Compass AI transforms how your people prepare for and conduct performance reviews by automatically analysing feedback, identifying key themes, and helping them focus on what matters most, having a quality conversation. In this guide, you'll learn where AI sits within your review workflow, how to generate feedback summaries, and how to customise AI prompts to suit your organisation's needs.
Where does Compass AI appear in reviews?
Compass AI can support you at multiple points throughout the review process, making it easier to synthesise information and prepare for conversations.
Fast Feedback summaries: Generate summaries of fast feedback collected outside the formal review cycle
Contributor feedback summaries: Automatically summarise 360-degree feedback from multiple contributors
Custom prompts during review steps: Embed AI assistance at any point in your review workflow to analyse specific sections or generate conversation starters
Post-review summaries: Create executive summaries once a review is completed, visible to managers and firm leaders
How to generate feedback summaries
When your review includes feedback from multiple contributors, Compass AI can create a concise summary to help you identify patterns and key messages.
Look for the "Generate summary" button near the feedback section
Click the button to have Compass AI analyse and summarise all contributor feedback
Review the summary, which will highlight common themes, strengths, and development areas
The summary prompt is customisable at the review level, so you can tailor the output to match your organisation's language and focus areas.
How to use custom AI prompts in reviews
Custom prompts allow you to embed AI assistance at specific points in your review, asking the AI to focus on particular information or provide specific types of analysis.
Custom prompts can be configured to analyse only specific parts of a review—like financial data, objective progress, or feedback themes—making the AI's suggestions more focused and relevant. It feeds off the data that is included in the review PDF (this means it won't have access to sensitive data that is not disclosed to the employees through the PDF).
How to access and edit AI prompts (for admins)
If you're an administrator, you can customise the AI prompts used throughout your reviews to ensure they align with your firm's values and review philosophy.
Go to Reviews in the admin panel
Select the review template you want to configure
Click Manage prompts to see all available prompts for this review
You'll see default prompts (such as the post-review summary and 360 feedback summary) and any custom prompts
To edit a prompt, select it and modify the text to change how the AI analyses information and what it includes in its response
To create a new custom prompt, draft your instructions—establish the AI's role, specify what context it should consider, and describe the format of the output you want
Save your changes
Remember that you can create different prompts for different types of reviews (for example, partner reviews versus trainee reviews) to ensure the AI's analysis is appropriate for each context.
How to add custom AI prompts to your review workflow
Once you've created custom prompts, you can position them at any point in your review structure where AI assistance would be valuable.
Open the Review builder for your review template
Navigate to the step and page where you want to add the AI prompt
In the left-hand panel, look under Special and select Custom AI prompt
Drag the prompt element to the desired location on your form
Click on the prompt to configure it:
Edit the instructions that users will see
Customise the button text (for example, "Analyse feedback" or "Generate agenda")
Connect the prompt to the specific AI prompt you created earlier
Preview the form to ensure the prompt appears correctly
Save your changes
Understanding data privacy with Compass AI
Compass AI only analyses data that's included in the review PDF. This gives you control over what information the AI can access. If you've marked certain data as sensitive (such as promotion recommendations), you can exclude it from the PDF output and Compass will not have access to it.
Compass AI also respects step display settings—if information isn't visible until a certain review step, it won't have access to it until that point.
Below are the two default prompts used in the reviews module.
Compass AI Review prompt: Performance review summary (Manager/Dept Head)
You are an expert at analyzing performance review data to provide actionable coaching insights for managers and department heads. Your analysis helps managers understand their team members' performance patterns and guides developmental conversations.
Create a concise coaching narrative (~200 words, 3 paragraphs) that helps the manager coach this employee effectively.
FORMAT YOUR RESPONSE EXACTLY AS FOLLOWS (use bold headers with colons, NOT markdown headings):
**Performance Snapshot:**
Write 3-4 sentences (~50 words) summarizing current performance level, trajectory, and key contribution areas based on review data. Be specific about what makes this employee's performance distinctive.
**Strengths & Development:**
Write 1 paragraph (~100 words) identifying specific capabilities demonstrated well, with concrete examples from review responses. Then address growth areas identified from both employee self-reflection and manager feedback. Include specific skill gaps or coaching priorities. Use actual quotes or specific examples from the review data.
**Coaching Focus:**
Provide 3-4 actionable items (~50 words) for specific development activities, coaching conversation priorities, or potential stretch assignments. Make these concrete and immediately actionable.
CRITICAL GUIDELINES:
• Use exactly this format: **Header:** followed by content (do NOT use ### or other markdown headings)
• Write in THIRD PERSON about the employee (e.g., "Ashley demonstrates..." NOT "You demonstrate..." or "Daniel, your...")
• This is written FOR the manager to READ about their employee, not written TO the employee
• Base ALL insights ONLY on actual review data provided - be specific, quote examples
• Avoid generic advice - if the data doesn't support it, don't include it
• Write for a manager preparing for a 1-on-1 developmental conversation
• Use a coaching tone, not evaluative or judgmental
• Prioritize quality over quantity - fewer data-driven insights beat generic recommendations
• Consider both employee self-assessment and manager perspectives, presenting a balanced view
Review data below:
This prompt analyses performance review data to create a concise, three-paragraph coaching narrative of approximately 200 words. It structures the output into three distinct sections
Performance Snapshot that summarises current performance levels and trajectory
Strengths & Development section that identifies demonstrated capabilities and growth areas with concrete examples
Coaching Focus that provides 3-4 actionable development items.
The prompt is specifically designed to write in third person about the employee for the manager to read, ensuring the tone is coaching-oriented rather than evaluative. It prioritises data-driven insights by requiring all observations to be based on actual review data, using direct quotes and specific examples rather than generic advice. The prompt balances both employee self-assessment and manager perspectives to provide a well-rounded view that supports meaningful one-on-one conversations.
Ways to contextualise for your firm:
Adjust for seniority levels: Modify the prompt to emphasise different aspects depending on the employee's level. For junior staff, focus more on skill development and learning opportunities. For senior leaders, emphasise strategic impact, team leadership, and succession planning considerations.
Align with your competency framework: Incorporate your firm's specific competency model or values into the prompt instructions. For example, if your firm values "client excellence" and "innovation," instruct the prompt to specifically identify evidence of these competencies in the review data and highlight them in the strengths section.
Customise for review type: Create variations of this prompt for different review scenarios—annual reviews might focus on comprehensive development planning, while mid-year reviews could emphasise progress against goals and course corrections. Promotion reviews might include specific language about readiness for the next level and evidence of expanded scope.
Compass AI Review prompt: 360° feedback summary
Analyse 360-degree peer feedback from colleagues across different working relationships. Provide an insightful summary to support professional development.
**KEY STRENGTHS:**
Summarise 3-4 recurring strengths highlighted across the feedback. Use direct language (e.g., "Colleagues consistently praise their..."). Note if certain strengths are emphasised by specific relationship groups.
**DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES:**
Identify 2-3 areas for growth mentioned in the feedback. Frame constructively as opportunities to enhance impact.
**RELATIONSHIP INSIGHTS:**
Highlight any meaningful differences in how different groups (peers, direct reports, managers, cross-functional partners) experience working with this person. Only include if patterns are evident.
**ACTIONABLE RECOMMENDATIONS:**
Suggest 2-3 specific, practical actions based on the feedback patterns.
**Format Requirements:**
• Use bold headers as shown above
• Write in third person about the individual
• Base all insights on actual feedback provided
• Be specific and quote examples where relevant
• Maintain a constructive, development-focused tone
This prompt analyses 360-degree peer feedback to create a structured summary that supports professional development. It organises feedback into four key sections:
Key Strengths (3-4 recurring themes across feedback sources)
Development Opportunities (2-3 constructively framed growth areas)
Relationship Insights (meaningful differences in how various groups experience working with the person)
Actionable Recommendations (2-3 specific, practical next steps).
The prompt is designed to identify patterns across different feedback sources and highlight when certain themes are emphasised by specific relationship groups. It maintains a constructive, development-focused tone by framing areas for improvement as opportunities to enhance impact rather than deficiencies. The output helps individuals understand how their work style and contributions are perceived across different working relationships, providing a comprehensive view of their professional effectiveness.
Ways to contextualise for your firm:
Weight feedback by relationship type: Adjust the prompt to give different emphasis to feedback from various sources based on your firm's culture and the individual's role. For client-facing roles, you might instruct the prompt to give additional weight to cross-functional partner feedback. For team leaders, emphasise insights from direct reports about leadership effectiveness.
Focus on firm-specific competencies: Direct the prompt to specifically look for evidence of your firm's core competencies or behavioural indicators in the 360 feedback. For example, if your firm values "collaborative problem-solving" and "inclusive leadership," instruct the prompt to highlight feedback that speaks to these areas and identify gaps where these competencies could be strengthened.
Tailor for cultural context: Modify the language and framing to match your firm's feedback culture. Some firms prefer direct, candid feedback whilst others favour a more diplomatic approach. You might also adjust how the prompt handles conflicting feedback—whether to highlight tensions between different perspectives or to focus on consensus themes.
Next steps
Now that you understand how to integrate Compass AI into your reviews, explore our other resources to discover where else you can embed AI throughout your performance management process and review our best practice guidance for getting the most from AI-powered insights.