How to Write a Performance Review From 1:1 Notes · Mora

How to write a performance review from your 1:1 notes

A performance review needs examples: what someone accomplished, how they worked, and where they could grow. Your 1:1 notes can help you find those examples, especially work that was less visible or happened earlier in the year.

Start with the notes you have. Add project records and the person’s own account. Then compare the evidence with the expectations for their role.

Build a useful record

After each 1:1, note what they’re working on, what’s getting in the way, and what you agreed to do. Include the date and enough context to understand the entry later.

Record specific contributions as they happen. “Helped a new hire debug the release pipeline on May 12” gives you more to work with than “good teammate.” Include setbacks and the circumstances around them too.

Ask about work you may have missed

Use a 1:1 to fill gaps in your view:

Which contribution are you proudest of this year?
What took more effort than I saw?
Where did you grow?
What support would have helped?
What would you like to work toward next?

Use their answers alongside other evidence. A 1:1 captures one perspective; it doesn’t replace the full review.

Read the record before drafting

Read your notes in date order. Look for patterns across the review period, and check whether recent events are getting more weight than earlier work.

Separate what you observed from what you inferred. If the evidence is thin, ask for more context before drawing a conclusion.

Check your own commitments as well. Delayed feedback, missing resources or an unresolved promise may help explain what happened.

When earlier notes are missing

Ask the person for a summary of their work and examples they want considered. Review project documents and tickets from the missing period. Be open about the gaps and avoid filling them with a confident guess.

Use a simple structure

Summary: the main assessment, based on the evidence.
Contributions: specific examples tied to role expectations.
Growth: skills or responsibilities that changed over the period.
Challenges: what got in the way and what support is needed.
Next steps: priorities and development goals you can agree on.

Follow your company’s review process and criteria. This structure helps organize your notes within that process.

Where Mora fits

Mora keeps your 1:1 history together for each person and uses meeting notes and open goals to help draft the next agenda. Manager notes stay private from direct reports. That ongoing record also gives you somewhere to begin when preparing a review.

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