Peer Review Examples & Templates: Guide to Effective 360 Feedback

Managers see one dimension of an employee's performance. Peers see another entirely. The way someone collaborates under pressure, communicates across teams, supports colleagues, and navigates day-to-day challenges is often invisible to a supervisor who is not in the room for most of those interactions.

Peer reviews bridge this visibility gap by gathering feedback from the people who work most closely with an employee. When done well, they provide a richer, more accurate picture of performance than manager-only reviews can achieve. When done poorly, they become a source of anxiety, vague platitudes, or interpersonal friction.

This guide gives you everything you need to implement effective peer reviews, including example phrases by category, ready-to-use templates, and best practices for both giving and receiving feedback.

What Are Peer Reviews?

A peer review (also called a peer evaluation or colleague review) is a structured feedback process where employees provide performance assessments of their coworkers. Peer reviews are a core component of 360-degree feedback, which gathers input from multiple sources: managers, peers, direct reports, and sometimes clients.

Why Peer Reviews Matter

When Peer Reviews Are Most Valuable

• During formal performance review cycles as part of a 360-degree process
• After major projects or initiatives to assess team contributions
• During promotion considerations to gather evidence of leadership and collaboration
• As part of onboarding feedback for new employees completing their first 90 days
• In team development programs focused on improving collaboration and communication

Peer Review Example Phrases by Category

The most common challenge with peer reviews is knowing what to say. Below are example phrases organized by category, with both positive and constructive variations.

Collaboration and Teamwork

Positive Examples:

• "Sarah consistently offers to help team members who are overloaded. During the Q4 product launch, she took on additional testing tasks without being asked, which helped us meet the deadline."
• "Marcus is one of the most collaborative people on the team. He actively seeks input from others before making decisions and genuinely incorporates their perspectives."
• "When our team faced conflicting priorities, Priya facilitated a discussion that helped us reach consensus. She made sure everyone's concerns were heard."
• "David goes out of his way to share knowledge. He created documentation for processes that previously lived only in one person's head."

Constructive Examples:

• "I have noticed that Alex sometimes moves forward with decisions that affect the team without checking in with everyone involved. More communication before key decisions would help the team feel included."
• "While Jordan delivers excellent individual work, there are opportunities to collaborate more closely with the design team earlier in the process, which could reduce rework later."
• "It would be helpful if Taylor shared status updates more frequently during team projects. There have been a few times where team members were unaware of progress or blockers."

Communication

Positive Examples:

• "Aisha is an exceptionally clear communicator. Her project briefs are thorough, well-organized, and make it easy for anyone to understand the context and requirements."
• "Ben excels at translating technical concepts into language that non-technical stakeholders can understand. This has improved cross-functional alignment on our projects."
• "When I have questions or need clarification, Mia responds promptly and thoroughly. She takes the time to make sure I have what I need."
• "Carlos is great at giving updates during stand-ups. He keeps them concise but includes enough detail that the team stays informed."

Constructive Examples:

• "Emma's written communications can sometimes lack the context needed for team members who were not in the original meeting. Adding brief background in emails would help."
• "During discussions, James tends to focus on his perspective without fully considering others' input. Pausing to acknowledge others' points before responding would strengthen his communication."
• "It would benefit the team if Raj provided more frequent updates on long-running tasks, especially when timelines shift. Proactive communication would reduce uncertainty."

Technical Skills and Quality of Work

Positive Examples:

• "Wei consistently delivers high-quality code with thorough test coverage. Her pull requests are well-documented and rarely require significant revision."
• "Daniel has deep expertise in data analysis and is always willing to share that knowledge with the team. His work on the customer segmentation project was exceptional."
• "Lisa's attention to detail in her financial reports is outstanding. Her work product is accurate, thorough, and consistently reliable."
• "Omar quickly learns new tools and technologies. When we transitioned to the new CRM, he became the go-to person for the team within weeks."

Constructive Examples:

• "While the quality of Anna's work is strong, there is room to improve efficiency. Some tasks take longer than expected, and breaking work into smaller increments might help with pacing."
• "Tom's presentations could benefit from more visual elements and less text-heavy slides. The content is strong, but the format sometimes makes it harder to follow."
• "It would be valuable for Karen to document her processes more thoroughly so that others can maintain or build on her work when she is unavailable."

Leadership and Initiative

Positive Examples:

• "Even though she is not a formal manager, Nadia naturally takes on a leadership role during team projects. She keeps everyone aligned, tracks progress, and is not afraid to address blockers."
• "Jamal proactively identified a gap in our onboarding process and proposed a solution that we have now adopted. He does not wait to be told what needs fixing."
• "When our team lost a member mid-project, Chris stepped up to redistribute tasks and mentor the new hire who joined. His initiative kept the project on track."
• "Grace regularly volunteers for stretch assignments and challenging projects. She approaches new challenges with energy and a willingness to learn."

Constructive Examples:

• "Sam has strong technical skills but could take more initiative in team discussions. His insights are valuable, and the team would benefit from hearing his ideas more often."
• "While Fiona is reliable with assigned work, there is an opportunity for her to identify and propose improvements proactively rather than waiting for direction."
• "Mark could strengthen his leadership by delegating more effectively. Taking on too much himself sometimes slows the team down and limits others' growth."

Problem Solving and Decision Making

Positive Examples:

• "When we encountered the data migration issue, Yuki calmly diagnosed the root cause and proposed three potential solutions with clear trade-offs for each. Her systematic approach was exactly what we needed."
• "Hassan consistently brings a solutions-oriented mindset to challenges. Rather than dwelling on problems, he focuses on what we can control and how to move forward."
• "Elena is excellent at weighing different perspectives before making decisions. She gathers input, considers trade-offs, and communicates her reasoning clearly."

Constructive Examples:

• "When facing ambiguous situations, Mike sometimes defaults to analysis paralysis. Setting a decision deadline and accepting that not all information will be available could help."
• "Lucy would benefit from considering a broader range of solutions before committing to the first approach that comes to mind. Brainstorming with the team could lead to stronger outcomes."

Reliability and Accountability

Positive Examples:

• "If Kwame says he will do something, it gets done. His reliability has made him a cornerstone of the team, and we all trust that commitments he makes will be honoured."
• "Sophia consistently meets deadlines and proactively communicates when she anticipates a delay. Her transparency makes planning much easier for the whole team."
• "When a mistake was made in the client report, Ahmed immediately owned it, corrected the error, and put a process in place to prevent it from happening again."

Constructive Examples:

• "There have been a few instances where deadlines were missed without advance notice. Proactive communication about potential delays would help the team plan around them."
• "It would strengthen trust if commitments made in meetings were followed through more consistently. Using a task tracker or follow-up notes could help."

Ready-to-Use Peer Review Templates

Template 1: Structured Rating with Comments

This template works well for formal review cycles with standardized questions.

Reviewer: _______________ Employee being reviewed: _______________ Review period: _______________ Relationship: (peer / cross-functional partner / project collaborator)

Instructions: Rate each area on a scale of 1-5, where 1 = Needs significant improvement, 3 = Meets expectations, and 5 = Exceptional. Provide at least one specific example for each rating.

What are this person's top 2-3 strengths?

---

What 1-2 areas would help this person grow the most?

---

Any additional comments?

---

Template 2: Open-Ended Narrative

This template works well for development-focused reviews where qualitative detail is more valuable than ratings.

Reviewer: _______________ Employee being reviewed: _______________ Review period: _______________

1. Describe your working relationship with this person. How often and in what context do you collaborate?

2. What does this person do particularly well? Provide specific examples.

3. In what areas could this person improve? Be specific about the behaviour and its impact.

4. How effectively does this person collaborate with the team? Consider communication, reliability, and willingness to help.

5. If you could give this person one piece of advice for their professional development, what would it be?

6. Is there anything else you would like to share about working with this person?

Template 3: Project-Specific Peer Review

This template is designed for post-project retrospectives.

Project name: _______________ Reviewer: _______________ Employee being reviewed: _______________

1. What was this person's role on the project?

2. How effectively did they fulfill that role? (Scale: Below expectations / Met expectations / Exceeded expectations)

3. What was their most valuable contribution to the project?

4. How well did they communicate and coordinate with other team members?

5. Did they meet their commitments and deadlines?

6. What could they do differently on the next project?

7. Would you want to work with this person on future projects? (Yes / Yes, with some changes / Prefer not to)

Template 4: Quick Pulse Peer Feedback

This template is designed for lightweight, frequent feedback outside of formal review cycles.

For: _______________ From: _______________ Date: _______________

Continue: What should this person keep doing?

---

Start: What should this person start doing or do more of?

---

Stop: What should this person stop doing or do less of?

---

Tips for Giving Constructive Peer Feedback

The SBI Framework

Use the Situation-Behaviour-Impact (SBI) model to structure constructive feedback:

• Situation: Describe the specific context. "During last week's sprint planning meeting..."
• Behaviour: Describe the observable behaviour. "...you interrupted several team members before they finished speaking."
• Impact: Describe the effect. "This made some people hesitant to share their ideas, and we may have missed important input."

Do's and Don'ts

Do:

• Be specific and use concrete examples
• Focus on observable behaviours, not personality traits
• Balance positive feedback with constructive suggestions
• Frame development areas as opportunities, not failures
• Write feedback you would be comfortable saying in person
• Consider the full review period, not just recent events

Don't:

• Use vague language like "good job" or "needs improvement" without examples
• Make it personal ("you are disorganized") rather than behavioural ("your project plans sometimes lack key details")
• Pile on criticism without acknowledging strengths
• Use the review to settle personal grievances
• Compare the employee to others on the team
• Provide feedback on matters outside the scope of the working relationship

Navigating Difficult Feedback

If you need to address a significant concern in a peer review:

1. Focus on the work impact: Frame the feedback in terms of how it affects the team, project, or outcome rather than how it makes you feel.
2. Be fair: Distinguish between a pattern and a one-time event. One missed deadline is not unreliability.
3. Suggest a path forward: Pair the observation with a constructive suggestion for improvement.
4. Consider speaking directly first: For serious interpersonal issues, a direct conversation (potentially facilitated by a manager) may be more appropriate than a written review.

Tips for Receiving Peer Feedback

Receiving feedback from peers can be more challenging than receiving it from a manager because the power dynamic is different and the feedback may feel more personal.

1. Approach with curiosity, not defensiveness: Your first reaction may be to explain or justify. Resist that impulse and ask yourself what you can learn.
2. Look for patterns: If multiple peers mention the same theme, take it seriously regardless of whether you agree with any single comment.
3. Separate intent from impact: You may not have intended the effect described, but the impact on your colleague was real.
4. Ask clarifying questions: If the feedback is vague, ask your manager to help you understand what specific behaviours are being referenced.
5. Create an action plan: Pick one or two themes from the feedback and build concrete steps for improvement.
6. Follow up: Let the people who gave you feedback know that you valued their input and what you are working on as a result.

Common Pitfalls in Peer Review Programs

Pitfall 1: Friendship Bias

Employees may rate friends more favourably and rivals less favourably, regardless of actual performance.

Mitigation: Use structured templates with behavioural anchors. Require specific examples. Have managers review peer feedback for outliers and inconsistencies.

Pitfall 2: Reciprocity Effect

Employees may give positive reviews to peers they expect will review them positively in return.

Mitigation: Do not allow employees to see their peer feedback until after they have submitted their own reviews. Use anonymous feedback where appropriate.

Pitfall 3: Recency Bias

Reviewers focus on recent events rather than the full review period.

Mitigation: Encourage reviewers to consider the entire review period. Provide a timeline of key projects and milestones to jog their memory.

Pitfall 4: Vague or Unhelpful Feedback

Comments like "great team player" or "could communicate better" provide no actionable value.

Mitigation: Require at least one specific example per rating. Train employees on what good feedback looks like using the SBI framework.

Pitfall 5: Anxiety and Fear

Employees may be anxious about giving honest feedback, especially constructive criticism, for fear of damaging relationships.

Mitigation: Normalize feedback as a development tool, not a judgment. Guarantee confidentiality. Train employees on how to give feedback constructively. Start with low-stakes feedback opportunities before introducing formal reviews.

Pitfall 6: Overloading Reviewers

Asking employees to review too many peers leads to shallow, rushed feedback.

Mitigation: Limit peer reviews to 3-5 colleagues per person per cycle. Prioritize those with the closest working relationship.

Implementing a Peer Review Program

Step 1: Define the Purpose

Be clear about what you want peer reviews to achieve. Are they primarily for development, performance evaluation, promotion decisions, or team building? The purpose will shape every design decision.

Step 2: Select the Format

Choose the template style that best fits your purpose and culture. Structured ratings work well for evaluation; open-ended narratives work better for development.

Step 3: Train Participants

Before launching, conduct a brief training session covering:

• How to write specific, behavioural feedback
• The SBI framework
• How to balance positive and constructive comments
• Confidentiality expectations

Step 4: Manage the Logistics

• Reviewer selection: Allow employees to suggest reviewers, but give managers final approval to ensure a balanced set of perspectives.
• Timeline: Provide 1-2 weeks for completion. Send reminders at the midpoint and before the deadline.
• Anonymity: Decide whether feedback will be anonymous, attributed, or confidential (known to HR/manager but not the employee).

Step 5: Integrate with the Review Process

Managers should synthesize peer feedback alongside their own assessment. They should:

• Identify themes across multiple peer reviews
• Weigh feedback based on the reviewer's relationship and context
• Discuss peer feedback themes with the employee during the review conversation
• Help the employee create development actions based on the feedback

Step 6: Iterate

After each cycle, gather feedback on the peer review process itself. Ask: Was it useful? Was it fair? Was it too time-consuming? Refine based on what you learn.

Conclusion

Peer reviews are one of the most powerful tools in the performance management toolkit because they capture the full picture of how an employee works, not just what they produce. The colleagues who sit beside someone in meetings, collaborate on projects, and navigate challenges together have insights that no manager can replicate.

The key to a successful peer review program is making it safe, structured, and actionable. Train employees on how to give specific, behavioural feedback. Use templates that guide them toward useful observations. And ensure that the feedback is integrated into development conversations rather than filed away and forgotten.

Start small. Pilot with a willing team, gather feedback on the process, and refine before rolling out broadly. The investment in building a feedback-rich culture will pay dividends in team performance, individual growth, and organizational trust.