This guide walks you through the entire performance review cycle in Calamari's Performance module: from setting up a review process template and launching a review session to collecting feedback and preparing the manager's final summary. You'll also learn what employees and managers can see and do at each stage.
Before you start: Performance review sessions can be launched by Calamari Administrators or Performance module Administrators.
The setup consists of two main steps:
Configuring a Review Process template – define how the review should work, including the questions, reviewers, and applicable rules.
Launching a Review Session – start a review session based on your previously configured template.
Performance review cycle at a glance
An Administrator creates a Review Process template, defining the participants, review types, questions, deadlines, and optionally a final manager review.
An Administrator launches a Review Session using the template. Participants receive notifications.
If peer reviews are enabled and reviewers need to be assigned, the session Administrator or direct manager can assign reviewers.
Employees complete their self-reviews and/or peer reviews.
Once all required reviews have been submitted, the direct manager prepares the final evaluation (if enabled).
The Administrator closes the session and can use the collected results.
The next step may be to set employee goals based on the completed review cycle.
Step 1. Configure a Review Process (session template)
A Review Process is a reusable template that defines how performance reviews are conducted across your organization. Once saved, you can use the same process for future review sessions.
Go to Configuration → Review Processes.
Click Add.
Enter a name for the process, select the group of employees to be reviewed, and define any exclusions.
Choose the review types – self-review, peer review, or external review – and configure their duration and additional settings, including response visibility.
Add questions to the review form (see below).
Optional: Enable the final evaluation completed by the direct manager. Add questions and specify the time allowed for this stage.
Optional: Use the form preview to see how the review form will appear to employees. The preview reflects your current configuration, including the questions and their order.
Save the process. Your template is now ready to be used when launching a review session.
Questions in the review form
You can choose from several question types:
Open-ended questions
Rating scale questions
Single-choice questions
Multiple-choice questions
For each question, you can also specify which review type it should appear in:
Self-review only
Peer review only
External review only
All review types
Step 2. Launch a Review Session
Go to Review Sessions.
Click Start.
Select the Review Process you want to use as the session template and enter a name for the session.
Launch the session. Calamari will automatically send notifications to all participants.
Each session has a defined start and end date and uses the questions, review types, and deadlines configured in the selected Review Process template.
Assigning reviewers (optional)
If you are launching a peer review session that requires reviewers to be assigned, you can assign them when starting the session.
You can use filters to quickly find and select reviewers.
Step 3. What employees see and complete
Notification – Employees receive a notification when a new review session starts (via email, Slack, Microsoft Teams, or the Calamari mobile app). The new session also appears in the Review Sessions tab. If the session allows employees to volunteer as reviewers, they can request to review a specific colleague.
Completing the review form – Employees answer the questions defined in the template. Forms awaiting completion are available under Reviews → To Complete.
Saving or submitting – Employees can save their answers as a draft and return to them later, or submit the completed review.
Under Performance → Review Sessions, employees can see their review sessions and filter them by status (active or completed). They can also check deadlines for self-reviews, peer reviews, and final reviews.
Employees can submit peer reviews if they have been assigned as reviewers by their direct manager or if the Performance Administrator has enabled the option to volunteer as a reviewer.
Peer reviews can be anonymous, depending on the session settings. When submitting a review, employees can see whether their feedback will be shared with their name or anonymously. In some sessions, they may also be able to select a more restrictive anonymity option.
Tip: Access to review results is restricted. Only authorized users, such as Administrators, Managers, or the employee being reviewed, can view them according to the configured permissions.
Step 4. What direct managers see and complete
The final review is optional, but it helps managers analyze feedback and prepare for development conversations. It is completed by the employee's direct manager.
Notification – Once all required reviews for an employee have been submitted, Calamari notifies the direct manager that they can prepare the final evaluation.
Selecting an employee – Under Performance → Reviews → To Complete, managers can see employees whose final reviews still need to be completed.
Reviewing results – The form includes feedback collected during the current review cycle, along with historical data from previous review periods.
Completing the form – The direct manager adds their conclusions, comments, and overall summary, including strengths, areas for improvement, next steps, and potential goals.
Saving or submitting – The summary can be saved as a draft or submitted as the final review.
Managers can complete the form in several stages without losing their progress.
Only the direct manager can complete the final review. Employees can find their review summaries under Reviews → Received.
Step 5. Close the Review Session and analyze results
Sessions do not close automatically when the deadline passes. Participants can still submit reviews after the deadline.
An Administrator can manually close a session at any time, for example, once all required forms have been completed.
After closing the session, aggregated results are available to support employee development conversations and HR analysis.
Step 6. Set employee goals after the review
Performance review results and development conversations are a natural starting point for setting employee goals.
You can manage goals under Performance → Goals.
Goals help translate company priorities into clear objectives for teams and individual employees while making it easier to track progress over time.
Goal types
Company goal – An organization-wide goal visible to everyone. Only Administrators can create company goals.
Group goal – A shared goal for a team or another group of employees, visible to everyone.
Individual goal – A goal assigned to a specific employee, visible to everyone.
Development goal – A personal or professional development goal. It is private and visible only to its owner and their manager. Development goals are particularly useful for addressing areas for improvement identified during performance reviews.
How to add a goal after a review session
Go to Performance → Goals and click the + button next to the list heading.
Select the goal type in the Type field.
Enter the goal details: name, optional description, owner, and deadline.
If the goal supports another objective (for example, a team goal), select it in the Parent Goal field.
Click Activate Goal to start tracking it immediately, or Save as Draft to finish setting it up later, for example, after discussing the details with the employee.
Employees can create goals for themselves, while Managers and Administrators can assign goals to other employees based on their permissions.
Tracking goals during the next review cycle
Progress (0–100%) can be changed using the Update button. Each update includes a comment explaining the change.
An active goal can be marked as At Risk, allowing the manager to take action before the deadline.
When a goal is completed, it can be closed with one of the following outcomes: Achieved, Partially Achieved, Not Achieved, or Canceled.
Each goal has an update history, making it possible to review not only the final result but also the progress made throughout the review period.
For more information about goal hierarchies, the Cascade view, and filtering options, see the article Goals – How to Create, Monitor, and Update Employee Goals.