How do I structure a performance review cycle for a small team?

For a small team, a lightweight but consistent review cycle works better than a heavy enterprise process. A workable structure is to set clear goals at the start of the period, hold regular informal check-ins throughout, and run a more formal review once or twice a year that looks back at goals and forward to development.

Keep the mechanics simple: a short self-assessment, the manager’s assessment against agreed goals, and a forward-looking conversation about growth and any pay or role implications. Frequent informal feedback through the period means the formal review holds no surprises. The aim in a small team is a fair, documented, and motivating process — enough structure to be consistent and defensible, without bureaucracy that consumes time better spent on the work itself.