Best examples of project management performance review examples for 2024 performance cycles

Strong examples of project management performance review examples by competency

Let’s start with what you actually came for: concrete, copy-ready phrases. Each cluster below shows an example of project management performance review wording for exceeds expectations, meets expectations, and needs improvement.

Planning and project scoping: examples of clear, measurable feedback

Modern project planning isn’t just Gantt charts. It’s backlog grooming, capacity planning, and aligning work with strategy.

Exceeds expectations – planning
“Consistently translates ambiguous business goals into clear project charters with defined scope, success metrics, and assumptions. For the Q2 platform migration, created a phased plan that reduced cutover risk and enabled a 12% faster rollout than forecast. Anticipates resource constraints at least one quarter ahead and proactively negotiates trade-offs with product and engineering leaders.”

Meets expectations – planning
“Develops realistic project plans with defined milestones, owners, and timelines. For most projects, scope, budget, and schedule are documented before kickoff and updated when priorities shift. Collaborates with stakeholders to confirm requirements, though occasionally needs reminders to document decisions in a central location.”

Needs improvement – planning
“Project plans are often high-level and lack clear milestones, dependencies, or risk assumptions. For the FY25 reporting project, scope changes were handled reactively, which contributed to confusion about priorities and a three-week delay. Needs to invest more time up front in clarifying requirements and documenting scope boundaries before starting execution.”

These are the kinds of examples of project management performance review examples that help managers connect planning behavior to actual business impact.

Execution and delivery: examples include schedule, budget, and quality

Execution is where project managers either win trust or lose it. In 2024–2025, that includes managing distributed teams, asynchronous workflows, and constant reprioritization.

Exceeds expectations – execution
“Delivers complex, cross-functional projects on or ahead of schedule while maintaining quality standards. In 2024, led six major releases; five launched on time or early, and all stayed within ±3% of budget. Uses data from tools like Jira and Asana to monitor progress in real time and adjusts scope early when risks appear. Consistently closes feedback loops with QA, support, and customers to prevent repeat defects.”

Meets expectations – execution
“Delivers most projects within agreed timelines and budget. Manages day-to-day execution with appropriate follow-through on action items and blockers. When delays occur, communicates impact and revised timelines, though sometimes waits until risks are more severe before escalating.”

Needs improvement – execution
“Struggles to maintain momentum during execution. Milestones are frequently missed without clear root-cause analysis or recovery plans. For the customer portal upgrade, did not establish a cadence for tracking progress, which led to last-minute overtime and a compressed testing window. Needs to adopt more structured execution practices and use project tools consistently.”

Stakeholder management: best examples for cross-functional alignment

Stakeholder management is a big predictor of project success. Research from the Project Management Institute (PMI) continues to show that poor communication and stakeholder engagement are major drivers of project failure (pmi.org). That’s why examples of project management performance review examples should call out specific stakeholder behaviors.

Exceeds expectations – stakeholder management
“Builds strong, trust-based relationships with executives, business partners, and technical teams. For the 2025 data privacy initiative, proactively mapped stakeholders, identified likely resistance points, and held targeted working sessions that reduced last-minute escalations by 40% compared with prior projects. Consistently provides clear ‘no surprises’ updates tailored to each audience.”

Meets expectations – stakeholder management
“Maintains productive relationships with key stakeholders and responds promptly to questions and concerns. Schedules regular check-ins and shares status updates, though could improve by tailoring communication more to non-technical partners and surfacing trade-offs earlier in the process.”

Needs improvement – stakeholder management
“Tends to focus primarily on internal project teams and underestimates the needs of external stakeholders. For the billing system enhancement, did not involve Finance early enough, resulting in rework of reporting requirements. Needs to identify and engage stakeholders earlier and create more structured feedback mechanisms.”

Communication and documentation: examples of clear, behavior-based feedback

Communication is one of the most requested competencies in examples of project management performance review examples. The trick is to avoid vague comments and focus on observable habits.

Exceeds expectations – communication
“Communicates clearly, concisely, and with strong audience awareness. Summarizes complex technical topics into executive-ready updates that support fast decision-making. During the 2024 cloud modernization program, produced weekly one-page summaries that reduced ad-hoc status requests by 35% and helped leadership quickly prioritize scope changes.”

Meets expectations – communication
“Provides regular written and verbal updates to project teams and stakeholders. Meeting notes and action items are usually shared within 24 hours. Occasionally, messages include too much detail for senior leaders, but overall communication supports project progress and alignment.”

Needs improvement – communication
“Updates are inconsistent in timing and detail, which leads to confusion about priorities and ownership. For the CRM integration, key decisions went undocumented, so the team revisited the same questions multiple times. Needs to adopt a more structured approach to written updates and decision tracking.”

Risk management and issue resolution: real examples that go beyond checklists

Good risk management is about foresight, not just RAID logs. In a world of supply chain volatility, cybersecurity threats, and AI-related change, your examples of project management performance review examples should reflect proactive behavior.

Exceeds expectations – risk management
“Demonstrates strong foresight in identifying and mitigating risks before they impact scope, schedule, or quality. For the 2024 vendor transition, flagged contract and data migration risks three months ahead of go-live and negotiated phased cutover and additional support hours, avoiding potential downtime for 20,000+ users. Uses post-implementation reviews to refine risk checklists and shares lessons learned across teams.”

Meets expectations – risk management
“Identifies and tracks most major risks and issues. Escalates blockers to sponsors when necessary and works with teams to develop mitigation plans. Could improve by quantifying risk impact and probability more consistently and by updating risk registers more frequently.”

Needs improvement – risk management
“Risk management activities are often reactive rather than proactive. For the analytics refresh project, did not anticipate data-quality issues from legacy systems, leading to a four-week slip. Needs to incorporate risk identification into early planning and maintain a visible, regularly updated risk log.”

Leadership and team collaboration: examples include coaching and psychological safety

Project managers increasingly act as facilitators and coaches, not just task trackers. That aligns with broader research on team effectiveness and psychological safety from organizations like Google and academic institutions such as Harvard (Harvard Business School Working Knowledge). Your example of project management performance review language should highlight how PMs shape team culture.

Exceeds expectations – leadership
“Creates an environment where team members feel safe raising risks, admitting mistakes, and proposing alternatives. For the 2024–2025 roadmap delivery, facilitated retrospectives that led to concrete process improvements, including clearer definition of ‘ready’ and ‘done.’ Actively mentors junior project managers and shares playbooks, which has improved consistency across the portfolio.”

Meets expectations – leadership
“Provides clear direction and keeps the team focused on priorities. Handles conflict professionally and supports cross-functional collaboration. Could further develop coaching skills by delegating more ownership and giving more targeted feedback to team members.”

Needs improvement – leadership
“Tends to manage tasks rather than outcomes, which can limit team autonomy and engagement. In tense situations, sometimes avoids difficult conversations, allowing minor conflicts to grow. Needs to build confidence in facilitating discussions, addressing misalignment early, and empowering team members to own decisions where appropriate.”

Adaptability and change management: 2024–2025-focused examples

With AI, regulatory changes, and shifting customer expectations, adaptability is now a core dimension in many examples of project management performance review examples.

Exceeds expectations – adaptability
“Handles shifting priorities and organizational changes with calm, data-informed decision-making. During the 2024 budget realignment, quickly re-scoped three active projects, preserving 85% of projected customer impact while reducing spend by 20%. Experiments with new tools, including AI-assisted planning and documentation, and shares what works with the PM community.”

Meets expectations – adaptability
“Responds constructively to change and adjusts plans when needed. Communicates changes to stakeholders and updates timelines, though could improve at documenting the rationale for trade-offs to support future decision-making.”

Needs improvement – adaptability
“Struggles when priorities shift or when stakeholders change direction. For the marketing automation project, took several weeks to adjust to a revised scope, which created uncertainty for the team. Needs to develop more flexible planning habits and to separate personal frustration from professional communication.”

Role-specific examples of project management performance review examples

Beyond competencies, managers often want wording that fits different seniority levels. Here are real examples you can adapt for junior, mid-level, and senior project managers.

Example of feedback for an early-career / junior project manager

“Over the past year, you’ve shown meaningful growth in managing small to mid-sized projects. You consistently keep tasks organized, follow up on action items, and ensure your project documentation is up to date in our tools. For the internal onboarding workflow update, you coordinated with HR and IT to launch on time and incorporated feedback from stakeholders into the final process.

For the next review period, focus on strengthening your ability to anticipate risks before they surface. Spend more time upfront clarifying requirements and confirming shared understanding of scope. Shadowing senior project managers on complex initiatives will help you build confidence in stakeholder management and escalation.”

Example of feedback for a mid-level project manager

“You’ve become a reliable owner for cross-functional initiatives. In 2024, you led three major projects, all delivered within an acceptable variance of schedule and budget. Your communication is clear and your weekly updates help leadership make trade-off decisions quickly.

To move toward a senior project management role, deepen your strategic perspective. Instead of only executing against assigned goals, push for clarity on business outcomes and challenge assumptions when timelines or scope are unrealistic. This includes quantifying the impact of risks and proposing scenario-based plans, not just a single baseline plan.”

Example of feedback for a senior / program-level project manager

“This year you demonstrated strong leadership across the entire portfolio. You successfully orchestrated the 2025 product launch program, coordinating eight workstreams across engineering, marketing, operations, and customer support. Your early identification of regulatory and security risks helped us avoid launch delays and maintain compliance with emerging data standards.

Looking ahead, continue to build organizational capability by documenting your playbooks and mentoring newer project managers. Consider partnering with HR and L&D to formalize training on project execution, risk management, and stakeholder communication so your best examples and practices become part of how we work as a company.”

How to use these examples of project management performance review examples effectively

Having strong wording is helpful, but impact comes from how you use it.

Focus on specific outcomes and data. Tie feedback to:

• Delivery metrics (on-time percentage, budget variance, defect rates)
• Stakeholder feedback (surveys, Net Promoter Scores, internal satisfaction scores)
• Team health indicators (turnover, engagement survey results, burnout signals)

Organizations like the U.S. Office of Personnel Management provide guidance on competency-based performance management and behavioral indicators that you can adapt to project roles (opm.gov).

Also, align your examples with your performance rating scale. If your rating of “exceeds expectations” is reserved for top 10–15% performers, your language should clearly differentiate them from solid performers. That’s where these best examples of project management performance review examples can help you calibrate across teams.

FAQ: common questions about project management performance reviews

How do I write good examples of project management performance review comments quickly?
Start from a small set of core competencies (planning, execution, communication, risk, leadership). For each, write one sentence about outcomes (what happened) and one about behaviors (what they did). Then compare your draft to the examples of project management performance review examples above to tighten the wording and remove vague terms.

What is a strong example of constructive feedback for a project manager?
A strong example focuses on behavior and impact, not personality: “During the Q3 release, status updates often focused on completed tasks rather than risks and blockers. As a result, leadership was surprised by a two-week delay. For future projects, shift your updates to highlight risks, decisions needed, and trade-offs so stakeholders can intervene earlier.”

How often should I update my project management performance review examples?
At least annually. As tools, methodologies, and business priorities evolve, so should your examples. For instance, many organizations are now updating expectations around AI-assisted work, remote collaboration, and cybersecurity. Reviewing your templates each year ensures they reflect current practices and standards. Resources from universities and professional associations, such as the Project Management Institute and major business schools, can help you stay current (mit.edu and harvard.edu both share relevant research and courses).

Can I reuse the same examples for all project managers?
You can reuse structure and phrasing, but you should always ground feedback in specific projects, metrics, and stakeholder input. Generic, copy-pasted comments erode trust. Think of these real examples as scaffolding; the substance should come from your manager notes, project retrospectives, and data from your project tools.

Used thoughtfully, these examples of project management performance review examples can save you time, reduce bias, and make your feedback far more actionable for every project manager on your team.