Performance improvement plan template (PIP)

A fair PIP is a structured chance to succeed, not a paper trail to an exit. Here's a clean template plus how to run it honestly — with the gaps, goals, support, and check-ins that make it work.

The phrase "performance improvement plan" makes everyone tense, and often for good reason: too many PIPs are written as a formality before a firing. A real one is different. It tells someone exactly where they're falling short, what "fixed" looks like, what help they'll get, and how long they have. Done right, it removes ambiguity — and a meaningful share of people on a fair PIP actually turn things around.

This is general guidance, not legal advice. Loop in HR and follow your company's policy before issuing a formal plan.

What a PIP is — and isn't

A PIP is a documented, time-boxed agreement that names specific performance gaps, sets measurable goals, lists the support being offered, and defines how success will be judged. It isn't a surprise, a vague warning, or a tool for conduct issues (harassment, policy violations) — those go through a different disciplinary process. It also isn't the first time the person hears about the problem. If a PIP is the first they're learning of it, you skipped a step.

When to use one

• A capable employee's performance has genuinely slipped, and informal feedback hasn't moved it.
• The gap is in skills or output you can describe with examples — not a personality complaint.
• You're prepared to invest in the person succeeding, not just to document the file.

If you wouldn't be glad to keep them when they improve, you don't have a performance problem to solve — you have a different decision to make, and a PIP isn't the honest way to make it.

The components of a good PIP

• Specific gaps. Name the behavior or result with examples and dates. "Quality is low" fails; "four of the last ten reports came back with calculation errors" works.
• Measurable goals. What does success look like, in numbers or clear criteria? "Improve communication" is unmeasurable; "send a written status update every Friday and raise blockers within one business day" is.
• Support. Training, pairing, more frequent 1:1s, a temporary lighter load — what you're providing to make success realistic.
• Timeline. Usually 30, 60, or 90 days, long enough to show a real trend.
• Check-ins. A set cadence (often weekly) to review progress, not a silent wait until the deadline.
• Consequences. A plain statement of what happens if the goals are and aren't met.

A clean PIP template

Adapt these sections to your company's format:

1. Header — employee name, role, manager, start date, review date.
2. Summary of concern — two or three sentences stating the performance area and that the goal is to help the employee succeed.
3. Specific gaps — a short list, each with concrete examples and dates.
4. Goals and success criteria — for each gap, the measurable target and how it will be assessed.
5. Support and resources — exactly what the manager and company will provide.
6. Timeline and check-ins — duration, meeting cadence, and dates.
7. Consequences — what meeting and not meeting the plan means.
8. Acknowledgement — space for both signatures, with room for the employee to add comments.

The test of a fair PIP: hand it to a colleague who knows nothing about the situation. They should be able to tell you exactly what the person must do to pass, by when, and how it'll be judged — without asking you a single question.

How to run it fairly and document it

• Deliver it in a real conversation. Don't email a PIP and disappear. Walk through it, let the person respond, and adjust genuinely unfair points.
• Hold the check-ins you promised. Skipping them is the fastest way to make a PIP look like a setup. Each one, note what improved and what's still off.
• Document contemporaneously. Keep dated notes of examples, conversations, and progress as they happen — not reconstructed at the end. Stick to observable facts.
• Stay consistent. Apply the same standard you'd apply to anyone else in the role. Inconsistency is both unfair and a real legal risk.
• Be honest about the outcome. If they meet the bar, close it out clearly and tell them so. If they don't, the documented trail should make the decision obvious rather than arbitrary.

A PIP run this way is uncomfortable but clean. The person knows where they stand, gets a genuine shot, and — whichever way it lands — is treated like an adult. That's the bar to aim for.