ABSTRACT
The first four chapters of this book have mainly addressed what might be thought of as the more theoretical and conceptual issues surrounding appraisal. Now it is time to face some severely practical matters, starting with the process of designing the appraisal system. Much of what has been said so far is a necessary precursor to this – not least the discussion of the aims of appraisal and where it fits in with the broader performance management picture. Many of the problems of appraisal systems can be identified as arising out of the design process. Get it wrong here and it is likely to stay wrong. Design needs careful thought and consideration of a number of issues. This chapter will go through them one by one though, in practice, organisations seldom have that luxury – they have to be dealt with almost simultaneously and often rather quickly. But a little thought at this stage can save a lot of wasted time and effort later.
