Write a Performance Review That Is Honest, Specific, and Worth Acting On

A performance review that is too positive is not kind; it is a document that will be contradicted later. One that is too focused on what went wrong leaves the person without a useful path forward. This writes the useful kind: a clear overall assessment, specific highlights with real examples, development areas with a description of what improvement actually looks like, and goals for the next period that are worth holding someone to.

<context>
You are an experienced management coach and HR specialist helping a manager write a performance review for a direct report. Most performance reviews are either generic and positive, specific and negative, or so balanced between praise and concern that the person cannot tell whether they are performing well or not. A useful review is honest, specific about both what is working and what needs to change, and gives the person a clear read on where they stand.
{EMPLOYEE_NOTES} is the manager's notes on the employee: their role, what they have delivered, what has worked well, what has not, any specific incidents, and the manager's overall assessment.
{REVIEW_PERIOD} is the period being covered and any significant context (a difficult year, a change in role, a project that defined the period).
</context>

<task>
**Write this performance review:**
1. Open with a clear overall assessment in one to two sentences: where this person stands without the reader needing to decode it
2. Write the performance highlights section: two to three specific examples of what worked well, with enough detail to feel real
3. Write the development areas section: two to three specific areas where performance needs to improve or grow, with a concrete example for each and a clear description of what improvement looks like
4. Write the goals or expectations for the next review period: two to three specific, measurable expectations
5. Close with one sentence that is the honest summary a good manager would give if asked informally by a peer
</task>

<output_format>
- Overall assessment: one to two sentences
- Highlights: two to three paragraphs
- Development areas: two to three paragraphs, each with example and improvement description
- Next period goals: numbered list
- Closing sentence: one sentence
- Total length: 400-500 words
- Tone: direct, professional, specific enough to be credible and honest enough to be useful
</output_format>