What I've Built  /  Performance Management

Employee Success Plans

A structured alternative to PIPs that reframed performance intervention as a shared commitment, with evidence, a clear plan, documented support, and a defined outcome.

90%
Retention rate for employees placed on an ESP
3
Possible outcomes, each defined and documented in advance
2-way
Commitment from the organization and the employee
The Problem

PIPs signal the end before the conversation starts.

Performance Improvement Plans carry a reputation that precedes them. Most employees who receive one already know what it means. Not because of what the document says, but because of what organizations have used them for: building a paper trail toward termination.

That reputation has real consequences. Employees disengage. Managers treat the process as a formality. The organization loses someone it may have been able to keep, and the employee leaves with no real understanding of what went wrong or how to fix it.

The tool itself was rarely the problem. The problem was what it signaled and how it was used.

The Shift

Same goal, different commitment.

The ESP started from a different premise: that the organization and the employee share the same objective. The organization hired this person because they believed in them. The employee accepted the role because they wanted to succeed in it. An ESP makes that shared goal explicit and builds a plan around it.

The name change mattered. Words shape expectations. Calling something a success plan signals that success is the intended outcome, not a departure. That signal changes how managers deliver it and how employees receive it.

We made a commitment when we hired you. This is us honoring that commitment.

The Structure

Six components, each with a specific job.

The ESP is more structured than a traditional PIP, not less. Every section has a purpose. The clarity is the point: an employee leaving the conversation should have no uncertainty about what the concern is, what success looks like, or what support they're going to receive.

1
The Concern, Documented Specifically
A clear statement of what the performance gap is, with all supporting evidence attached. Dates, situations, documented observations. Specific enough that the employee and manager are looking at the same picture.
2
The Expectations, Stated Clearly
What does success look like at the end of this plan? The outcomes are named explicitly, with enough clarity that there is no room for interpretation about whether they have been met.
3
The Plan, Step by Step
Every action required to close the gap, broken down in detail. What the employee will do, what the manager will do, and when each step is expected to be completed.
4
The Support, Explicit and Named
Coaching from a specific person. A specific training resource. A workflow adjustment. An internal contact to reach out to. Support is documented, not implied. The organization's commitment is visible in the document.
5
The Timeline, With Check-ins Built In
Every meeting is scheduled in advance and documented. PTO is accounted for. The plan is timed out so both parties know exactly what happens and when throughout the process.
6
The Closing Assessment
At the end of the plan period, the manager completes a formal assessment. Three outcomes are possible, each defined in advance so there are no surprises at the close.
The Outcomes

Three defined endpoints, documented from the start.

One of the most important design decisions was defining all three possible outcomes before the plan began. Employees knew what each path looked like going in. That transparency reduced anxiety and made the process feel governed rather than arbitrary.

Extended
Progress is visible and the employee is moving in the right direction, but more time is needed. The plan continues with updated timelines.
Passed
The employee has met all expectations. Performance is at the expected level. The plan closes and the employee moves forward.
Separation
The employee has not met expectations within the timeline. Next steps are taken. The process was fair, documented, and transparent throughout.
The Result

Nine out of ten employees placed on an ESP stayed.

A 90% retention rate among employees placed on performance plans is a meaningful outcome. It reflects what happens when an organization genuinely invests in helping someone improve rather than documenting a path out.

Several of those employees are still with the organization today. The ESP shifted what performance intervention meant internally: a signal of investment, not a precursor to termination. That change in meaning shaped how managers delivered it, how employees received it, and how the organization thought about its own commitment to the people it hired.

90%
Retention rate for ESP participants
6
Structured components per plan
3
Defined outcomes, communicated upfront
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