There are many articles around at the moment referring to the fact that it is traditionally this time of year when many organisations conduct their annual performance reviews - a process which can leave many managers and employees feeling that it is all a 'tick box' exercise that must be endured.

This recent article in the Wall Street Journal cites a company conducting reviews once a week; now whilst this might be too much for many companies, it does highlight a very different approach to annual appraisals, and one that we are being increasingly asked to accomodate with our online performance appraisal systems.

Aside to having the annual review forms and Personal Development Plans (PDPs) within the system, there is a growing desire to have open performance journals or logs which can capture ongoing activity and performance issues.

This can be used for interim reviews, continual assessment or simply to help act as an 'aide memoir' for an individual when they come to complete their self-evaluation.

Whatever the purpose, it no doubt put performance at the forefront of an employee's mind but also serves to improve the dialogue between line managers and their team members, having meaningful conversations more often then just with the once-a-year ritual so often followed.