Better Feedback Through One-on-Ones: Moving Beyond Traditional Performance Reviews

Last year, we eliminated our traditional annual review system and replaced it with sensible component parts—career guidance, skill assessments, and ongoing feedback mechanisms. It would take several posts to explain the full reasoning and mechanics, so just trust me when I say it was a Good Thing™.

Introducing Peer-to-Peer One-on-Ones

One of our most effective replacement systems is “one-on-ones,” a peer feedback mechanism that puts development conversations directly in employees’ hands. Periodically, everyone in the company reaches out to a peer who has good visibility into their work and (ideally) more experience to get candid feedback. There’s no form, no mandatory manager involvement (unless that’s who you choose to ask), and no reporting other than confirming the conversation happened.

Finding the Right Framework for Technical Growth

We published some solid discussion topics on our internal SharePoint site, but they largely focused on the softer skills—communication, collaboration, and leadership. We realized we needed better resources for actual engineering development.

Then we discovered the Programmer Competency Matrix. If you’re a software engineer, take a look—it’s a fantastic resource for self-evaluation and guidance. The matrix breaks down technical competencies across multiple dimensions, from computer science fundamentals to software engineering practices, giving engineers a clear framework for assessing their skills and identifying growth areas.

Exploring What Works

We haven’t formally incorporated the matrix into our systems yet, but we’re exploring how it might complement our one-on-one conversations. The key is giving our engineers practical tools to have meaningful discussions about their technical development, not just their soft skills.

What frameworks or resources have you found helpful for technical career development? I’d love to hear what’s working for other engineering teams.