7 Agile Performance Management Tools For Busy Managers

What agile performance management tools do you really need?

Agile or “continuous” performance management is gaining widespread adoption. From efficiency-driven Fortune 500s to fast-growing enterprises, most organizations are moving from a traditional to modern approach.

Adobe, for example, has become the poster-company for abolishing traditional performance management practices like annual reviews and embracing frequent check-ins and feedback.

But adopting an agile performance management process isn’t so simple; transitioning from a traditional to modern approach is a gradual process that requires company-wide buy-in and the right tools.

In today’s post, we’ll look at the benefits of agile performance management and help you choose the best tools to implement it.

The Benefits Of Agile Performance Management

Following an agile performance management process has the following benefits:

• It gives employees real-time feedback that immediately improves their productivity and opens up a two-way feedback channel
• It aligns corporate objectives with employee goals to boost workforce productivity
• It reduces bias by frequently measuring performance, instead of relying on the start and end of a given year
• It allows both managers and employees to quickly identify issues, bottlenecks and potential problems that harm profitability

The Best Agile Performance Management Tools

Technology makes the performance management process more efficient. It ensures that your organization is prepared and that your employees know where they stand throughout the year.

Below, you’ll find seven of the best agile performance management tools to increase workforce productivity (without bloating your existing workflows and process).

1. Totara Perform
2. Totara’s Talent Experience Platform
3. Zoom
4. Slack
5. Michael Schmitt’s Performance Review Generator
6. IntelliBoard Learning Analytics
7. Motrain’s Motivation Tool

1. Totara Perform

We may be biased here, but with very good reason: Totara Perform is one of the most versatile agile performance management tools on the market.

The performance management system supports everything from the traditional annual appraisal to newer continuous performance management practices, such as regular check-ins.

With Totara Perform, you can set your own continuous performance management schedule, keep an organized record of notes from your performance conversations, review competencies, gather 360-degree feedback and create meaningful goals.

2. Totara’s Talent Experience Platform

While Totara Perform is a robust performance management tool on its own, you’ll want Totara’s Talent Experience Platform to maximize the benefit of your agile performance management endeavors.

Totara Perform connects seamlessly with Totara Learn, the flexible learning management system (LMS), and Totara Engage, the learning experience platform (LXP).

This means you can:

• Connect employee performance goals with relevant learning programs
• Monitor employee engagement levels to guide them towards their objectives
• And conduct better traditional or agile performance reviews
• Easily document and write performance reviews

3. Zoom

Just because your workforce has switched to remote work, that doesn’t mean your performance management should fall through the cracks.

In fact, it’s probably never been more important for managers to stay on top of employee performance. Zoom is a valuable tool in your arsenal for this purpose, allowing you to maintain your normal performance check-in schedule no matter where your team is working.

To make your discussion feel more like an in-person conversation, you may prefer to switch on your cameras to pick up on body language and non-verbal cues. Either way, make sure you keep up the normal frequency of your check-ins for the best results.

4. Slack

As many organizations are discovering, performance management doesn’t always need to entail scheduled conversations.

Communication tools, such as Slack, are ideal agile performance management tools when you want to send a quick, informal message. This could be as simple as sending positive feedback about a job well done, or a reminder to complete overdue work (which is important considering that one-third of employees want more regular feedback).

Blending formal and informal performance conversations in this manner normalizes frequent communication. It makes check-ins feel less nerve-racking and more like regular parts of working life.

5. Michael Schmitt’s Agile Performance Review Generator

As a manager, you’re busy – particularly when annual appraisal time rolls around. If you’re struggling to find the time to write all of your performance reviews, try a performance review generator, such as Michael Schmitt’s.

When you’re strapped for time, this smart tool gives you an outline based on each employee’s traits, skills and behaviors. However, you will still want to further personalize feedback to make it as valuable and accurate as possible – be sure to highlight specific projects or feedback from others.

6. IntelliBoard Learning Analytics

What does learning analytics have to do with performance?

When it comes to agile performance management, learning analytics is quite relevant. You really can’t be without a great learning analytics tool because it provides valuable insights on learning, development and performance.

For instance, you can use an LMS plugin, such as IntelliBoard, to discover:

• Who has completed assigned learning content
• How well they performed
• What they struggled with

Knowing this information, you can then connect their learning activity with on-the-job performance and discover an employee’s skills or knowledge gaps.

7. Motrain’s Motivation Tool

Did you know that 80% of employees work harder when they feel appreciated?

Employee engagement and workplace performance are inextricably linked, with more engaged employees performing better.

Reward-driven gamification with a tool such as Motrain is a great way to boost employee engagement and motivation levels, allowing them to earn virtual “coins” that can be exchanged for rewards.

This is a powerful way to drive engagement (particularly when promoting interaction with optional learning content) and, in turn, increase performance levels.

So that’s our seven best agile performance management tools.

If you’re interested in Totara Perform, request a demo now to see how the agile performance management system can support your organization.