[sethammons]

One of my favorites was anonymous peer review. Some folks within your team and from outside your team (with whom you've worked) list some areas of strengths and areas for improvement. When you get these back, they are scrambled a bit. This does not replace the manager review, but can aid it. It really helped me see what I was valued for from others and I could think on the proposed areas for growth.

Back to the formal review, it should be an opportunity to document wins over the period. Your goals should be aligned with the company goals. Ideally there is a rubric for your position and the position that you would get in a promotion and your performance is considered along with the rubric.

Managers should come together and level-set for promotions (assuming there is a finite budget to work with). Defend promotions or lack thereof. If one manager is tossing out promotions like candy, and another is not, some adjustments are likely warrented. Concrete examples defending positions should be discussed.

I've not been exposed to many review systems, but I like the ideas behind this one. Would love to hear what others think and do.