Chart Your Career

Chart Your Career is Boston University’s innovative performance process, designed to foster a dynamic partnership between staff and managers. This approach introduces the concept of a performance and career portfolio, emphasizing collaborative goal-setting and continuous feedback. Through this ongoing dialogue, staff success is measured over time, and staff members are empowered to maximize their performance and explore career possibilities.
  • The electronic performance review form will be available beginning January 8, 2026. All managers must use this online form to complete staff performance reviews for non-represented staff.
  • Completed performance reviews are due February 11, 2026.
More information is available on the BU HR website.

 

Chart Your Career: Support and Learning Opportunities

Offered by Organizational Development & Learning (ODL):

  • Chart Your Career Informational Webinars
    Join an interactive, one-hour live webinar to get a clear overview of the new Chart Your Career process and how it works from start to finish. You’ll hear directly from Human Resources, gain insight into what Chart Your Career means for your role and expectations, and explore potential developmental pathways and how the two evaluation criteria show up in daily work. Each session includes practical tips and examples you can apply right away. You’ll also be able to ask questions in a live Q&A so you feel more confident navigating and applying the new performance process.

    • Thursday, January 29, 12:00 p.m.
    • Wednesday, February 4, 12:00 p.m.
    • Friday, February 6, 9:00 a.m.
    • Wednesday, February 18, 9:00 a.m.
    • Monday, February 23, 12:00 p.m.
  • Chart Your Career Office Hours
    Beginning in December, a member of the Organizational Development & Learning team will be available every Friday from 12:00 p.m. to 12:45 p.m. via Zoom. These open office hours are for managers, staff, and administrators who want real-time help with the new Chart Your Career process—no registration required. You can get answers to general questions, receive tips and strategies for using the two evaluation criteria in your day-to-day work, and access support in integrating Chart Your Career into your regular workflow. To make the most of your time, please review the Chart Your Career video, guide, and FAQs beforehand so office hours can focus on your more specific or nuanced questions.

    • Friday, January 9, 12:00 p.m.
    • Friday, January 16, 12:00 p.m.
    • Friday, January 23, 12:00 p.m.
    • Friday, January 30, 12:00 p.m.
    • Friday, February 6, 12:00 p.m.
    • Friday, February 13, 12:00 p.m.
    • Friday, February 20, 12:00 p.m.
    • Friday, February 27, 12:00 p.m.
  • Custom micro-learnings
    Bite-sized modules available in TeD, so you can access support just when you need it.

Additional Trainings

Conducted by the CPO Admin Team to support Chart Your Career:
In January, the CPO Admin Team will conduct a four-part training series to help managers and staff put the new performance management process into everyday practice. Together, these sessions focus on four core skills: having effective check-ins and one-on-ones, giving and receiving actionable feedback, setting SMART goals that clearly align with team and University priorities, and helping staff own their growth through reflection and development planning. Across the series, participants learn simple, repeatable frameworks and language they can use in honest conversations, making performance discussions more specific, fair, and forward-looking. The overall goal is to build confidence and consistency in how we talk about work, progress, and career development across CPO.
  1. SMART Goals that Matter – January 22 and February 2 (Register Here)
    Learn how to turn broad intentions into clear, realistic goals that fit your role and your team’s priorities. We will break down the SMART framework, rewrite vague goals into stronger ones, and show how to use SMART goals in ongoing check-ins and performance conversations. Open to all staff.
  2. Owning Your Growth: Self-Reflection and Development Planning – January 20 and February 5 (Register Here)
    This session is for anyone who wants to tell a clearer story about their work and future direction. You will use a simple “look back, make sense, look ahead” framework to reflect on the past year, identify strengths and growth areas, and turn those into talking points and draft development ideas you can bring to check-ins and reviews. Open to all staff.
  3. Effective Check-ins and 1:1 Conversations – January 13 and 29 (Register Here)
    A practical session for managers on turning routine one-on-ones into meaningful development conversations. We will walk through a simple three-part structure for check-ins, talk about setting the right cadence, and share sample questions that build trust, surface obstacles, and connect everyday work to performance and growth. Manager-focused, but all staff are welcome.
  4. Actionable Feedback (Giving and Receiving Feedback) – January 14 and 30 (Register Here)
    This session helps managers move from vague feedback to clear, specific guidance people can actually use. You will practice using a simple SBI (Situation, Behavior, Impact) model, work through short CPO-relevant examples, and build confidence in responding constructively when you receive feedback. Manager-focused, but all staff are welcome.
If you have questions or need support, please get in touch with Matt Walsh at mwalsh8@bu.edu or Pam DeBarros at pamd@bu.edu.

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