Performance Planning: The Heartbeat of Performance Management

Let’s be honest—most people hear “performance management” and think of stale HR processes, tick-box appraisal forms, and awkward end-of-year reviews. But that’s not what performance planning should be. Done properly, performance planning is where performance management comes alive. It’s where strategy meets psychology, structure meets purpose, and managers and employees stop working around each other and start working together.

Why Performance Planning Matters (Yes, Really)

Imagine trying to pass a university course without knowing the assignments, the marking criteria, or even the subject content. That’s what it feels like to work without a performance plan. Performance planning is the bedrock of good management. Without it, employees are left guessing what "good" looks like—and managers are stuck hoping their staff will hit moving targets they never defined.

Great performance doesn't just happen. It’s built through clear expectations, thoughtful strategy, genuine support, and targeted development. Each of these elements needs to be intentional. Otherwise, you’re just managing by osmosis and praying for miracles.

 Step 1: Define What 'Good' Actually Looks Like

This sounds simple, but defining good performance is surprisingly tricky. It isn’t just about getting your tasks done—it’s about how you get them done, how well you work with others, and how often you contribute to making things better.

 Using Griffin et al.’s model of work role performance, we can break this down into:

Proficiency: doing your job as expected.

Adaptivity: responding well to change.

 Proactivity: improving things before they break.

 And that applies at the individual, team, and organisational level—giving us nine types of performance to consider. This approach offers a sophisticated, evidence-based way to define “good” that goes way beyond, “Are you doing your job?”

Step 2: Plan with Purpose, Not Just Paper

Next comes the plan—goals, behaviours, competencies, and strategies. And here’s where things often fall apart.

 Let’s start with goals. Everyone loves SMART goals: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Time-bound. Except… the SMART framework is kind of dumb. It’s not grounded in solid psychological theory, it’s often misused, and it doesn’t account for competing goals or conflicting demands.

 Instead of slavishly following SMART, performance planning should ask:

 What’s most important to focus on this year?

 What goals actually make sense given the context?

 How do these goals align with broader accountabilities?

 Pair goals with strategies—both milestone-based (discrete steps) and habit-based (ongoing behaviours). Think through what will help or hinder performance. Identify job demands (e.g. workload, role ambiguity) and job resources (e.g. autonomy, feedback, fairness). This is where human factors meets strategic planning.

Step 3: Support Isn’t Optional—It’s Foundational

If performance planning is a conversation, support is its promise. And promises matter.

Managers must outline how they’ll support employees throughout the year—not just vague nods, but concrete commitments. When check-ins will happen. How open-door policies work. What to do when things go off the rails.

 And crucially: follow through.

 Support isn’t just about assistance; it’s about relationship signals. Employees interpret support as “they care about me,” “I matter here,” “I want to stay.” Fail to provide it, and you erode trust—even if you're well-intentioned. The trust equation (credibility + reliability + intimacy, divided by self-orientation) reminds us that technical ability isn’t enough; people need to feel seen, safe, and supported.

Step 4: Develop or Die (Professionally Speaking)

If you want someone to perform at a higher level, you better invest in their development. This means identifying the skills, knowledge, and capabilities they need—and helping them get there.

 Development isn’t just a training workshop or some vague “career goal” chat. It’s a structured plan that blends:

 Declarative knowledge (knowing what),

 Procedural knowledge (knowing how),

 And the 70:20:10 approach (70% experiential, 20% social, 10% formal learning).

 The manager’s job? Help employees define a few targeted development goals and connect them to realistic learning opportunities. Think small but strategic—too much and people will disengage; too little and they’ll stagnate.

The Real Secret? It’s the Conversation

Here’s the bottom line: performance planning isn’t paperwork. It’s a high-value conversation. It’s how you align potential with purpose. It’s how you build relationships that drive performance. It’s how you create clarity, accountability, and motivation—without the need for micromanagement.

 If you want to lead well, or consult effectively, don’t wait until the review period to start thinking about performance. Start with planning. That’s where the real work—and the real magic—happens.