Performance Evaluation Skills for Project Managers Training Course

Course overview

Project managers are often asked to evaluate people while managing changing scope, uneven workloads, matrix reporting lines, and delivery pressure. Weak evidence, vague feedback, inconsistent ratings, or late intervention can damage trust, create retention risk, and leave managers unable to justify decisions to HR or senior leaders. This course equips project managers to run fair, evidence-based performance evaluations that distinguish individual contribution from project outcomes, while maintaining accountability for behaviours, collaboration, technical delivery, and development.

Participants learn to set role-relevant expectations, translate project objectives into observable performance criteria, gather balanced evidence from plans, delivery data, stakeholders, and team members, and avoid common rating errors. They practise structured appraisal conversations, including recognition, developmental feedback, underperformance discussions, and difficult responses to ratings. The course also covers calibration, documentation standards, performance improvement planning, and appropriate escalation to HR when conduct, capability, wellbeing, or policy issues arise.

Instruction combines project-based cases, facilitator demonstrations, rating-calibration workshops, and simulated evaluation meetings. Participants work with realistic project artefacts such as RAID logs, sprint reports, milestone plans, stakeholder feedback, and competency frameworks. They leave with a completed Performance Evaluation Toolkit for one of their own project roles or teams: an evidence map, evaluation criteria, appraisal agenda, feedback scripts, development actions, and a documented performance improvement plan template.

The programme is designed for experienced project managers, programme managers, PMO leaders, and technical delivery leaders who have direct reports, matrix-management responsibilities, or formal input into annual and project-end reviews.

Course objectives

By the end of this course, participants will be able to:

• Define role-specific performance criteria using project objectives, competency frameworks, and behavioural indicators
• Build an evidence map from schedules, delivery metrics, stakeholder feedback, RAID logs, and team observations
• Apply behaviourally anchored rating scales to make consistent, defensible performance judgements
• Conduct structured appraisal conversations using the SBI feedback model and active listening techniques
• Differentiate capability, conduct, motivation, workload, and system barriers when diagnosing underperformance
• Facilitate rating-calibration discussions that challenge bias and align evaluation standards across managers
• Draft a measurable performance improvement plan with milestones, support actions, review dates, and documentation
• Produce a project-team performance evaluation toolkit ready for use in a live review cycle

Benefits of attending

Target competencies

Who should attend

• Project Managers — who must evaluate direct reports or provide evidence-based input to functional managers
• Programme Managers — who need consistent performance standards across multiple project teams
• PMO Managers — who establish review practices, capability frameworks, and delivery-accountability processes
• Technical Project Managers — who assess specialist contributors while working in matrix reporting structures
• Project Directors — who calibrate manager assessments and address persistent delivery-performance issues
• Team Leaders and Workstream Leads — who conduct project-end reviews and development conversations

Requirements and prerequisites

Participants should have at least two years of project, programme, workstream, or team-leadership experience and familiarity with core project artefacts such as schedules, milestones, risk registers, status reports, sprint boards, and stakeholder feedback. They should understand the difference between project delivery objectives and individual performance objectives, and have participated in or contributed to a formal review process. Experience using Microsoft Project, Jira Software, or an HR performance system is useful but not essential. No HR qualification, employment-law training, psychometric certification, or prior experience of managing formal disciplinary cases is required.

Training methodology

The instructor uses short teaching inputs to establish evaluation methods, then moves quickly into project-management scenarios. Participants analyse schedules, Jira dashboards, RAID logs, stakeholder comments, and behavioural observations to build rating evidence. Small groups calibrate competing assessments against behaviourally anchored scales and challenge potential bias. Facilitated role-plays cover recognition, developmental feedback, and underperformance conversations, with peer and instructor feedback. Each day adds to an individual Performance Evaluation Toolkit, culminating in an application plan for an upcoming live review, project closeout, or quarterly check-in.

Course outline

Day 1: Performance evaluation in the project environment

• Separating project outcomes from individual performance contribution
• Manager, functional manager, and matrix-manager evaluation responsibilities
• Translating project objectives into role-specific performance expectations
• Using competency frameworks for project delivery roles
• Observable behaviours versus assumptions and personality judgements
• The performance management cycle from goal setting to review
• Ethical boundaries, confidentiality, and HR escalation points

Workshop: Participants map one project role to delivery objectives, behavioural indicators, evidence sources, and review-accountability owners.

Day 2: Evidence, metrics, and defensible ratings

• Building an evidence map for each team member
• Using schedules, milestone data, and earned value evidence appropriately
• Interpreting Jira Software throughput, quality, and workflow data
• Capturing stakeholder feedback without over-weighting anecdote
• Behaviourally anchored rating scales and performance descriptors
• Common rating errors including recency, halo, leniency, and similarity bias
• Writing factual evaluation notes that distinguish observation from interpretation

Workshop: Using a project case file, participants compile evidence and assign provisional ratings with written rationales.

Day 3: Feedback and appraisal conversations

• Structuring appraisal meetings from opening to agreed actions
• SBI feedback model for project-performance examples
• Questioning and active listening in two-way review discussions
• Recognising high contribution without creating vague praise
• Delivering developmental feedback on behaviours and delivery practices
• Responding to disagreement, emotion, and rating challenges
• Closing conversations with documented commitments and follow-up dates

Workshop: Participants conduct a filmed or observed appraisal role-play and produce a meeting record with agreed development actions.

Day 4: Underperformance, calibration, and fair decisions

• Diagnosing capability, capacity, clarity, conduct, and context issues
• Distinguishing coaching needs from formal performance management
• Designing SMART performance improvement plan milestones
• Selecting support actions, evidence checks, and review intervals
• Preparing for rating-calibration meetings across project managers
• Challenging inconsistent standards and unsupported ratings
• Documenting decisions and escalating concerns through HR channels

Workshop: Teams run a calibration panel for disputed project-team ratings and draft a performance improvement plan for one case.

Day 5: Embedding performance management in project delivery

• Integrating performance checkpoints into project governance rhythms
• Using project closeout reviews to capture individual contribution
• Linking development actions to future assignments and succession decisions
• Managing remote and hybrid team evaluation evidence
• Using Workday Performance Management and local HR workflows
• Creating manager dashboards for review completion and action follow-through
• Personal application planning for the next evaluation cycle

Workshop: Participants complete and peer-review their Performance Evaluation Toolkit and implementation plan for a current or upcoming project review.

Tools & standards covered

Microsoft Project, Jira Software, Workday Performance Management, PMI PMBOK Guide

A typical training day

Live online deliveries follow the same structure in the East Africa Time zone, with shorter screen blocks and longer breaks.

What the fee includes

How you can take this course

Certification

Participants who complete the full five days receive the Skillset Development Certificate of Completion, stating the course title, course code, dates and delivery format — suitable for professional-development records and employer reimbursement.

Frequently asked questions