Here are 10 performance management systems you should consider switching to in
Top 10 Best Performance Management Systems
- Lattice – Best for assessing company performance
- 15 Five – Best for boosting employee engagement
- Kazoo– Best for managing projects and team collaborations
- Engagedly – Best for discovering & developing internal talent
- ProfitCo – Best for measuring departmental performance
- Trakstar – Best competitively-priced performance management system
- Clear Company – Best for talent acquisition and HR onboarding
- Monday – Best user-friendly platform
- Culture Amp – Best culturally-informed platform
- Better Works – Best for organizational goal mapping
#1. Lattice- Best for assessing company performance
Pricing: Starts at $9 per user per month (billed annually)
Lattice is a cloud-based system that combines performance management, employee engagement, and employee development to promote workplace success. The platform offers goal-setting and progress-tracking features designed to help you and your leaders develop action plans in real-time based on performance insights. The software also offers a variety of features to increase employee engagement (e.g., eNPS surveys), and provides employee insights to uncover employee sentiments and pinpoint who is underperforming in your organization, and why.
Lattice is an excellent performance management option if you’re looking for a platform that helps you evaluate and improve overall performance from every angle.
| Pros | Cons |
| 360-degree reviews | Surveys and engagement insights not included in basic package |
| Goal tracking | May be difficult to navigate as a new user |
| Task management | May be difficult to locate certain features |
| eNPs employee survey | |
| Data analytics | |
| Customizable templates | |
| Suggested action plans | |
| ROI calculator | |
| 1-on-1 meetings |
#2. 15 Five- Best for boosting employee engagement
Pricing: Starts at $4 per user per month (billed annually)
15 Five is a performance management system that aims to increase employee engagement and effectiveness through researched methods on Positive Psychology. The platform offers a range of features that are designed to motivate and inspire your employees, including a “high-five” feature that allows team members to show appreciation for each other and celebrate collective wins. With 15 Five, your employees will be able to take skills assessment tests, review their strengths, and request and receive real-time feedback.
15 Five is a great option if you’re looking for a performance management system that will enhance employee engagement and increase productivity.
| Pros | Cons |
| 360-degree reviews | Excessive email notifications |
| Goal tracking | Doesn’t include a career development function |
| Task management | Difficult to assign duties to multiple people |
| Recommended questions for check-ins | |
| Weekly check-ins | |
| 1-on-1 meetings | |
| Skills Assessments | |
| Manager coaching lessons | |
| Ad hoc reporting feature |
#3. Kazoo – Best for managing projects and team collaborations
Pricing: Starts at $5 per user per month (billed annually)
Kazoo is a performance management platform that prioritizes goals, incentives, and feedback to maximize performance. The platform allows users to set and measure goals based on various goal-setting methods, including SMART and OKR. With Kazoo, employees can openly communicate via a community feed, or receive and request feedback from their peers. The platform also offers an employee rewards system where employees can receive points based on performance and incentives, and share or redeem points through Kazoo’s robust rewards catalog.
Kazoo is a great performance management option if you’re looking to boost company morale and keep your team connected during projects.
| Pros | Cons |
| 360-degree reviews | The process of redeeming rewards can be complicated |
| Goal tracking | Goal-setting features are not very customizable |
| Task management | No free trial |
| Skills assessments | |
| Employee surveys | |
| Employee rewards system | |
| Community feed | |
| Data analytics | |
| Customizable templates |
#4. Engagedly – Best for developing internal talent
Pricing: Starts at $5 per user per month (billed annually)
Engagedly is a cloud-based platform that combines goal management, talent management, and performance management to help organizations build efficient teams. Engagedly aims to simplify talent management by providing talent analytics, and skills and readiness assessments to help users select employees to promote or hire for open positions. The platform also provides a learning management system (LMS) that allows users to administer asynchronous employee trainings.
Engagedly is a great option if you’re interested in a performance management system that helps you manage and discover talent within your organization.
| Pros | Cons |
| 360-degree reviews | Not easily customizable |
| Goal tracking | System can be tricky to navigate |
| Task management | Reporting options are limited |
| Employee surveys | |
| Employee rewards | |
| Skills & readiness assessments | |
| Talent analytics | |
| Data analytics | |
| Learning management system (LMS) |
#5. ProfitCo – Best for measuring departmental performance
Pricing: Starts at $7 per user per month (billed annually)
ProfitCo is an OKR management software that prioritizes task management, performance management, and employee engagement. The platform allows users to manage tasks with customizable lists and Kanban boards to develop easy and efficient workflows. The software also displays data analytics to help users evaluate company performance, and features a heat mapping tool that indicates how each department is performing. With ProfitCo, you’ll be able to view employee trends and create customizable plans to increase employee performance.
ProfitCo is a great option if you’re looking for a performance management system that will help you assess individual and team performance and create detailed solutions that lead to better results.
| Pros | Cons |
| 360-degree reviews | Can be difficult to navigate as a new user |
| Goal tracking | Customizable features can become complicated for users |
| Task management | |
| Data analytics | |
| Individual development plans | |
| Recurring tasks | |
| Employee rewards | |
| Weighted performance measurement | |
| Benchmarking |
#6. Trakstar – Best competitively priced performance management system
Pricing: Starts at $4370 annually
Trakstar is a performance management platform that leverages 360-degree feedback, employee engagement surveys, and goal tracking to appraise company performance and deliver actionable insights. With Trakstar, you’ll be able to track goals and implement a variety of metrics, like OKRs, SMART goals, and cascading goals.
Trakstar is a great option if you’re looking for a robust performance management system at a competitive price.
| Pros | Cons |
| 360-degree reviews | Not very customizable |
| Goal tracking | Employee succession planning is an additional cost |
| Task management | Doesn’t offer customizable performance review cycles |
| Customizable templates | |
| Skills assessments | |
| Data analytics | |
| Compensation recommendations | |
| Weighted performance measurement | |
| Employee succession planning |
#7. Clear Company – Best for talent acquisition and HR onboarding
Pricing: Contact company for a direct quote
Clear Company is a performance management software that focuses on talent management and talent acquisition to build high-performing teams. The software helps users hire, assess, and develop employees to cultivate outstanding talent. With Clear Company, you’ll be able to review applicants, organize resumes, and even onboard new hires, all in a single platform. You’ll also be able to oversee talent acquisition with a built-in applicant tracking system (ATS) and evaluate candidates based on their listed skills, to determine whether they’re a good fit for a role.
Clear Company is a great choice if you’re looking for a performance management system that has HR and onboarding capabilities.
| Pros | Cons |
| 360-degree reviews | Reporting options are limited |
| Goal tracking | Only available in North America |
| Task management | Confusing pricing tiers (unable to review pricing without a direct quote) |
| Customizable templates | No free trial |
| Skills assessments | |
| Applicant tracking (ATS) | |
| E-verify/1-9 forms | |
| Candidate assessment function | |
| Background screening |
#8. Monday – Best user-friendly platform
Pricing: Starts at $8 per person per month (billed annually)
Monday is a cloud-based work operating system that offers performance management capabilities. The platform allows users to create custom workflows by designing boards based on specific workflow needs. Monday makes it simple to monitor timelines, view task completion statuses, and monitor time spent on tasks, all on a single page. The platform offers insights through graphs and charts that will help you review performance and analyze trends.
Monday is a great option if you’re looking for a performance management system that is versatile and user-friendly.
| Pros | Cons |
| 360-degree reviews | Pricing is based on group tiers instead of per employee |
| Goal tracking | May be too customizable for those looking for a standard PMS software |
| Task management | Users are automatically upgraded to a higher tier after exceeding the number of employees included in a tier |
| Employee surveys | |
| Engagement tracking | |
| Applicant tracking | |
| 24/7 support | |
| Payroll management | |
| Electronic forms |
#9. Culture Amp – Best culturally informed software
Pricing: Starts at $4500
Culture Amp is a platform designed to help you improve employee engagement, employee performance, and retention. The platform implements research collected by
in-house scientists and psychologists to offer varied insights – including turnover prediction – based on employee data and feedback. Culture Amp prioritizes “people science” to remain informed on what employees need to thrive in the contemporary workforce and aims to help you cultivate satisfied and high-performing employees.
Culture Amp is a great option if you’re looking for a performance management solution that takes a culturally informed approach towards promoting contemporary workplace success.
| Pros | Cons |
| 360-degree reviews | Difficulty exporting reports |
| Goal tracking | Admin functions may be tricky to navigate |
| Data analytics | Can become costly based on the number of employees |
| Manager coaching lessons | No free trial |
| Employee surveys | |
| Individual Development Plans | |
| Customizable templates | |
| Training management | |
| Benchmarking | |
| Weighted performance measurement |
#10. Better Works – Best for organizational goal mapping
Pricing: Starts at $2-$8 per user per month (billed annually)
Better Works is a performance management platform designed to help teams prioritize top organizational objectives. The platform allows users to assign employees tasks that are in direct alignment with corporate objectives, and track employee progress based on task metrics. With Better Works, you’ll also have the option to reveal your vision to your entire organization by making top objectives transparent to all your employees.
Better Works is a great option if you’re looking for a performance management system that helps you map a clear path to achieving your corporate objectives.
| Pros | Cons |
| 360-degree reviews | Reporting options are limited |
| Goal tracking | Completed goals remain visible and may clutter the interface |
| Task management | No free trial |
| Skills assessments | |
| ROI calculator | |
| Customizable templates | |
| Data analytics | |
| Employee surveys | |
| Career development tracking |
FAQ
What is a performance management system?
A performance management system is a tool to assess and optimize employee performance. A good performance management system allows users to measure employee performance and implement goals that are aligned with corporate objectives.
Why is it important to have a performance management system?
A performance management system is the most effective way of keeping a company on course to hit key objectives, while detecting and preventing potential roadblocks along the way.
A good performance management system is essential to employee success and enables you to analyze employee performance and devise strategies to boost productivity.
What should I consider when choosing a performance management system?
A good performance management system should offer a multitude of ways to analyze employee performance based on your specific needs. For example, a platform that allows for frequent check-ins and one-on-ones will make it much easier to review individual performance and keep employees in the loop. When choosing a performance management system platform, you should consider which PMS software offers 360-degree reviews. 360-degree reviews are a good way to ensure that the review process is fair and well-rounded. With 360-degree reviews, employees will have the option to evaluate themselves, their peers, and their managers while also undergoing evaluation. The 360-degree review process increases awareness throughout the company and helps identify where improvements should be made.
Another important thing to keep in mind when choosing a PMS platform is what methodologies you’ll be using to create goals and achieve objectives. Do you plan on implementing OKRs, cascading goals, or SMART goals? Knowing exactly how you plan to implement and track goals will help you determine which performance management system is best for your business.
Lastly, you should keep in mind how you’d prefer performance data to be formatted. Do you prefer to review data analytics in charts, graphs, or heat maps? Are you looking for a system that provides data forecasts based on potential performance?
There is a multitude of performance management platforms with different capabilities available, the most important thing to consider when finding one right for you is that its features are aligned with your specific needs.
Is it easy to use a performance management platform?
Most performance management platforms are designed to be user-friendly and simple to use. Moreover, most performance management software companies provide customer support, help articles, and webinars to understand how to navigate their system.