You can streamline performance review cycles by importing pre-filled answers into forms before launching the cycle. This is helpful when you'd like employees to review and submit answers that have been prepared ahead of time.
Keep in mind: Pre-filling is only supported for future cycles. Performance cycles in Bob aren’t designed to store or display historical data.
Here’s how to make sure your pre-fill import runs smoothly:
-
Go to Bob Products > Talent > Performance > Manage cycles
-
Select the performance cycle that’s in Pending launch
(Pre-filling isn’t available once a cycle is launched) -
From the Actions dropdown, choose Pre-fill answers
-
You'll be asked to export answers from past cycles—select both a previous cycle and the current setup to ensure the structure matches
-
Download the spreadsheet and check that:
-
It includes only employees who are part of the current cycle
-
The Status column for all reviewers is set to
not started -
The Submitted on column is empty
-
If the file is formatted correctly—including matching question formats—you can import it without issues. Once confirmed, the answers will appear in participants’ forms when the cycle launches.
💡 Note: It’s not currently possible to preview the pre-filled answers before launch. However, if the import completes with no errors, the answers will be visible once reviewers start their forms.
Example formats:
Not sure which method to use?
| Method | Best For | Pros | Considerations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pre-fill via bulk import | Streamlining review setup using past answers | Personalizes forms with ready-to-go responses | Requires correct formatting and employee matching |
| Manual entry | Small cycles or one-off cases | No spreadsheet handling needed | Time-consuming for multiple reviews |