many jobs, particularly entry level jobs, do not have a project focus. Setting goals for these
jobs can be accomplished by encouraging focus on specific responsibilities that are part of the
position description. This focus may be needed because it is related to a departmental
objective and/or it may be an area where the employee has room for improvement. Here are
some examples of goals that focus on an employee’s current responsibilities:
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Provide administrative support to the Dean (action) to address the increased
meeting and travel needs (outcome)
Pay departmental invoices (action) in accordance with the Virginia Tech Prompt Pay
standards (outcome)
Ensure all travel arrangements (action) are 100% compliant with the VT travel policy
(outcome)
Simply repeating one of the responsibilities in the employee’s position description does not
necessarily result in a clearly stated outcome. For example:
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Prepares a variety of highly confidential, specialized, and recurrent reports, such as
financial data and summaries of proposed actions for presentation to upper
management
While there is a clear action in this example and it is a good responsibility statement it does not
actually state a specific outcome.
Instructions for Writing a Position Description and Performance Plan (PS/LW)
October 15, 2001
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Virginia Tech Performance Management Program
Metrics
Identify 1 – 3 metrics for each goal/responsibility. Metrics are the ways you will measure the
accomplishment of the goal.
The next step is to define 1 – 3 metrics for each of the goals/responsibilities. The goal tells the
employee what outcome is expected, the metrics help define specifically what that outcome
looks like – what are the manager’s expectations in order for an employee to achieve a “Strong
Performance” rating?
Using the goals above, here are some examples of metrics for each:
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GOAL: Implement new technology to allow for mail sorting to occur before 9:00AM
METRICS
o Project is completed no later than July of 2009
o Periodic checks post system implementation show mail is sorted before 9:00
95% of the time
o Employee informs manager of any potential issues that could cause a
delayed implementation date as soon as the issue is known.
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GOAL: Pay departmental invoices in accordance with the Virginia Tech Prompt Pay
standards
METRICS
o Periodic review of accounts payable indicates invoices are being paid in line
with VT Prompt Pay standards
o Any inability to meet the standards is brought to the manager’s attention prior
to timelines established in VT prompt pay standards
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Step Two: Competencies
The first part of the performance plan defines what an employee needs to do in his/her job.
This part of the performance plan is intended to measure how an employee does his/her job.
Competencies describe the behavior that employees are expected to demonstrate when they
are successfully performing their jobs.
The Competencies part of the P112 is broken into sections:
1. Universal
 Teamwork
 Maintaining a Safe and Secure Work Environment
 Diversity Commitment
The universal competencies have been pre-defined for all staff employees.
These will be pre-printed on the P112 and P112S.
Instructions for Writing a Position Description and Performance Plan (PS/LW)
October 15, 2001
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Virginia Tech Performance Management Program
2. Supervisory
 People Development
 Engagement
The supervisory competencies have also been pre-defined for all staff employees who are
responsible for completing a P112 for their direct reports. These competencies are required
for supervisory staff and are pre-printed on the P112S.
3. Job Specific
There are 13 pre-defined job-specific competencies that managers can use. Three to five of
these competencies need to be copied from the word document located at
http://www.hr.vt.edu/compensation/files/file_hr_comp_competency_definitions.doc and
pasted into the Performance Plan. Choose the competencies that are most relevant to the
employee for that review period.
In selecting the appropriate competencies to include in the performance plan it is best to go
back to the job responsibilities in the position description and the goals that have been defined
for the employee and consider what behaviors would have an impact on performance. For
instance, a Development Officer may have a certain funding goal but an equally essential part
of the job is to build relationships with donors so the donors will continue to contribute to
Virginia Tech and rather than making a single donation. Strong customer service skills are
critical in ensuring that a donor wants to contribute not just this year but in the future as well.
Consider the following questions when trying to determine the competencies that apply to each
employee:
 What are the factors that determine success?
 What are the key departmental or organization goals?
 What is important for an employee to achieve?
 What information do I need to evaluate performance?
Step Three: Career Development Plan
The career development plan is completed as part of the performance planning process. The
supervisor completes both sections (“Items employee is responsible for” and “Items supervisor
is responsible for”) with input from the employee.
Development steps to address specific performance improvement goals identified in the
performance evaluation should be included in this section as well as development steps that
will help towards career growth.
Step Four: Signature for Performance Plan
Once the performance plan has been completed and reviewed with the employee, the
supervisor should obtain the employee’s signature and give the employee a copy of the plan.
Instructions for Writing a Position Description and Performance Plan (PS/LW)
October 15, 2001
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Virginia Tech Performance Management Program
The original, signed, P112 is retained by the department until the end of the performance
management cycle when the original signature page will be used to record the Performance
Evaluation signatures
Changes to the Performance Plan during the Performance Cycle
The performance plan should be discussed with the employee periodically during the review
period to review progress and identify opportunities for improvement. If for some reason the
goals and/or competencies need to be modified, the supervisor should have a discussion with
the employee, record the changes on the performance plan and ask the employee to sign the
modified performance plan (using the original signature page).
Instructions for Writing a Position Description and Performance Plan (PS/LW)
October 15, 2001
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