To: All Company Personnel
From: Gian Pagnucci, Inkwell Writing CEO
Date: July 1st, 2006
Subject: Performance Reports
Performance Report Requirements:
Our fiscal year is drawing to a close and so it is time to take measure of our company’s performance. Our first operating year has been fairly successful: we have shown a profit and we have established a small base of satisfied customers. So I am pleased to report that Inkwell Writing is well positioned to become a leading small tier publishing firm.
Planning for our company’s future success requires that we carefully review our operating procedures and our company personnel’s productivity on a bi-annual basis. In preparation for this review, I am asking each Inkwell employee to write a short Performance Report for me. This report should be 1-2 pages in length.
I will be using your Performance Report to help me assign annual raises (and final grades). In your report, I want you to argue clearly and concisely for the final grade you feel you have earned. Please discuss all of these items in your final report:
- Report Purpose—Every report should begin with a short statement that outlines the general purpose of the report. This is an introductory/overview statement. In this case, explain who you are and what your specific job responsibilities at Inkwell Writing were. You’ll want to list your company title but also discuss the many other areas you worked in for the company. These would be considered primary and secondary job responsibilities. In our company, everyone has at least worked as a technical writer, a web designer, and an editor in addition to other types of work.
- Productivity—How much work have you successfully produced for Inkwell Writing? Include a list of all specific projects completed for the company. Which projects were your best work and why? How well have you met or exceeded your project assignment requirements?
- Writing Quality—Discuss the general quality of the writing you produced for Inkwell Writing. In this section be sure to discuss your Grant Proposal, your Business Scenarios, your Publishing Issues Memo, and other writing you did on projects. Which products do you feel were your best written work?
- Creative Abilities—Many of our clients asked for creatively designed projects. Discuss specific examples from your work for Inkwell Writing that highlight your creative abilities.
- Technological Skills—Assess the development of your technological skills during our fiscal year (Jan.-April). How have your skills developed, especially at using Microsoft Word, Microsoft FrontPage, Microsoft Publisher, and WS FTP? Where did you make your biggest advances? Which products show your technological abilities at their best?
- Company Responsibilities—Discuss your performance as an Inkwell Writing employee in terms of your attendance record and also your teamwork with other employees. Assess how well other Inkwell Writing employees were able to depend on your work performance. Were you there working when others needed you? Did you perform the tasks that you needed to? Did you go the extra mile to help your fellow workers?
- Project Deadlines—Assess how well you have met your assigned project deadlines.
- Areas for Improvement—What areas are you most interested in working to improve for the future? What steps can you take to make yourself an even better employee for Inkwell Writing?
- Overall Performance—After discussing all the items above, give an overall assessment of your performance as an Inkwell Writing employee. What grade do you feel you have earned in light of your overall performance?
To assist me with your review, please have your Performance Report in hard copy form on my desk by Wednesday afternoon. Make sure the report meets our company document standards, is properly formatted (i.e. clear headings, effective spacing), and is designed for maximum reading efficiency.
I will weigh your Performance Report very heavily as I make my year-end evaluation of your work for Inkwell Writing and decide on your pay raise for next year (and final course grade). Be accurate, thorough, and honest in your self-evaluation and think carefully about the case you are making for yourself as productive employee.
Performance Report Context:
Like most of our work this semester, writing a Performance Report is another real world task. Most employees have their performance reviewed and evaluated on a regular basis. Part of this review process often requires the employee to make a case for deserving a raise. This document is thus highly important and highly rhetorical. You have to make a solid argument for what you have accomplished and what you deserve. Of course your accomplishments are also being weighed against the performance of other employees at the company. Thus you have to argue very carefully, being sure not to ask for too much or too little.
The key to writing an effective Performance Report is making a good case for yourself by backing up what you say with specific proof for your claims. At the same time, notice how the report’s format is structured to work against claims of perfection. The report format automatically assumes that everyone has room for improvement. You are thus forced into putting yourself at a disadvantage. A boss can easily use your weaknesses against you which explains why the boss requires them to be included in the report. Your task is to make a strong case for yourself despite these limitations. Hopefully this particular assignment will prepare you for the future when your annual raise might depend solely on your abilities as a writer.