What this template is for
Performance review season turns into chaos because each manager prepares differently, evidence is collected late, and calibration meetings turn into recall exercises (“what did Jamie ship in March again?”). This template gives every manager a single, structured Jira issue per direct report with the same evidence-collection workflow and calibration prep.
It is designed for managers running formal review cycles in mid-sized to large organisations.
When to use it
Use this template at the start of every performance review cycle for every direct report. Skip it for continuous-feedback shops with no formal cycle.
How to set it up in Jira
Create a perf-cycle project with strict permissions - manager and HR only. Add the custom fields above to the Create Issue screen and use Custom Fields for Preliminary Rating as a four-point select list. Required-on-create for employee, cycle, and manager fields.
Sub-task breakdown
- Collect self-review and peer feedback is the input-gathering phase.
- Gather objective evidence pulls shipped work, retros, customer wins.
- Synthesise themes turns inputs into a coherent narrative.
- Set preliminary rating and calibration brief prepares for calibration.
- Attend calibration is the cross-manager fairness step.
- Deliver the review and capture follow-ups is the conversation with the employee.
Use STM Issue Templates to auto-create the issue and sub-tasks at cycle start for every direct report in a manager’s tree.
Fields to add to your Jira create screen
These are the fields a project admin should make sure exist on the Create Issue screen for this issue type (Project settings → Screens). Without these on the screen, reporters can't provide the information triage needs - and STM can't reference them either.
| Field | Example value | Required |
|---|---|---|
Summary | Performance review prep - J. Patel - 2026 H1 | Yes |
Employee Name (custom) | Jamie Patel | Yes |
Review Cycle (custom) | 2026 H1 | Yes |
Manager (custom) | Manager name | Yes |
Role / Level (custom) | Senior Backend Engineer, L4 | No |
Self-review Submitted (custom) | Yes / No, with date | No |
Peer Feedback Received (custom) | Number of peers, themes | No |
Evidence Collected (custom) | Links to shipped work, customer wins, retros | No |
Strengths Theme (custom) | Pattern across cycle | No |
Growth Areas Theme (custom) | Pattern across cycle | No |
Preliminary Rating (custom) | Below / Meets / Exceeds / Outstanding | No |
Calibration Notes (custom) | Pre-calibration context | No |
Component/s | perf-cycle | No |
Labels | perf-2026-h1, confidential | No |
Attachments | Self-review PDF, peer-feedback exports | No |
Note on custom fields. STM currently supports up to 5 custom fields per template. You can add as many custom fields as you like to your Jira Create Issue screen - the 5-field limit only applies if you want STM to set or update those custom fields itself.
Sub-tasks STM creates automatically
Build an STM sub-task template containing the items below, then wire it to an On Create Issue Executor scoped to this issue type. Whenever a new issue of this type is created in the project, STM creates the full sub-task set in one step - with assignee, due date, and components inherited from the parent unless you override them.
- Collect self-review and peer feedback
- Gather objective evidence from the cycle
- Synthesise themes (strengths, growth areas)
- Set preliminary rating and prepare calibration brief
- Attend calibration session
- Deliver the review and capture follow-ups
Common questions
What is a Jira performance review cycle template?
It is a Jira task that helps a manager prepare for one direct report's review during performance review season. It captures self-review status, peer feedback, evidence, themes, preliminary rating, and calibration notes, with sub-tasks for evidence collection, calibration, and review delivery. Managers run one issue per direct report per cycle.
How do you prepare for performance reviews in Jira?
Create one Jira issue per direct report at the start of the cycle. Use this template to track evidence collection, peer feedback, theme synthesis, and calibration prep. Run the sub-tasks in order so calibration is informed by evidence, not gut feel. File these in a restricted-permissions project so confidentiality is preserved.
Should performance review notes be in Jira given the confidentiality?
Yes, with strict project permissions. Restrict the project to the manager and HR. Avoid storing the final review document in Jira - that lives in the HRIS. Use Jira for the manager's preparation workflow and calibration notes, where the structured intake and sub-task automation reduce review-season chaos.
What custom fields are needed on a Jira performance review prep issue?
Employee name, review cycle, manager, role/level, self-review status, peer feedback summary, evidence collected, strengths and growth themes, preliminary rating, and calibration notes. Configure Preliminary Rating via Custom Fields as a four-point select list. Required-on-create for employee, review cycle, and manager.
Automate the sub-tasks with STM
STM Issue Templates saves the sub-task list above as a reusable template and creates them on every new issue of this type - via an Executor on issue creation, on status transition, or triggered manually from the issue's "Create bulk sub-tasks" menu. STM does not change the parent issue's create screen (that's a Jira project-settings job) but it removes the manual work of creating the sub-tasks every time.
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