This article walks managers through completing an assessment for a direct report during an active cycle.

Note: If you'd like to conduct an assessment outside of a designated cycle, see How do I assess my team members in Pando?.

To get started, click on the Assessments Tab from the left navigation.

Cycle-based assessments will have a cycle tag and will automatically appear as "in progress" once your People team opens the cycle. Select an assessment from the list and then click Continue Assessment.

Tip: While you can start a report's assessment while they are still in their self-assessment, we recommend waiting until they submit. You'll have more context, and you'll be able to see their self-assessed ratings and comments at the Review stage.

You'll see all of your report's goals, regardless of status, as well as achievements. Goals or achievements they've flagged as particularly high impact will be highlighted. You may have the opportunity to comment on them here.

Rate each competency and optionally add a comment. You'll be able to see your report's self-assessment comments once they've submitted their draft.

Important: At the Review stage, you'll see both your ratings and your report's self-rated ratings side by side. We recommend rating all competencies first, then deciding where to add comments at the Review stage — especially on mismatches.

On employee replies: Employees can reply to individual competency comments using the Reply feature during calibration. They cannot add a general comment or conclusion to the overall assessment. If you need to capture their high-level response, ask them to reply on a key competency, or configure a reflection question in the cycle setup.

Click Next after each competency category. Once all competencies are rated, you'll arrive at the Align stage, where any questions your People team has configured will appear.

Click Click to Align to see how you and your employee aligned.

Note: Your report's assessment must be completed and you must have rated all competencies to reach the Align stage. If reflection questions are required, you'll need to answer those too.

On the Review step, you'll see both sets of ratings together. Prioritize commenting on mismatches — that's where calibration has the most impact.

Once you're satisfied with your ratings and comments, click Submit draft.

Important: You must submit your draft for your assessment to appear on your People team's calibration report. Managers who haven't submitted won't show up in the calibration view. Submitting is not final — you can continue editing your assessment after submission.

Submitting your draft does not share the assessment with your report.

To get a review from your manager or someone on the People team before sharing with your report, click Share For Review and copy the link.

We recommend sharing the assessment 2–3 days before your calibration conversation. That gives your report enough time to review and prepare, without the wait becoming a distraction.

When you're ready, click Share with [Employee Name].

Pull up Pando during the review conversation with your report. Click Begin Calibration to enter the calibration view — you'll see each rating, the mismatches, and the details of each competency. The page stays editable during the conversation.

Your report can add notes via the Reply feature on individual competency comments.

Tip: If your People team needs a data export during the cycle, direct them to the Download Assessment Comparison Report at app.pando.com/analyze/activity. It includes all competency ratings across the cycle.

When you and your report are done, click Submit. This finalizes the assessment, updates the competency ratings on your report's profile, and signals to your People team that the calibration conversation is complete.

After submission, the assessment is read-only (only Admins can reopen it). You and your report can download it, and you can create a new goal for your report — a good way to keep the development loop going.

For questions, contact support@pando.com or use the in-app chat.