Performance management software is a tool that brings review cycles, feedback, goal-setting and one-to-ones into one place, instead of chasing templates round Google Docs or spreadsheets. Read our full guide to performance management for small business for the bigger picture.

Start with Charlie's built-in templates rather than a blank page, they're written by HR experts, so you don't have to guess what "good" looks like or worry about missing something important. Most first-time managers find the structure itself is what makes reviews feel manageable, not intimidating.

Yes. Charlie's review builder is customisable, so you can start from a template and adjust questions, cadence, and reviewers to match how your business actually works, rather than forcing your process into someone else's format. If your reviews currently live in a spreadsheet or a bespoke doc because nothing else quite fit, this is usually the point where it's worth trying the builder rather than assuming it won't flex.

It's a common belief, but even small, close-knit teams benefit from structured reviews. Informal impressions miss things a documented process catches, and reviews give employees a real record of their own progress, which matters when it comes to pay, promotion, or just feeling seen. It also protects you from a legal perspective if a performance issue is ever challenged later.

Start with your team size and budget. Most enterprise tools are built (and priced) for companies with dedicated HR teams, not a founder juggling reviews alongside everything else. We've compared the best performance management software for small businesses if you want to see how the options stack up.

Annual reviews assess a whole year in one sitting, which means feedback arrives too late to actually change anything. Continuous performance management swaps that for regular, lighter-touch check-ins — weekly one-to-ones, ongoing goals, real-time feedback — so issues get caught early and nothing relies on memory. Here's how to implement continuous performance management at your business.

Yes. Charlie lets peers, not just managers, contribute feedback for a fuller picture of someone's performance, and you control whether that feedback is shared with the person being reviewed. See our best 360 feedback tools guide for how this compares to other platforms.

And if you’re not sure what a 360 feedback review is, you can even grab our free 360 review template to see the structure and question style before you set anything up in Charlie.

The best reviews mix goal-oriented, competency-based, developmental and self-evaluation questions rather than sticking to one type — each draws out something different. Browse 7 types of performance review questions that work for ready-to-use examples, or use one of Charlie's built-in templates.

Yes. Charlie's review builder lets you set up probation reviews, monthly one-to-ones, annual appraisals and exit interviews as separate cycles, all from the same dashboard, so you're not juggling different tools for different moments in the employee lifecycle.

There's no single right cadence — some teams review quarterly, others twice a year with monthly check-ins in between — but the more frequent option tends to catch problems earlier. Whatever you choose, Charlie's cycle dashboard and automatic reminders flag who's behind, so reviews don't quietly stall on one manager's desk.