Below are two examples that illustrate documentation that is objective, factual, and identifies specific behavior. Jim gives most assignments to one person he supervises, thereby creating one overloaded employee and others with little to do. She conducts quarterly reviews of performance, and I have observed on several occasions that she provides informal feedback to those she supervises in accordance with prescribed procedures. A good rule of thumb to use in writing documentation is that the documentation should be complete and specific enough for another supervisor to understand the incident or behavior. In general, good documentation is specific, but brief.
Lengthy documentation tends to include non-behavioral information.
If you think it is important to add evaluative interpretations, add them to the margin or in a separate place and label them as such to keep them distinct from the behaviors you observe. However, don't be surprised if your interpretation differs as you become more knowledgeable about the situation. A third issue is how often you should document performance. As noted earlier, this is a judgment call by the supervisor. Effective documentation would support the eventual performance rating and provide insights into the ways in which the employee has performed varied duties, tasks, and assignments.