If you're tired of chasing people for feedback or watching annual reviews turn into a paper chase, you're not alone. Automated feedback can actually help—if you set it up right. This guide is for managers, HR folks, or anyone wrangling with performance reviews who wants to make Centrical do more of the annoying work for you (and skip the fluff).
Let’s walk through how to build automated performance feedback workflows in Centrical without getting lost in the weeds—or the buzzwords.
Step 1: Get Clear on Your Feedback Goals (Don’t Skip This)
Before you even log in, decide what you want your feedback workflow to do. Centrical’s automation is only as good as your plan.
- What’s the real pain point? Is feedback too slow? Too impersonal? Are people just ignoring it?
- How often do you want feedback? Weekly, monthly, after specific events?
- Who needs to be involved? Managers? Peers? Direct reports?
- What’s “good enough” for now? You can always tweak later.
Pro tip: Start simple. Trying to automate everything out of the gate usually backfires.
Step 2: Map Out Your Workflow (On Paper First)
Centrical can automate a lot, but it can’t read your mind. Sketch out your feedback workflow before building anything.
- Define triggers (what kicks off feedback? An achievement? End of a project? Time interval?)
- Decide on who gives and receives feedback
- List any approvals or handoffs
- Figure out notifications (who gets pinged, and when?)
If you can’t explain your process to a colleague in under a minute, it’s probably too complicated.
Step 3: Set Up Feedback Templates in Centrical
Now, finally, fire up Centrical. Feedback in Centrical usually runs through templates, which standardize what’s asked and how feedback is collected.
- Go to Admin > Feedback Templates
- Create a new template
- Give it a name you’ll recognize (not just “Feedback Template 1”)
- Add questions or prompts that actually matter. Skip generic stuff like “How did they do?” and go for specifics: “What went well this week?” “Where could we improve?”
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Decide if feedback is anonymous or tied to names. Both have pros and cons, but forced anonymity can sometimes lead to less useful input.
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Set required vs. optional fields
Don’t force people to write essays. Short, focused feedback is better than nothing.
What to skip: Don’t waste time on fancy formatting or trying to make templates “look nice.” Focus on clarity.
Step 4: Build Your Automation (Using Centrical’s Workflow Engine)
This is where Centrical starts to earn its keep. You’ll use its workflow engine to set up automated triggers and actions.
- Head to Admin > Workflows
- Create a new workflow
- Choose a trigger:
- Scheduled (e.g., every Friday at 2pm)
- Event-based (e.g., when someone completes a project or hits a milestone)
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Add actions:
- Send feedback requests to individuals or teams
- Notify managers
- Auto-remind after X days if no response
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Tie your template to the workflow
Pick the feedback template you made earlier, so your workflow uses the right questions. -
Set up conditional logic (optional)
For example: If someone hasn’t received feedback in 30 days, nudge their manager. Don’t overcomplicate this unless you really need it.
Honest take: The workflow builder is powerful, but not always intuitive. Expect some trial and error. If you get stuck, Centrical’s help docs are decent, but don’t be afraid to start with a bare-bones flow and build up.
Step 5: Test Your Workflow with a Small Group
Before you roll this out to the whole company, pilot your workflow with a handful of people.
- Pick a team that’s open to experiments (and will give honest feedback)
- Run the full process—trigger the feedback, check notifications, collect responses
- Watch for:
- Confusing emails or notifications
- Feedback requests going to the wrong people
- People ignoring requests because they’re too frequent or irrelevant
What to ignore: Don’t obsess over making the test group like the process. You want them to break it so you can fix it.
Step 6: Roll Out and Communicate (Keep It Real)
Once your pilot works, it’s time to launch. But don’t just flip a switch and hope for the best.
- Tell people what’s changing and why. (“We’re automating feedback so you get more useful input, more often—not because we want to micromanage.”)
- Show them how it works—screenshots or a 2-minute video beat a long email every time.
- Set expectations:
- How often will they get requests?
- What happens if they ignore them?
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Who sees the feedback?
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Be clear about what’s not changing. (“This doesn’t replace real conversations.”)
Pro tip: The more transparent you are, the less likely people are to game the system or ignore it altogether.
Step 7: Monitor, Adjust, and Don’t Get Fancy
No workflow survives first contact with reality. Check in after a week or two:
- Are people actually giving feedback?
- Is it any good, or just box-ticking?
- Are reminders annoying people?
- Is anyone falling through the cracks?
Tweak your templates and workflow based on what’s happening—not what you hoped would happen. Don’t add complexity unless there’s a real need.
What Works, What Doesn’t, What to Ignore
Works well:
- Simple, regular feedback requests tied to real events (end of project, big milestone)
- Reminders that don’t nag, just prompt
- Templates with focused, relevant questions
Doesn’t work:
- Overcomplicated workflows with too many triggers or approvals
- Generic, vague feedback (“Great job!” means nothing)
- Feedback requests that come out of nowhere, with no context
Ignore:
- Fancy dashboards—especially at first. Focus on getting good feedback before you worry about reporting.
- Automating every possible scenario. Manual feedback is sometimes better than a clunky automated one.
Wrap-Up: Start Simple, Learn Fast
Automating performance feedback in Centrical can save you time and headaches—but only if you keep it simple and stay flexible. Don’t try to build the “perfect” workflow on day one. Set it up, see what breaks, and improve from there.
The best feedback systems are the ones people actually use. Focus on clarity, relevance, and making it easier for everyone. Iterate as you go, and don’t be afraid to throw out what’s not working.
Now go make Centrical do the boring parts, so you can get back to having real conversations.