How to run quarterly reviews

Why quarterly beats annual-only

Nobody remembers in March what happened in June. Annual-only reviews rely on memory, which favours the last few weeks and forgotten wins. Quarterly reviews catch a slipping goal while there is time to recover, update targets when a product launch moves or a branch closes, and give employees regular, predictable feedback. They also spread the manager's review work across the year instead of piling it into one stressful month.

A 30-minute format

Use the same structure every quarter, so both sides know what to prepare. Send the employee a two-line prep note a week ahead: how do you think the quarter went, and what do you need? Keeping to thirty minutes is a discipline; if something needs longer, book a separate conversation.

• 5 minutes: what went well this quarter
• 10 minutes: each goal, where it stands against the target
• 5 minutes: what got in the way and what help is needed
• 5 minutes: changes to goals or weights for next quarter
• 5 minutes: one development action and a summary

Worked example: a quarter for a regional sales manager

Deepak is a regional sales manager in Lucknow. His goals: revenue 40, collections 25, new distributors 15, team hiring 10, reporting 10. At the Q1 review, revenue stands at 92 percent of target, collections at 98 percent, and two new distributors are appointed against three planned. The review agrees a plan for the third distributor in Kanpur by May. Because a new product launch has moved to Q3, they shift weight: new distributors drop from 15 to 10 and revenue rises from 40 to 45, still totalling 100.

Recording outcomes and the annual link

Record each review in a few lines: status of each goal, changes agreed, and the development action. Decide at the start of the year whether quarters get a rating or notes only; both work if applied consistently. The annual rating should consider all four quarters, weighted by the goals that applied in each, rather than only the last one. Do not average quarterly ratings mechanically if goals changed during the year.

• Cancelling reviews in busy months, which is when they matter most
• Turning the review into a status update with no feedback
• Leaving goals unchanged when the business has moved
• Notes kept in each manager's own format, which cannot be compared
• No written record, so the annual review starts from memory again

Step by step

1. Fix four review windows. Set a two-week window after each quarter ends, such as the first half of July, October, January and April, and publish the dates.
2. Set up quarterly cycles. In ZeniaHR, create a quarterly review cycle with the company's rating scale and add each employee's goals with their weights.
3. Send a prep note a week ahead. Ask the employee how the quarter went and what they need, and pull the goal results you will discuss.
4. Hold the 30-minute conversation. Follow the fixed format: what went well, each goal, blockers, changes and one development action.
5. Update goals or weights. Change goals or weights only when the business or role has changed, record the date, and keep the weights adding to 100.
6. Record the outcome in writing. Write a few lines per review and share them with the employee the same day.
7. Check completion across teams. Two weeks into each window, check which reviews are still pending. ZeniaHR's cycle summary shows reviews by status for each cycle.
8. Use all four quarters at year end. Base the annual rating on the whole year's record, taking account of goal changes, rather than on the most recent quarter.

Frequently asked questions