Tips for a software engineer performance review

Question

What advice do you have for software engineering performance reviews?

What have you done to prepare for and during your past performance reviews which has worked well / poorly?

Answer 1

My best suggestion is to make sure you keep track of the work you have done over the previous performance period. There is nothing worse than going into a review and not being able to quickly point to the value you have added to the company.

Answer 2

Aside from work, it's also useful to have some feedback in your arsenal. If the CEO/Customer/Other Important Person sent your team an email congratulating their dedication and hardwork then keep their feedback.

In addition I like to demonstrate how I've progressed. If I'd done something not quite right I'd mention it in the review and then follow it with some examples of how I'd learned from my mistake. Since reviews should be balanaced there'll usually be some "could improve" stuff and if you meet those head on in the review I think it empowers your case for promotion/pay rise/pat on the head.

Answer 3

G'day,

At work, keep a focus on the objectives that have been set for you.

If you have been unable to complete any because of other work being assigned to you keep a record of those requests.

Trying to remember these things in the heat of the review is usually not possible. Coming up with a stack of evidence why you couldn't complete something is easier.

Also keep track of anything where you have brought value to the company, e.g. improved a process, designed a new system, etc.

HTH.

cheers,

Rob

Answer 4

In my experience in corporate environments performance reviews are just a tool your manager uses to justify a pay rise, bonus level or promotion decision that was decided about a month earlier - payroll is ready to run with the new numbers. I'm speaking here as one of those managers.

In that type of environment my advice is not to argue with your manager if you receive negative feedback. It will get you nowehere because the system probably won't allow your manager change anything even if they will admit to making a mistake.

This might sound very cynical but going to HR unless you can prove some kind of discrimination is a was of time. They probably set the parameters that your manager is working in.

Your best approach for dealing with negative feedback is to set seeds for your next review. Express your disappointment. Then move on. Agree some measurable goals that will get you that pay rise, bonus or promotion next time round.

Even if the feedback is positive you should be asking what you need to do to get to the next level.

Answer 5

Performance reviews usually come with your list of objectives. Find your favorite task list management system (be that software of pen and paper) and add your review objectives to your todo list. Break them down into smaller items if possible and track them throughout the review period. The Todo list should include all your day today work tasks as your review objectives are just as important. As you do stuff that meets a review objective (or even part of it) note it down as you go. If there are events that stop you achieving an objective Note them down! (for example you have been tasked to build a new development environment but the company won't pay for the hardware)

Then when its comes to your next review take your todo list in with you if makes ticking of your objectives much easier.

Answer 6

Thanks all for your suggestions. I also ran across this podcast (See also the PDF overview) which seems very useful. It's focused more towards managers, but much of the advice is applicable to software engineers as well.

Answer 7

I am terrible at remembering what I did last week, let alone throughout a whole year. My solution? Every Monday morning (although, admittedly, Friday afternoon would probably work better) I write down my key accomplishments of the previous week, as well as my goals for this week.

As an intern, I had to e-mail those to my Manager, but even if I just kept them locally, it would be handy to only have to look at 50 short records, than try to remember everything from memory.

Not to helpful right now, I know. But maybe for next year?