Core Concepts
This document explains the fundamental concepts, terminology, and architecture of the Review Campaigns system.
The Review Campaigns Ecosystem
The Review Campaigns module enables structured performance evaluations through a coordinated system of campaigns, forms, and participants.
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ REVIEW CAMPAIGNS ECOSYSTEM │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ │
│ CAMPAIGN │
│ │ │
│ ├── FORM (questionnaire template) │
│ │ ├── Section 1: Goal Achievement │
│ │ │ ├── Question 1 (text) │
│ │ │ ├── Question 2 (single choice) │
│ │ │ └── Question 3 (objectives) │
│ │ ├── Section 2: Competencies │
│ │ │ ├── Question 4 (skills) │
│ │ │ └── Question 5 (multiple choice) │
│ │ └── Section 3: Development │
│ │ └── Question 6 (future objectives) │
│ │ │
│ └── REVIEWS (one per employee) │
│ ├── Review for Alice │
│ │ ├── Participant: Alice (employee) │
│ │ └── Participant: Bob (evaluator) │
│ ├── Review for Charlie │
│ │ ├── Participant: Charlie (employee) │
│ │ └── Participant: Bob (evaluator) │
│ └── Review for Diana │
│ ├── Participant: Diana (employee) │
│ └── Participant: Eva (evaluator) │
│ │
└───────────────────────────────────────────────────────── ────────┘
Key Entities
Campaign
A Campaign is a performance review initiative that defines:
- When: Start and end dates, phase durations
- What: The review form with questions and sections
- Who: Participants (employees and their evaluators)
- How: Configuration options (visibility, signatures, etc.)
Campaign: Annual Performance Review 2024
├── Timeline: January 15 - February 28
├── Phases:
│ ├── Self-Evaluation: 14 days
│ ├── Reviewer Evaluation: 14 days
│ └── Interview: 7 days
├── Form: 5 sections, 18 questions
├── Participants: 150 employees
└── Status: In Progress (65% complete)
Review
A Review is an individual evaluation instance for one employee. Each campaign creates multiple reviews—one for each participating employee.
Review #4521
├── Campaign: Annual Performance Review 2024
├── Target User: Alice Chen (Software Engineer)
├── Phase: Reviewer Evaluation
├── Participants:
│ ├── Alice Chen (self) → Status: Done
│ └── Bob Smith (evaluator) → Status: In Progress
└── Created: January 15, 2024
Participant
A Participant is a person involved in a review. Each review has at least two participants:
| Participant Type | Role | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Self | Employee | The person being reviewed, completes self-assessment |
| Evaluator | Manager/Reviewer | Provides external evaluation of the employee |
| Secondary Evaluator | Additional Reviewer | Optional second evaluator (added during reviewer phase) |
Review Participants:
├── Self: Alice Chen
│ ├── Type: Employee
│ ├── Status: Done
│ ├── Signed: Yes
│ └── Submitted: January 25, 2024
│
├── Main Evaluator: Bob Smith
│ ├── Type: Manager
│ ├── Status: In Progress
│ ├── Is Main Evaluator: Yes
│ └── Deadline: February 8, 2024
│
└── Secondary Evaluator: Carol Davis (optional)
├── Type: Project Lead
├── Status: Not Started
├── Is Main Evaluator: No
└── Added: February 1, 2024
Review Phases
Reviews progress through distinct phases, each with specific purposes and participant responsibilities.
Phase 1: Self-Evaluation
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ SELF-EVALUATION PHASE │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ │
│ PURPOSE: Employee reflects on their own performance │
│ │
│ WHO ACTS: Employee (self) │
│ │
│ ACTIONS: │
│ ├── Complete self-assessment form │
│ ├── Review past objectives and achievements │
│ ├── Set future goals │
│ └── Submit self-evaluation │
│ │
│ PARTICIPANT STATUSES: │
│ ├── Self: in_progress → done │
│ └── Evaluator: not_started (waiting) │
│ │
│ VISIBILITY: Evaluator MAY see self-eval based on settings │
│ │
└────────────── ───────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Phase 2: Reviewer Evaluation
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ REVIEWER EVALUATION PHASE │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ │
│ PURPOSE: Manager/evaluator assesses employee performance │
│ │
│ WHO ACTS: Evaluator(s) │
│ │
│ ACTIONS: │
│ ├── Review employee's self-assessment (if visible) │
│ ├── Complete evaluation form │
│ ├── Add second reviewer (optional) │
│ └── Submit evaluation │
│ │
│ PARTICIPANT STATUSES: │
│ ├── Self: done or standby (waiting) │
│ └── Evaluator: in_progress → standby │
│ │
│ VISIBILITY: Employee MAY see eval based on settings │
│ │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Phase 3: Interview Day
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ INTERVIEW PHASE │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ │
│ PURPOSE: Structured discussion between employee and manager │
│ │
│ WHO ACTS: Both employee and evaluator │
│ │
│ ACTIONS: │
│ ├── View both answers side-by-side │
│ ├── Add discussion comments │
│ ├── Calculate performance scores │
│ ├── Lock review when ready (main evaluator only) │
│ └── Sign and finalize │
│ │
│ PARTICIPANT STATUSES: │
│ ├── Self: standby → done │
│ └── Evaluator: standby → done │
│ │
│ SPECIAL FEATURE: Lock/Unlock mechanism │
│ ├── Unlocked: Comments enabled, scoring disabled │
│ └── Locked: Comments disabled, ready for finalization │
│ │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Phase 4: Completed
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ COMPLETED PHASE │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ │
│ PURPOSE: Review is finalized and archived │
│ │
│ STATE: │
│ ├── All participants have submitted │
│ ├── Signatures collected (if required) │
│ └── Review is read-only │
│ │
│ PARTICIPANT STATUSES: │
│ ├── Self: done │
│ └── Evaluator: done │
│ │
│ AVAILABLE ACTIONS: │
│ ├── View completed review │
│ ├── Download PDF │
│ └── Access for auditing │
│ │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Phase Flow Modes
Campaigns can configure how phases flow:
Parallel Mode
Self-Evaluation ────────────────────────┐
├───▶ Interview ───▶ Complete
Reviewer Evaluation ────────────────────┘
Both run simultaneously
Employee and evaluator work at the same time
Sequential Mode
Self-Evaluation ───▶ Reviewer Evaluation ───▶ Interview ───▶ Complete
One phase must complete before the next starts
Evaluator waits for employee to submit first
Review Forms
Form Structure
A review form is organized hierarchically:
REVIEW FORM
│
├── Section 1: Goal Achievement
│ ├── Question 1.1: "Rate your goal completion" (single choice)
│ ├── Question 1.2: "Describe your key achievements" (text)
│ └── Question 1.3: "Import past objectives" (past objectives)
│
├── Section 2: Competency Assessment
│ ├── Question 2.1: "Select demonstrated skills" (skills)
│ └── Question 2.2: "Rate collaboration" (single choice)
│
├── Section 3: Development & Growth
│ ├── Question 3.1: "Areas for improvement" (text)
│ └── Question 3.2: "Training completed" (multiple choice)
│
└── Section 4: Future Objectives
├── Question 4.1: "Goals for next period" (future objectives)
└── Question 4.2: "Career aspirations" (text)
Question Types
| Type | Description | Use Case |
|---|---|---|
| Text | Open-ended response | Qualitative feedback, explanations |
| Single Choice | Radio buttons, select one | Ratings, categorical assessments |
| Multiple Choice | Checkboxes, select many | Multi-select options, lists |
| Skills | Skill selection from database | Competency mapping |
| Past Objectives | Import/review completed goals | Goal achievement assessment |
| Future Objectives | Define upcoming goals | Goal setting for next period |
Participant Statuses
Each participant moves through statuses as the review progresses:
┌──────────────┐ ┌──────────────┐ ┌──────────────┐ ┌──────────────┐
│ │ │ │ │ │ │ │
│ NOT_STARTED │ ──▶ │ IN_PROGRESS │ ──▶ │ STANDBY │ ──▶ │ DONE │
│ │ │ │ │ │ │ │
└──────────────┘ └──────────────┘ └──────────────┘ └──────────────┘
│ │ │ │
Hasn't begun Actively Submitted, Fully
their part working awaiting next completed
phase
| Status | Description | Typical Actions |
|---|---|---|
| Not Started | Participant hasn't opened the review | Waiting for their turn or phase |
| In Progress | Participant is actively completing the form | Answering questions, saving progress |
| Standby | Participant has submitted, waiting for next phase | Interview phase pending |
| Done | Participant has fully completed their part | Signed (if required), finalized |
Campaign Statuses
Campaigns have lifecycle statuses:
| Status | Description | Visual Indicator |
|---|---|---|
| Not Started | Campaign scheduled, before start date | Gray badge |
| In Progress | Campaign is active, reviews ongoing | Orange badge |
| Completed | All reviews finished, 100% completion | Green badge |
| Cancelled | Campaign was stopped before completion | Red badge |
Visibility Settings
Campaigns can control what participants see:
Employee Visibility
| Setting | When ON | When OFF |
|---|---|---|
| Can see reviewer answers | Employee sees manager's evaluation | Employee only sees own answers |
Reviewer Visibility
| Setting | When ON | When OFF |
|---|---|---|
| Can see employee answers | Reviewer sees self-evaluation | Reviewer only sees their own form |
Visibility During Phases
Phase: Self-Evaluation
├── Employee: Sees own form only
└── Reviewer: Cannot see employee's answers (unless visibility ON)
Phase: Reviewer Evaluation
├── Employee: Cannot see reviewer's answers (unless visibility ON)
└── Reviewer: May see employee's answers (based on visibility)
Phase: Interview Day
├── Employee: Sees both answers side-by-side
└── Reviewer: Sees both answers side-by-side
Main vs. Secondary Evaluator
Main Evaluator
- Required: Every review must have exactly one
- Permissions: Can lock/unlock during interview phase
- Responsibility: Primary evaluator, conducts interview
- Assignment: Set when review is created
Secondary Evaluator
- Optional: Can be zero or one per review
- Permissions: Cannot lock/unlock, provides additional perspective
- Responsibility: Supplementary evaluation
- Assignment: Can be added during reviewer evaluation phase only
Review Participants:
├── Self: Employee being reviewed
├── Main Evaluator: Direct manager (required)
│ └── Special Permissions: Lock/Unlock, Finalize
└── Secondary Evaluator: Project lead (optional)
└── Limited Permissions: Complete evaluation only
Signature Requirements
Campaigns can require signatures for formal documentation:
Signature Options
| Option | Description |
|---|---|
| Signature Required | Participants must sign to complete |
| Allow Self-Signature Refusal | Employee can refuse to sign |
Signature Flow
Review Ready for Signature
│
├── Signature Required: ON
│ ├── Employee signs → Timestamp recorded
│ ├── Evaluator signs → Timestamp recorded
│ └── Review marked as signed
│
├── Allow Refusal: ON
│ ├── Employee refuses → Reason recorded
│ └── Review still completes (marked as refused)
│
└── Signature Required: OFF
└── Review completes without signature step
Multilingual Support
Forms can be created in multiple languages:
Language Configuration
- Default Language: Required, primary language for the form
- Additional Languages: Optional translations
How It Works
Question: "Rate your performance"
├── English (en): "Rate your performance"
├── French (fr): "Évaluez votre performance"
└── [Additional languages as needed]
User sees form in their preferred language
Falls back to default if translation missing
The Lock Mechanism (Interview Phase)
During interview day, the main evaluator controls the review lock:
Unlocked State (Default)
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ UNLOCKED STATE │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ ✓ Comments enabled for both parties │
│ ✗ Performance scoring disabled │
│ ✓ Both answers visible side-by-side │
│ ✗ Cannot submit/finalize │
│ │
│ Purpose: Discussion phase, adding notes │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Locked State
┌ ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ LOCKED STATE │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ ✗ Comments disabled │
│ ✓ Performance scoring enabled │
│ ✓ Both answers visible side-by-side │
│ ✓ Can submit/finalize review │
│ │
│ Purpose: Finalization phase, ready to close │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Lock Rules
- Only the main evaluator can lock/unlock
- Cannot unlock if either party has already signed
- Lock state persists until explicitly changed
- Locking signals readiness for finalization
Campaign Metrics
Key metrics tracked for campaigns:
| Metric | Description |
|---|---|
| Completion % | Percentage of reviews fully completed |
| Signed Reviews | Number of reviews with signatures |
| Days Remaining | Days until campaign end date |
| Participant Count | Total employees in the campaign |
| Phase Distribution | How many reviews are in each phase |
Data Relationships
CAMPAIGN (1)
│
├── has one FORM (1)
│ └── has many SECTIONS (n)
│ └── has many QUESTIONS (n)
│
└── has many REVIEWS (n)
└── has many PARTICIPANTS (2-3)
├── exactly 1 self participant
├── exactly 1 main evaluator
└── optionally 1 secondary evaluator
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