Problem solving performance review phrases

Exceeds expectations

• Traced repeated payroll mismatches to a wrong shift mapping and fixed the root cause, not just the month.
• When a supplier failed mid-order, lined up two alternates the same day and kept the line running.
• Broke a stubborn customer complaint into three parts and closed each, instead of arguing the whole.
• Found a workaround for the biometric outage so attendance kept flowing until the device was repaired.
• Cut a two-hour reconciliation to twenty minutes by spotting the duplicate entries at the source.
• Diagnosed why night dispatches kept slipping and re-sequenced loading, so the pattern stopped.
• Handled a double-booked hall by splitting timings and keeping both clients, rather than refunding one.
• Reads the actual error before escalating, so tickets reach IT with the cause already narrowed down.

Meets expectations

• Works through routine issues methodically and escalates only when a problem is truly beyond own scope.
• Checks the obvious causes first before assuming the worst, saving time on most tickets.
• Uses past cases and the SOP to solve recurring problems without fresh help each time.
• Gathers the facts, such as dates and amounts, before proposing a fix to the manager.
• Tries a sensible workaround when the usual route is blocked, then reports what was done.
• Asks the right clarifying questions before starting, so effort is not wasted on the wrong issue.
• Keeps a note of fixes that worked, so the same problem is faster to solve next time.
• Separates the urgent part of a problem from the rest and tackles that first.

Needs improvement

• Fixes the immediate symptom but rarely asks why the problem keeps returning each month.
• Escalates too early, before checking the manual or the obvious first causes.
• Jumps to a solution before the facts are in, so the fix sometimes misses the real issue.
• Waits for instructions when the usual route is blocked, rather than trying a safe workaround.
• Handles one part of a multi-part complaint and considers it closed, leaving the rest open.
• Repeats the same manual fix daily instead of raising the underlying process gap.
• Struggles to explain the problem clearly to IT, so tickets bounce back for more detail.
• Gets stuck when a case falls outside the SOP, and work stalls until someone steps in.

Self-review phrases

• I now ask why a problem recurred before closing it, not just fix the current instance.
• I check the SOP and past tickets before escalating, to save the team time.
• I want to gather the full facts before proposing a fix, so I stop guessing.
• I documented the recurring payroll fix so the next person solves it faster.
• I am learning to try a safe workaround when the normal route is blocked.

Tips for writing this feedback

• Reward root-cause fixes over quick patches. Ask whether the same problem came back, which tells you if it was truly solved.
• Look at how the person handles a case outside the SOP, where real problem solving shows more than routine tickets.
• Judge the method, not luck. A structured approach that fails once is more reliable than a guess that happened to work.
• Give a real example the person will recognise, naming the issue and the fix, so the feedback is concrete.
• Balance speed and thoroughness. Note whether fast fixes hold up or create rework later in the month.

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