Manager Review Template: Copy/Paste Examples for 2026
Copy and paste a manager review template for employee reviews, manager evaluations, and 90-day check-ins, plus filled-in examples and usage tips.
A manager review template can mean two different things. Sometimes you need a template a manager can use to review a direct report. Other times you need a manager evaluation template for reviewing the manager. This page gives you copy-paste blocks for both, plus example language so you are not staring at a blank form.
If you need the shortest possible answer, use the employee-review template first, use the manager-evaluation template only when the subject is the manager, and use the 90-day version for new hires. For a dedicated quarterly version, use this quarterly check-in template.
Copy/paste manager review template for an employee
This is the default manager review template for a direct report. It works for annual or semiannual reviews because it forces specificity without making the manager write a novel. If your form already has ratings, keep them. If not, the narrative sections below still hold up on their own.
Copy/paste manager review template
Employee:
Role:
Review period:
Manager:
Date:
1. Top accomplishments
- What did this employee deliver during the review period?
- What business, team, or customer impact did that work create?
- Which examples best show their strengths?
2. Goal progress
| Goal | Status (Exceeded / Met / Partially met / Not met) | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
3. Strengths to keep building
- What does this employee do consistently well?
- Where do they raise the bar for the team?
- What should they do more often next period?
4. Development priorities
- What is the one most important growth area?
- What behavior should change?
- What support will help?
5. Next-period goals
- Goal:
Success measure:
Target date: - Goal:
Success measure:
Target date:
6. Overall summary
Use 4-6 sentences covering performance, impact, growth area, and next-step expectation.
Example filled-in manager review answers
Most managers do not struggle with the template structure. They struggle with phrasing. The examples below show the level of specificity to aim for: observable behavior, concrete impact, and a clear next step instead of vague praise or generic criticism.
Filled-in example
Top accomplishment
“Avery took ownership of the billing-migration rollout and finished the project two weeks ahead of the original target. The early launch reduced support escalations during month-end close and gave the finance team time to validate the new workflow before the quarter ended.”
Development priority
“Avery’s next growth area is delegation during cross-functional launches. They reliably step in to solve problems themselves, but that can slow teammates’ ownership. In the next cycle, I want Avery to hand off operational follow-up sooner and document owners explicitly at kickoff.”
Overall summary
“Avery had a strong review period and delivered at a level that made the team faster and more reliable. Their project execution and follow-through were especially strong, and peers consistently pointed to calm coordination during deadline pressure. The biggest next step is scaling that impact through clearer delegation. I expect Avery to keep operating at a high level while giving others more room to own pieces of the work.”
Copy/paste manager evaluation template
Use this section when the subject of the review is the manager, not the direct report. That includes upward feedback, leadership 360s, and written manager evaluations. Keep the structure focused on leadership behaviors. For deeper question banks and phrasing help, use our upward feedback questions guide and areas of improvement for managers.
Copy/paste manager evaluation template
Manager:
Team / function:
Review period:
Reviewer relationship: [Direct report / Peer / Skip-level / Self-review]
1. Communication and context
- Does this manager set clear priorities and explain changes?
- Do they provide enough context for good decision-making?
2. Coaching and support
- How well does this manager help people grow?
- Do they remove blockers and follow through on commitments?
3. Recognition and feedback
- Do they recognize strong work specifically?
- Is their feedback timely and actionable?
4. Decision-making and accountability
- Are decisions clear and reasonably fast?
- Do expectations feel consistent across the team?
5. One strength to keep
Write one concrete leadership behavior this manager should continue.
6. One improvement priority
Write one concrete change that would improve how the team works.
7. Overall summary
Use 3-5 sentences focused on patterns, impact, and the most useful next step.
If the manager is writing their own review, use the same structure but answer in first person. Name the leadership behaviors that created results, then be equally direct about the one change that would make your team more effective next cycle.
90-day manager review template for a new hire
The 90-day manager review should judge ramp, clarity, and support, not just output volume. Early reviews work best when they separate “learning curve” from “performance concern” and turn the conversation into an alignment check about expectations, confidence, and the next 90 days.
Copy/paste 90-day manager review template
Employee:
Role:
Start date:
90-day review date:
1. Ramp-up progress
- What has the employee learned well so far?
- What responsibilities can they now own with less oversight?
2. Early wins
- Name 2-3 specific contributions from the first 90 days.
3. Support needed
- What remains unclear?
- Which tools, training, or relationships would help most?
4. Next 90-day goals
| Goal | Success looks like | Support needed |
|---|---|---|
5. Overall assessment
Choose one: Ahead of plan / On track / On track with support needed / At risk
Add 3-4 sentences explaining why.
Many teams fold this into a broader onboarding rhythm. If you also need meeting prompts at 30, 60, and 90 days, use our 30-60-90 day check-in questions for new hires.
When to use annual, quarterly, and manager-evaluation templates
Most confusion around “manager review template” is really a cadence problem. Annual reviews, quarterly check-ins, and manager evaluations are different conversations. Using the right template keeps the discussion honest because each format asks for a different level of judgment, documentation, and future planning.
- Annual or semiannual employee review: Use the main template above when you need a full performance summary, goal review, and next-period plan.
- Quarterly check-in: Use a lighter structure focused on progress, blockers, and reprioritization. This quarterly check-in template is built for that.
- Manager evaluation: Use the manager-evaluation template when the subject is the manager’s leadership behavior, not the employee’s execution.
- 90-day review: Use the new-hire version when the main question is ramp and support rather than long-term performance.
How to write a manager review that is specific and fair
The quality of a manager review comes down to specificity, scope, and proportion. Strong reviews describe what happened, why it mattered, and what should happen next. Weak reviews lean on generic adjectives, isolated incidents, or laundry lists that blur the real message.
- Lead with evidence. Name the project, behavior, or result before you name the trait.
- Pick one real development priority. Most reviews get stronger when the improvement section gets shorter.
- Separate performance from style preference. “I would have done it differently” is not automatically a performance issue.
- Write for the next cycle, not only the past one. The best review gives the employee a clear next move.
- Use other pages for deeper manager-feedback wording. If you are evaluating a manager, pull examples from upward feedback questions and areas of improvement for managers instead of forcing this page to do every job.
How Windmill helps
Templates solve the blank-page problem, but they do not solve the evidence problem. Managers still need to remember what happened, pull examples together, and turn notes into a fair summary. That is the part Windmill changes: it gathers context from Slack, GitHub, Jira, Salesforce, and other tools through the year, then drafts the review so the manager edits and judges instead of reconstructing the whole period from memory.
Frequently Asked Questions
What should a manager review template include?
A manager review template should include the review period, role context, key accomplishments, goal progress, one or two development priorities, next-period goals, and a short overall summary. The best templates also make room for examples, not just ratings, so the review stays specific and fair.
What is the difference between a manager review template and a manager evaluation template?
A manager review template is usually the form a manager uses to review a direct report. A manager evaluation template is the structure used to review the manager, often through upward feedback, a 360 review, or a skip-level process. The categories overlap, but the direction of the feedback is different.
How long should a manager review be?
A written manager review is usually strongest at 150-300 words for the overall summary, plus short notes under accomplishments, development areas, and goals. That is enough space to be specific without turning the review into an essay or repeating the same point multiple ways.
Can AI help fill out a manager review template?
Yes. AI can help gather evidence, summarize recent work, draft review language, and surface examples a manager may have forgotten. Managers should still verify facts, apply judgment, and own the final wording, ratings, and development plan.