Performance Review Samples for Dev Teams

Your yearly reviews are really important moments for you individually and also for the entire dev team. I find now there are very few managers left who take on the responsibility of writing the reviews for each individual member of the team. Instead they rely heavily on team members to provide positive info on team members they work with, thereby providing a more nuanced look at how each individual is performing.

The following is a list of examples I use to help jump start the process of analyzing team mates. I split the descriptions roughly into the development roles I have either worked in or with over the last few years. Remember these are just examples and filling out the detail of the genuine work interactions is what makes yearly reviews actually useful, this is just a positive starting point.

Junior Develop

• Understands work procedures.
• Demonstrates willingness to learn and grow professionally.
• Understand the teams mission/vision.
• Volunteers and offers suggestions.
• Willingly helps and assists others.
• Utilizes time well and sets appropriate priorities.
• Knows when to ask for help when workloads or critical work assignments demand it.
• Accepts responsibility and new job assignments.
• Judgment is generally sound and reasonable.
• Can be counted upon to complete duties and responsibilities accurately and on-time.

Senior Software Developer

• Knows and applies principles, techniques, technology and practices that demonstrate competency in the particular job function.
• Achieves, maintains and demonstrates necessary knowledge and skill level to perform currently assigned work responsibilities.
• Keeps informed of current developments.
• Knowledge and expertise is relied on by others.
• Effectively analyzes problems and formulates practical solutions.
• Provides information, assistance and guidance to others to help them perform their responsibilities.
• Demonstrates the value of working as a team.
• Seeks ways to share knowledge or mentor co-workers.
• Highest level of technical performance achieved by few.
• Accepts responsibility and performs tasks with limited supervision or oversight.
• Demonstrates independent thinking and a desire to seek additional technical challenges.

Team Lead

• Has a thorough grasp of highest team priorities and communicates that with the entire team.
• Exhibits a high degree of decision making ability.
• Takes responsibility for consequences and decisions.
• Creates a climate for comfortable expression of ideas.
• Ensures the team is consistently delivering working software to the standards the company expects.
• Promotes an atmosphere of mutual respect and cooperation.
• Encourages and supports others.
• Develops and maintains smooth and effective working relationships with developers, business analysts, and QA.
• Attempts to use logical reasoning in making decisions and solving problems.
• Uses positive methods of interactions with others.
• Discusses and explains information with others effectively.

Quality Assurance

• Documents internal audits and track quality assurance metrics, like defect densities and open defect counts
• Monitors customer feedback and proactively creates appropriate test frameworks.
• Collect, compile and disseminate statistical quality data
• Create detailed, comprehensive and well-structured test plans and test cases.
• Exhibits an interest and attempts to improve performance.
• Projects completed have made measurable improvements to the position and department.
• Always strives for a high level of performance.
• Always displays a cooperative attitude and shares knowledge.
• Develops very good working relationships with development staff.
• Proposes recommendations that show breadth and depth of knowledge of the entire software cycle.
• Stays current with new testing tools and automation test strategies

Business Analyst

• Exhibits superior knowledge of job content and requirements.
• Produces accurate, well-presented and thorough written documents and reports.
• Proposes recommendations that show breadth and depth of product knowledge.
• Collaborates with others to identify strategies for resolution of customer issues.
• Always willing to go beyond the anticipated needs of customer.
• Follows up with customers to ensure customer satisfaction and appropriate resolution.
• Demonstrates professional, high-service attitude that anticipates customer needs.
• Communicates to customers and effectively implements testing strategies.
• Anticipates future customers’ needs and creates plans to enhance service.