3️⃣How to check-in every quarter

👋 Introduction

We have four quarterly check-ins. This is to prevent recency bias and encourage continuous conversations and course-correction.

With whom	Due by
Your lead for a majority of the quarter	31 March
Your lead for a majority of the quarter	30 June
Your lead for a majority of the quarter	30 September
Your lead for a majority of the quarter	31 December

Evaluations will happen once every quarter. As soon as the candidate meets the promotion criteria, they will be promoted, regardless of which quarter this happens in.

---

1️⃣ Writing check-ins

• Each check-in is divided into three stages: self-evaluation, mentor evaluation, and final check-in to align on Strengths and Improvement Areas for the next quarter.

• For each skill, choose from the three performance levels—working towards, meeting, exceeding expectations. Use the examples under each skill on Progression as references.

• Contextualise your evaluation with specific examples of how you or the candidate worked towards, met or exceeded each criteria.

• Cross-reference Wins and Feedback and use them to supplement your self-evaluation or, if you’re a mentor, the mentee’s evaluation.

---

2️⃣ Objective evaluations

On each skill, let the examples demonstrate "Conscious, Comfortable, Continuous, Consistent Competency":

• Conscious: having devoted intentional effort to this endeavour,

• Comfortable: without being overly stretched,

• Continuous: for a reasonable period of time,

• Consistent: reliably and evenly,

• Competency: meeting the criteria.

For example, you might have met every example (Competency) but you may not have met them for long enough (Continuous) or without being overly stretched (Comfortable). In such a case, your growth marker might still be working towards, and not meeting or exceeding

---

3️⃣ Sample of a D2 check-in on Delivery

Assessment Table

	D2 on Delivery	D3 on Delivery
Definition	Effectively delivers individual projects	Effectively delivers complex projects with multiple stakeholders
Examples	Plans and delivers small individual projects by breaking them down into smaller tasks and delivering each of them consistently and on time. Communicates effectively with all involved stakeholders about their day-to-day task deliverables alongside the deliverables of their larger projects. Is aware of how individual project components fits in larger projects and uses that awareness to keep the larger projects on track through collaboration with more experienced stakeholders.	Owns the delivery of large projects by breaking them down into smaller projects planned in sprints. Manages accountability and effective communication between teammates and all involved stakeholders. Understands the second-order effects of their project deliverables on business and strives to ensure that the business goals are met by adjusting their own project strategy, if necessary.

Self assessment

I am exceeding this level

I was responsible for designing Feature A, B, and C during the last quarter. I made sure they were completed before the agreed-upon deadlines by breaking them down into smaller tasks and keeping the client teams informed through documentation on the project board. I addressed potential issues, such as pending reviews and missing information, to ensure the delays did not reflect poorly on the company. I also kept my colleagues and leaders informed when the delays impacted the overall project. I believe I am excelling in this role as I am meeting expectations and taking initiative to do more.

Mentor’s assessment

Saket is working towards this level

Saket, during the last quarter, I was happy to see you independently deliver three features. Your capability to break down the work into smaller tasks and plan and execute them in a smooth manner was quite commendable. Furthermore, your asynchronous communication skills were on point, as I noticed that you left regular comments on the project board and Figma, which helped in keeping the team updated about the progress of the work. Additionally, your regular comments on blockers were also noteworthy, as they helped in identifying the root cause of delays which were brought up during the quarterly retrospective with the clients.

However, as we move into the next quarter, I would like to see you take a more proactive approach in your communication. While I appreciate the fact that you leave comments seeking clarity, I believe that there are times when you could take the initiative to get that clarity faster by involving the right stakeholders in a quick conversation. If that’s not possible, you could send people who can unblock you a Slack message or email rather than waiting for them to respond to comments on the project board. Reaching out to them directly will be more helpful to you than waiting for them to respond and calling that out as the reason for being blocked. Taking complete ownership of the work doesn't just mean calling out bottlenecks, but proactively working to remove them. I believe that if you could work on this aspect, it would help you excel in your role and take your performance to the next level.

I chose meeting as your growth marker because exceeding translates to mastery of D2 and showing some signs of being able to take on D3-level responsibilities. As explained above, there’s still some room to grow at your current level, and I’m excited to see that happen over the next quarter.

Mutual assessment

We agree that Saket is working towards this level

We mutually agreed to working towards as Saket’s growth marker because exceeding translates to mastery of the current level and showing some signs of being able to take on the responsibilities at the next level for a reasonable duration. While Saket is exceeding expectations on aspects like independent delivery and well documented updates, there’s room for him to grow in communicating more proactively.

In the next quarter, Saket will keep up their performance on independent delivery, documentation, work visibility and frequent updates, while:

• creating clarity by communicating directly with involved stakeholders rather than waiting for them to come back on asynchronous channels

• ensuring that delays regarding his projects does not impact the team’s broader goals by offering proactive support to his counterparts

---