Totara has a number of built-in performance management tools.  The built-in Totara Performance Management  Tools toolkit includes individual and organizational goals, built-in appraisals and individual learning plans.

Below is a suggested workflow to use Totara to make the appraisal process more efficient and meaningful.

Step One: Turning on Performance Management Tools

 

The first step is to make sure your performance management tools are turned on. The Totara default is to have them turned on. However, if your organization was not using them right away they may have been turned off so as not cause confusion for end-users.

To turn on performance management tools the site administrator needs to go to:

Site Administration > Advanced Features and make sure the following settings are enabled:

*Dynamic Appraisals

*Enable Goals

*Enable Appraisals

*Enable 360 Feedback

*Enable Learning Plans

Step Two: Create Goals

 

At the heart of performance management is having goals you want your employees to work toward.  In Totara you can track and assign organizational goals and personal goals.

Organizational Goals

 

Organizational goals in Totara represent the goals in your strategic plans that the entire organization is working toward. These goals can be tied to any type of learning, individual learning plans and employee appraisals.

Typically organizational goals are entered into Totara by the site administrator:

Site Administration > Hierarchies >  Goals > Manage Goals

Personal Goals

 

Personal goals are more targeted to specific goals the employee is working on. Typically personal goals are written collaboratively with the employee and their manager at the beginning of the appraisal process.

Individuals can view and manage their goals by going to:

Appraisal Tab > My Goals > Personal Goals

Managers can view employee goals by going to the My Team Tab.

Step 3: Gathering Data for the Appraisal

 

Part of the appraisal process should include seeking feedback from others. Totara has a built-in 360 Feedback tool that enables employees to collect feedback from colleagues quickly and easily.

Forms for the 360 Feedback can be customized. They are typically set-up by a site administrator by going to:

Site Administration > Appraisals > Manage Feedback

You can choose content for the 360 Feedback form by choosing options from the Content drop down menu.

Employees can invite internal employees or people outside of the organization to respond.  Feedback can be anonymous. If feedback is not anonymous, employees can send automated reminders to people who have not completed the feedback surveys. Employees and managers can view the feedback received.

People that have been invited receive an email notification asking them to complete the feedback survey.  An alert also shows up on the employee’s dashboard.

 

More information on setting up 360 Degree Feedback is available in the Totara Documentation.

Step 4: Setting up the Appraisal Process

Totara allows you to create your own workflow process for the appraisal process. Below is a sample:

A helpful report to view what appraisals have been completed and which ones are in process across the organization is available at:

Site Administration > Appraisals > Reports

More information about setting up appraisals is available in the Totara documentation.

Step 5: Create a Learning Plan

The next step in the Appraisal process is for the manager and the employee to work together to create a learning plan that will help them reach their targeted goals.

Note: Many organizations use audience based catalogs that allow the course catalog to only show courses applicable to the employee based on their profile, position or place in the organization.

Learning plans can include Courses, Competencies, Objectives, Programs, and Certifications.

More information on setting up Learning Plans is available in the Totara Documentation.

See the Totara Performance Management Tools in Action in Our Video Below:

Need help with setting-up Performance Management in Your Organization?

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