FAQs »

This list of frequently asked questions will provide answers to general questions relating to PMDS. It is broken down into five general sections. If you have a question relating to PMDS that is not covered in this section, please do not hesitate to contact the Staff Development Office or raise the question with your manager.

Questions are outlined under the following headings:

What is PMDS and how does it work
Who is included in PMDS and what is their role
Does PMDS link to pay and promotion etc.
Confidentiality
Training and Development

What is PMDS and how does it work?

Q.1 What is PMDS?

A. PMDS is a formal process of self evaluation through which you can look at your work objectives and performance and assess how successful or otherwise you feel you have been. The discussion is used to identify individual contributions, provide feedback on performance and help overcome any problems. So that you can develop to your full potential, in particular through the identification and meeting of developmental needs.

The intended purpose is that on the one hand, employees be given a broader perspective on College‘s vision, mission and values as they relate to you as an individual, your Unit and College as a whole; on the other hand, College will be given a clear picture of staff concerns and experience.

Q.2 How does PMDS work?

A. It is a continuous cycle of planning, actions, feedback and review, which seeks to improve communication, effectiveness and efficiency. Objectives for the coming year are jointly agreed for each individual or team. In order to achieve your goals, training and development needs may be identified and utilised to assist you, and your Unit.

Note:It important to note that the first planning meeting (initial meeting) of the PMDS cycle consists of planning and training needs analysis only. There is no element of review of individual performance at this stage. This note does not apply to staff who are members of the pilot Programme.

Q.3 What are the stages involved in PMDS?

A. There are 3 stages involved in PMDS.

The Pre review Stage
The Review Meeting
Post Review Stage

Details of what is involved in each of these stages are available in the ’Guidelines on PMDS’ booklet which is available on the PMDS web site. A hard copy of this document is also available from the staff office.

Q.4 Who decides what the goals or objectives are?

A. They are set jointly by the member of staff and their reviewer or Head of Unit as appropriate. PMDS provides a framework for linking the Unit‘s strategic plans and priorities to skills and experience of the individual, and to assess personal learning and development needs.

Q.5 What about my workload?

A. The aim of PMDS is intended to involve you in a process of reflection on your work. It must be understood by both Reviewer and Reviewee that the empty setting of goals and objectives for its own sake is to be avoided. Indeed, having reflected upon and discussed your work with the Reviewer, it may be, that the only reasonable goal will be maintaining the current high standard. Time will be planned and scheduled to deal with PMDS.

Q.6 How is performance going to be reviewed?

A. Against the criteria set by both parties during the planning and goal-setting meeting at the beginning of the cycle. For applicable staff-categories, this is subject to the inherent nature of academic research.

Q.7 How often will my review meeting take place?

A. The formal review meeting will take place once a year. We would suggest that if appropriate regular informal review meetings can be organised during the year between formal meetings, i.e. at the 6-month stage. You should agree with your Reviewer what is an appropriate interim review timescale for you both.

Q.8 What about Academic Freedom?

A. The preservation and promotion of Academic Freedom is a core value in Trinity College Dublin. PMDS may in no way interfere with the principles or realisation of Academic Freedom.

Who is included in PMDS and what is their role?

Q.9 Who is PMDS for?

A. All staff in College will participate in PMDS, with the possible exceptions of:

Staff on short-term contracts
Staff whose contracts are due to expire prior to the end of the PMDS cycle
Staff on long-term sick-leave.

Q.10 IS PMDS compulsory in Trinity College?

Yes. PMDS is compulsory in Trinity College for all staff as outlined in past and present national agreements. In a successful PMDS system there are many advantages to a PMDS system for the Reviewees, the Units and College.

Q.11 Who will my Reviewer be?

Your Reviewer will be an appropriate person in your area as discussed and agreed between you and the Head of your area. The Head of Unit in each of the areas will arrange for appropriate Reviewers.

Q.12 Is there a right to refuse to engage in PMDS with a particular reviewer where there is a problem or conflict situation?

A.Yes, there is a right to refuse to engage in PMDS with a particular reviewer (or reviewee) where there is a real or apparent conflict.

Q.13 What is the role of a Reviewee?

A.As Reviewees all staff will be fully briefed in PMDS with a view to ensuring that they benefit fully from the process. The key responsibilities of the Reviewee in the Performance Management and Development Scheme process are to:

Contribute to the establishment of their own performance objectives in reasonable co-operation with the Reviewer
Identify training and development needs (if any) and to consider the appropriateness of any training or development offered.
Be prepared to receive relevant feedback on performance
Take constructive feedback given by the Reviewer
Provide feedback to the Reviewer where appropriate
Discuss any other issues which may impact on performance
Reflect on their own performance
Maximise their potential and help meet their career aspirations

Q.14 What is the role of a Reviewer?

A. All Reviewers will be fully briefed in PMDS with a view to ensuring that they have a full understanding of and can effectively manage the process. The key responsibilities of the Reviewer in the performance and development process are to:

Agree clear and appropriate priorities, directions and performance standards with the Reviewee
Jointly agree performance objectives
Provide guidance to the Reviewee
Arrange with Reviewee, for feedback and/or coaching to be sought from agreed sources relating to performance.
Evaluate performance objectives
Discuss relevant performance development and career development (optional) opportunities as agreed with the Reviewee.

For academic staff all of the above points are subject to academic Freedom

Q.15 What is the role of the Head of Unit?

A. The Head of Unit retains full responsibility for the operation of PMDS in their own area. Where they have not conducted the review personally, they still must sign off on the completed review of each employee in their own area, without sight of documentation.

All Heads of Unit will be fully trained in PMDS with a view to ensuring that they get maximum benefit from the process. The key responsibilities of the ’Head of Unit‘ will be to:

Ensure that the operation of PMDS in academic areas is compliant with the principle of academic freedom.
Ensure objectives established by the Reviewee and Reviewer are in line with the goals and strategies of the Unit and the College (subject to the academic freedom of the staff involved)
Oversee the Reviewer‘s role in relation to the scheme and ensure the nominated Reviewers and Reviewees in their area are fully briefed about the priorities for the Unit in terms of setting and agreeing individual objectives and
Evaluate effectiveness of scheme in their Unit
Compile overall training and development plan/summary for the Unit for the Staff Development Office
Ensure PMDS in their Unit is conducted fairly and equitably
Feed into the ongoing review of the PMDS process by the Staff Office and the Partnership Forum.

Q.16 What is the role of the Staff Development Office?

A. The role of the Staff Development Office will be to co-ordinate the process. The key responsibilities of the area will be to:

Provide training for both the Reviewer and the Reviewee in PMDS
Consult with the Partnership Forum in reviewing the effectiveness of the scheme across College, interim reviews of the process will take place every six months for the next two years, 2006-2008.
Work with the Heads of Units in preparing training and development plans based on the needs highlighted by the PMDS system.
Co-ordinate documentation for the review process
Develop, update and maintain the PMDS website

PMDS links to pay, promotions etc.

Q.17 Does PMDS have anything to do with reward?

A. The implementation of PMDS within College is linked to Sustaining Progress payments and potentially to future national pay awards. Other than this there is no link to individuals’ pay or promotions in College.

Q.18 Any connection to promotion (academic, administration and support areas)?

A. No connection.

Q.19 How does PMDS link to other Human Resources processes?

A. There are no plans to link PMDS to other Human Resources processes. Any future changes to this will be discussed in full and agreed with the staff representative bodies.

Q.20 What, if any, connection does the PMDS have to discipline or IR issues?

A. Discipline and Industrial Relations procedures are separate to PMDS.

Confidentiality of the PMDS process

Q21 Will individual staff see their own PMDS forms?

A. Yes – this whole programme will operate on a ‘no surprises’ basis. The whole point of the meetings is to give both staff member and his/her Reviewer an opportunity to discuss the performance of the individual; this is to ensure that no discrepancy between the discussion of performance and the resulting documentation of same arise.

Q.22 Who will have access to the documentation?

A. You will have copies of, and access to all documentation relating to you. The individual, and their immediate Reviewer for the duration of the cycle, will have full access to the documentation.

Q.23 Where will the documentation be stored?

A. The documentation stays with the reviewee and reviewer and will be securely stored securely by them. The documents must be treated as strictly confidential.

Training and Development

Q.24 Who will identify areas for development?

A. These will be jointly set and agreed between the staff member and his/her Reviewer; a Unit ‘Training Needs Analysis» will be forwarded to the Staff Development Office

Q.25 Who will follow up development plans?

A. The report by Head of Unit should outline the strategy and the main priorities of the Unit for the next 12 – 18 months. The report should outline how any training needs are best met. The Staff Development Manager and CAPSL will be available to assist the relevant people in each Unit in the follow-up of development plans .

Further information on PMDS is available in the ‘Guidelines on PMDS» booklet available on the PMDS web site or in hard copy from the Staff Development Office.