Check the notes and make a plan

Examining the notes from an appraisal meeting can help you craft a development plan for your employee.

Diane, a manager, met with Carl recently to appraise his performance. The meeting went well, with plenty of positive discussion.
Diane took notes. She wrote about his high performance as a project leader, his habit of  giving a lot of credit to his team members, his belief that the company "takes care" of him" and "gives him motivation to go above and beyond," and that he'd like to change the ways new projects are managed.
Judging from Diane's notes, what subject did she neglect to cover in the appraisal meeting with Carl?

 Reasons for Carl's high performance

 Next steps for Carl's development that he and Diane agreed on

 Issues or points of disagreement

Correct choice. Carl is a high performer with an interest in improving the way things are done in the company. Diane might have spent some time during the appraisal meeting discussing steps Carl could take to make even more of a contribution. 

Diane asks you to help her work on Carl's development plan. Given the content of her notes, what would you recommend as the best next step for Carl's development?

 Have Carl focus on leading established projects, since he seems uncomfortable with the way new projects are managed

 Continue having Carl lead both established and new projects, but ask him to work within the new-project management methods already established in the group

 Suggest that Carl review the company's process for handling new projects and propose improvements

Correct choice. Carl expressed interest in seeing changes in the new-product management methods. Reviewing the existing methods and proposing improvements would help keep him engaged and challenged in his position. It could also lead to valuable new ideas and processes for the company. 

Tim, a manager, has recently met with Marla to appraise her performance.
He took notes during the meeting.  He wrote that she is doing well as a programmer, that she has handled simple projects with little trouble, that she believes she is ready to do more complex programming, and that she might likes the idea of working on Sheila's new interactive project.
Judging from Tim's notes, what subject did he neglect to cover in the meeting?

 Reasons for Marla's high performance

 Marla's short-term career goals

 Possible opportunities for Marla in the company

Correct choice. Although Tim knows that Marla is doing well, he did not discuss with her the factors that contribute to her high performance. By specifying these factors, Tim could have helped Marla repeat and even improve on her good performance. 

Given what's written in the notes, what is the best next step for Tim to take with Marla?

 Complete Marla's development plan

 Ask Sheila if she has room for Marla on her project team

 See if Marla would be interested in training new employees

Correct choice. Tim needs to make sure that his idea for Marla's development—assigning her to Sheila's new project team—will work out in practical terms.