Office of Human Resources Management June 23, 2020

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Non-Executive Performance Management

Overview of Major Policy Changes Beginning in FY 2021

Background USDA is establishing a two-tier performance management system. This document provides 

an overview of the major policy differences between the old rating system and the new.

2019 DR 

5-Tier Rating System

New 

2-Tier Rating System What This Means

Summary 

Rating Pattern

• Outstanding

• Superior 

• Fully Successful 

• Minimally Satisfactory

• Unacceptable

• Fully Successful

• Unacceptable

An employee who is Fully 

Successful in all elements will 

be rated Fully Successful. 

All performance below the 

Fully Successful level will be 

rated Unacceptable.

Element 

Designations 

At least one element must be 

critical; non-critical are 

optional 

All elements are critical Performance expectations that 

were formerly designated noncritical will not automatically 

become critical. They will 

have to be examined to 

determine whether they are 

such a core expectation of the 

position as to be considered 

critical. 

Performance 

Plans

Define all elements at both 

Fully Successful and Exceeds 

Fully Successful levels

• Define all elements at 

Fully Successful level

• Specifically prohibits 

defining elements at 

the Does Not Meet 

Fully Successful level

• Plans will no longer need to 

have “exceeds fully 

successful” standards. 

• Anything that falls below 

Fully Successful is 

automatically “Does Not 

Meet”. 

See the downloadable reference

“Meaningful Performance

Plans”. 
Office of Human Resources Management June 23, 2020

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Determining the 

Summary 

Rating

• If any critical element 

rated Does Not Meet, 

summary rating is 

Unacceptable

• If any non-critical 

element rated Does Not 

Meet, summary rating is

Minimally Satisfactory

• If all elements rated 

Exceeds, summary rating 

is Outstanding

• Superior/Fully 

Successful based on 

formula

• If every element is 

rated Fully Successful, 

summary rating is 

Fully Successful

• If any element is rated 

Does Not Meet, 

summary rating is 

Unacceptable

• The vast majority of 

summary ratings (also 

known as “ratings of 

record”) will be Fully 

Successful.

• Because all elements will 

be designated “critical”, 

there is no longer a 

summary rating of 

“Minimally Satisfactory” 

for unsatisfactory 

performance on a noncritical element.

Accomplishment 

Reports

Required of all employees by 

October 1st

Not mandatory 

Department-wide

• It’s still a good practice to 

use accomplishment reports 

to document what 

employees achieved 

throughout the year, but 

they are not required across 

the board.

• Supervisors may require 

them of employees.

• Employees may submit 

them if their supervisor 

doesn’t require them.

Quarterly 

Conversations

Identified as “quarterly 

progress reviews”

Identified as “quarterly 

conversations” to 

underscore the objective of 

keeping the 

communication between 

the Rating Official and 

employee frequent and 

ongoing, but not 

necessarily as formal as 

some believed it was 

required to be

The purpose of managing 

employee performance is to 

ensure employees know what’s 

expected, and to ensure it’s 

actually getting done. Keeping 

these conversations happening 

at least quarterly supports that. 

See the downloadable reference

“Performance-Based

Conversations”.