Creating a PDF report within your review forms gives you a professional, downloadable document that captures all the important feedback and insights from your performance review process. This guide walks you through configuring report settings, building the report structure using our drag-and-drop builder, and customising the output to match your firm's needs. By the end, you'll be able to create polished reports that participants can download and reference, and that integrate seamlessly with AI-powered analysis.
Enabling and configuring report settings
Before you start building your report, you'll need to enable the feature and decide when users can access it. These settings give you control over the timing and visibility of your review reports.
Navigate to your review dashboard and locate the report settings option.
Configure availability during the review: Choose whether users can download the complete progress PDF whilst the review is still open. If set to 'Yes', the report updates each time a participant confirms a step. If you prefer to restrict access, you can allow only the last completed step to be downloadable during an active review.
Configure availability after the review: Decide whether users can download the final report once the review is complete. Setting this to 'Yes' makes it easier for employees to access their historical reviews.
Save your settings before moving on to build the report structure.
Building your report structure
The report builder uses a familiar drag-and-drop interface similar to the review and 360 feedback builders. This is where you'll determine what content appears in your PDF and in what order.
Access the form builder from the report settings area.
Add review fields by dragging them from the panel into your report layout. You can include responses from previous steps in the review, such as self-reflection comments, objectives, ratings, and manager feedback.
Create sections using headings to organise your content logically. For example, you might have sections for 'Fast Feedback', 'Self-reflection', and 'Manager Comments'.
Customise field settings by clicking on individual fields. You can choose whether to show objective alignments, include the most recent updates only, or display all historical updates.
Add additional content such as headers, dividers, and explanatory text to improve readability and give context to each section.
Save your report when you're happy with the structure.
Downloading and reviewing the PDF
Once you've configured your report, participants will see a download option during or after the review, depending on your settings.
Refresh the review page to see the 'Download progress PDF' option appear.
Click the download button to generate the current version of the report.
Review the output: The PDF automatically includes a cover page with the participant's profile information, followed by all the sections you configured. Each section displays the relevant feedback, comments, and ratings in a clear, professional format.
Customising the report appearance
There are several ways to refine how your PDF looks and reads, helping you match your firm's culture and communication style.
Use section headers to create page breaks within the document, giving each major section its own space.
Add dividers and spacing to improve readability and visual flow.
Edit text labels and descriptions to use language that resonates with your organisation.
Test different configurations to find the layout that works best for your review process. The builder makes it easy to experiment and adjust.
AI integration
If you have AI enabled in your Performance Leader workspace, the content in your review reports is automatically ingested by the AI tool. This allows users to generate summaries, ask questions about the review data, and interact with the information in powerful new ways. AI is available as an add-on module—speak to your Customer Success Manager to learn more about enabling this feature.
Tips for effective reports
Keep it focused: Include only the most relevant information in your report. Too much content can overwhelm readers.
Think about the audience: Consider who will read the report and what information matters most to them.
Test with real data: Run a test review with sample data to see how the report looks with actual content, not just placeholders.
If you have questions about building review reports or want to discuss configuration options specific to your firm, reach out to your Customer Success Manager. We're here to help you create reports that support meaningful performance conversations.