Most hourly positions or jobs where the responsibilities are clearly defined and repetitive, lend themselves to a detailed checklist format. The job responsibilities and tasks are relatively easy to measure and discuss. A report card method to identify areas for improvement for these types of positions is efficient and comfortable in most cases. With this type of review, most focus areas will take a single action or specific training to improve.

Creative and professional positions on the other hand are not as clear-cut. While some positions, such as sales, management, etc. are easy to measure in terms of gross dollars or production; they can be very difficult to measure in terms beyond these single dimensions. Any position where management-by-objectives is the rule; an essay type review format is usually more realistic and productive. With this format, a single area of focus may be broken down into several action steps and take several months or more to accomplish.

Regardless of the form or format, the result should be the same, a clear communication about the company goals, and the training, actions and objectives that will allow the employee to participate in achieving those goals. The rewards to the employee include increased job satisfaction, personal growth and ultimately increased compensation.