If you’re in the world of business and looking for ways to maximise your team’s efficiency, you’ve likely heard of performance management software. You may be unfamiliar with what this means. In simple terms, these tools are there to help you keep track of your team’s progress, goals, feedback, and growth.
This blog post summarises some of the best performance management software, which makes managing performance easier and more productive. Whether running a small business or managing a large team, each software offers core HR features alongside other unique functionalities.
Why Do You Need Performance Management Software?
A strong performance management software helps businesses stay on track to achieve their goals while keeping employees engaged and growth-oriented.
- Clarity around goals: These software provide managers the opportunity to set clear objectives and overarching goals, making it easier for everyone to stay on the same page.
- Ongoing feedback and improvement: Rather than waiting on annual reviews, performance software provide managers and employees the opportunity to conduct regular and consistent check-ins, helping employees stay motivated and feel recognised for their work.
- Acknowledging good work: Managers can identify skill gaps early on and create personalised development plans that support long-term growth for individuals.
- Make data-driven decisions: With access to performance trends and analytics, decision-making for managers in relation to promotions, training, and team structure becomes more convenient.
The Top 10 Performance Management Software
1. Sentrient Performance Management Software
Sentrient is an all-in-one solution for performance management. Whether you’re a small or medium business, or a larger organisation, the software offers tools that help you keep track of goals, performance reviews, and development all in real-time. Sentrient simplifies the process of performance conversations, ensuring they are meaningful and ongoing to promote constant feedback and improvement.
Key benefits:
- Real-time feedback tool helps managers and teams provide and receive feedback continuously.
- Easy goal tracking and development plans make it easier for employees to understand expectations and keep track of their progress.
- Cloud-based access allows HR and management teams to access the software from anywhere.
Who it’s best suited for:
- Growing businesses are looking for a straightforward tool that evolves with their needs.
- Organisations focused on culture and development, where employee engagement, performance and transparency are key to success.
2. BrightHR Performance Management Software
BrightHR’s software is a very user-friendly performance management software. This uncomplicated software is made for businesses looking for a simplistic way to set goals, conduct performance reviews, and keep employees on track.
Key benefits:
- It helps align personal goals with broader company objectives to keep track of overall targets.
- Provides easy templates for performance reviews and goal-setting to keep formatting consistent across teams.
- Notifications to keep everyone on track with deadlines.
Who it’s best suited for:
- Small to medium businesses require a performance software that is easy to adopt.
- Companies are looking for a straightforward approach to performance management.
3. Ascender HCM Performance Management Software
If you’re focused on long-term growth and continuous improvement, Ascender’s HCM performance management software is a great choice for improving productivity with a strategy-oriented approach.
Key benefits:
- Customisable performance objectives that help your business create criteria for specific targets.
- Facilitates regular 1-on-1 check-ins to encourage ongoing conversations between managers and employees.
- Focus on development and employee retention with tools to track professional growth.
Who it’s best suited for:
- Teams that value continuous improvement and a personalised touch to employee support.
- Businesses that want to tie performance to overall strategy
4. OneAdvanced Performance Management Software
OneAdvanced is performance and talent-focused software that provides continuous feedback, goal tracking, and AI-powered insights to make managing team performance smoother.
Key benefits:
- AI-driven feedback that’s personalised in real-time to employees’ goals and objectives.
- Gives a snapshot of how your team is performing, allowing managers to identify strengths and development gaps.
- Easy to use and gives clear insights on where to improve.
Who it’s best suited for:
- Companies looking for advanced features
- Teams that want to embrace AI tools
5. Sage Performance Management Software
Sage is a great software choice for smaller businesses that need to track performance but don’t want anything too complex and convoluted. The software specialises in talent development and keeping data secure.
Key benefits:
- Cloud-based accessibility allows the software to thrive in hybrid and remote work environments.
- Strong security and compliance, which ensures data is held securely.
- Simple interface that is accessible for smaller teams.
Who it’s best suited for:
- Small businesses are seeking a convenient solution to handling performance management.
- Organisations that want to ensure compliance without overwhelming their team.
6. Selleo Performance Management Software
Selleo delivers a highly customised software to fit your personalised business needs. With AI and real-time analytics, this platform allows you to track goals and feedback with high levels of precision.
Key benefits:
- Custom solutions tailored to your business, from interface design to specific performance tracking modules.
- AI-powered analytics that track skills gaps and employee sentiment in real-time, allowing you to make proactive decisions for your business.
- Mobile and cloud access make Selleo ideal for hybrid and global teams.
Who it’s best suited for:
- Businesses with unique needs that require more flexibility than traditional HR software can offer.
- Companies that want deep insights with AI capabilities to assist decision-making.
7. The Access Group Performance Management Software
This software is geared towards businesses that need an all-in-one platform designed to bring all aspects of performance management under one roof. The Access Group combines everything from goal tracking to 360-degree feedback to make sure employees are always improving.
Key benefits:
- Keeps everything in one place with centralised employee performance management, reducing the need for managers to use multiple tools that waste time.
- Focus on continuous development and real-time feedback to foster a culture of growth within the workplace.
- Strong support that helps managers ensure employees’ personal goals are aligned with the overall company goals.
Who it’s best suited for:
- Businesses are looking to improve team engagement and uphold individual accountability.
- Companies that want to track detailed metrics while maintaining the employee experience.
8. Deputy Performance Management Software
Deputy’s software is fantastic for industries where shift work is the norm in industries such as retail, hospitality, or healthcare. It’s mobile-friendly and designed for mobility, so managers can give feedback right after a shift ends.
Key benefits:
- Managers can give instant feedback on employee performance, logging observations and comments while details are fresh.
- Mobile tracking that fits into any shift-based environment, keeping employees and supervisors connected.
- Customisable reports that businesses can tailor to their specific metrics.
Who it’s best suited for:
- Retail, hospitality, and healthcare companies where shifts vary day-to-day.
- Managers who value the opportunity to provide instant feedback.
9. Elmo Software Performance Management
Elmo is a scalable solution, perfect for businesses that need a comprehensive approach to performance management. The software contains everything from objectives to automated reviews while providing the reporting tools you need to give you a complete picture of your team’s performance.
Key benefits:
- Tools that will grow with your business and accommodate increasing demands as you take on more people.
- Detailed reporting that helps you make data-driven decisions, which makes operations run smoother.
- Automated review cycles and reminders that ensure key tasks are tracked until their completion.
Who it’s best suited for:
- Larger businesses require software capable of supporting long-term goals.
- Organisations that rely on data to drive people decisions, to inform and support the employee lifecycle.
10. Employment Hero Performance Management Software
Employment Hero’s software focuses on simplicity and continuous feedback, making it a very practical software for businesses that don’t wish to overcomplicate their performance management. This system offers easy-to-use features for goal setting, reviews, and ongoing performance management.
Key benefits:
- Clean, easy-to-navigate layout that makes tracking goals and overseeing employee performance simple, even for first-time users of the software.
- Regular performance feedback to ensure that employees aren’t waiting for months to hear how they’re doing, to encourage timely, meaningful conversations.
- Built-in individual development plans that help employees grow.
Who it’s best suited for:
- Small to medium-sized businesses that want practical tools with less complexity.
- Managers who want the structures needed to support performance and professional growth.
Conclusion
Choosing the right performance management software starts with a clear understanding of what suits your business setup. Larger organisations often look for software that can scale effectively. Features such as real-time insights and straightforward dashboards help keep operations on track. Smaller teams, on the other hand, usually prefer solutions that are quick to implement and easy to navigate without requiring extensive training.
Depending on how your business operations run, you might benefit from mobile-friendly tools that support on-the-spot feedback. Others may need cloud-based software that streamlines communication and collaboration across locations.
Many providers offer demo versions, allowing you to explore how the platform functions before committing. Some, like Sentrient, provide a flexible option that can grow with your business. These performance management software tools are ideal for expanding teams that value both simplicity and long-term adaptability.
