PPC FAQ's

The University of South Florida has defined its mission, goals and strategies to be a premier national research university that serves the metropolitan Tampa Bay Region, Florida, and the nation. Our staff and faculty at USF is our greatest asset for fulfilling our mission and achieving our strategic plan. Therefore it is essential that we develop the capabilities of our staff, and help them to accomplish their work. We believe organizational and individual performance is enhanced when goals are clear, and when there is open and frequent feedback about performance and success.

USF’s Performance Planning & Communication program provides a framework for regular communication, setting clear goals and expectations, and providing feedback on performance and development. It is every manager’s responsibility to ensure that those under their leadership know what is expected of them, receive regular coaching and feedback, and are acknowledged for accomplishing good work. The Performance Planning and Communication Program is an important part of this leadership process at USF.

Performance coaching is an important part of your job. It is your responsibility to set the goals and expectations for your area, linking them with department, division, college, campus and university goals and strategies. The Performance Planning and Communication program is designed to provide you with tools and training to communicate about performance with the employees who report to you. It is expected that you will do a formal written review with each employee reporting to you at least annually. However, you should be coaching your staff and communicating about performance on a regular basis.

To help managers with this task, the Performance Planning & Communication web pages provide forms for the annual written review, and for optional Quarterly Performance Check-Ins.

Yes. There is specific guidance on the timing and requirements for Performance Management on the Employee Relations web pages on the Human Resources web site. Familiarize yourself with these policies and procedures before beginning the Performance Planning & Communication Process. Follow the link below to read this information:

The Performance Planning & Communication Program, and related procedural matters, is the responsibility of the Division of Human Resources. Within Human Resources, the Employee Relations (ER) section is responsible for administration of the policies and procedures related to performance management and review. The Organization Development & Training Department (ODT) provides training and information through the Performance Planning & Communication web site, and through training programs on Giving and Receiving Performance Feedback, Effective Employee Coaching, Enhancing Interpersonal Communication, and Strategic Planning. ODT also offers a brief overview presentation (about two hours in length) for departments and open audiences on the Performance Planning & Communication process.

Forms are located on the Performance Planning & Communication web pages, which are accessible from the Human Resources and Organizational Development & Training web sites. Click on the link below to go directly to the forms.

Every Administration and Staff employee at USF should receive a written review of performance and goals annually. The timing of the annual review is determined by the college or division and reported to Human Resources. For Staff performance reviews, refer to the Employee Relations web page for performance management policies and procedures

Immediate managers generally complete the paperwork and conduct the review discussions with the employees they supervise.

Your manager completes the paperwork. Depending upon your departmental requirements, it may also be reviewed by the next level of management. Once the review has been completed, it will be sent to Human Resources for processing.

The form for the annual performance review provides an opportunity for employees to make comments about the review. In the case of significant disagreement, the matter should be discussed with the next level of management.

The PDQ is the place for the manager to start in defining the standards and expectations for the performance period. Because goals change over time, even though the basic functions of the job may not change, the PDQ is just a starting point for the goal setting process.

Information on all of the training and development courses available to staff is available on the USF Training Network web pages.