Ports North

Performance Management Project

What they said.

Our organisation has engaged Zest on a number of projects and we appreciate how supportive and helpful the Zest team are. The team have taken the time to understand our organisation and our culture and work well with our leaders to educate and empower our teams.

Leanne Jeffries

General Manager Corporate Services

The Need

Ports North wanted to strengthen its performance management approach by creating greater consistency, clarity and alignment across the organisation.

Managers had varying interpretations of performance ratings and what constituted different levels of performance. Employees also needed clearer expectations around goal setting, performance conversations and how ratings were determined.

With Pulse already in place, Ports North had an opportunity to simplify the process, establish a shared understanding of performance expectations and embed a more consistent approach for the new financial year.

The Solution

Zest reviewed and refreshed Ports North’s performance management process, simplifying how it operated within Pulse and strengthening the guidance available to managers and employees.

Working closely with Ports North, we:

Refined the performance ratings and definitions to provide greater clarity around each level of performance.
Supported the finalisation of the 2025/26 performance results and scoring.
Developed practical guidance for managers and employees on the updated process.
Helped managers distinguish between performance levels and make evidence-based assessments.
Clarified expectations for goal setting, performance conversations and rating behaviours.
Embedded the updated approach within Pulse to create a more structured and consistent performance cycle.
Provided ongoing support beyond implementation to reinforce adoption and improve the quality of performance conversations.

The refreshed approach created a clearer connection between organisational goals, team priorities and individual performance, helping employees understand how their contribution supported the broader success of Ports North.

Highlights

A simpler, clearer performance framework: The existing process was streamlined and refreshed, giving managers and employees a more practical framework to follow throughout the performance cycle.
Shared expectations across the organisation: Performance ratings and expectations were translated into straightforward guidance, helping managers apply ratings more consistently and employees better understand what good performance looked like.
Support beyond implementation: Zest continued to support Ports North after the updated process was introduced, helping build confidence, reinforce adoption and strengthen the quality of performance conversations over time.

Challenges

Addressing inconsistencies in how managers interpreted and applied performance ratings.
Creating a consistent organisation-wide approach that remained relevant across different roles and functions.
Building manager confidence in making fair, evidence-based performance assessments.
Helping employees understand the revised process and building their confidence and buy-in.
Ensuring the process was practical, structured and easy to use within Pulse.
Connecting organisational priorities to meaningful team and individual goals.

Wins

Created greater consistency and transparency in performance ratings across the organisation.
Equipped managers to assess performance and communicate expectations more confidently.
Gave employees a clearer understanding of the process and what good performance looked like.
Established a stronger connection between organisational goals, team priorities and individual contributions.
Embedded the refreshed performance management process directly within Pulse.
Moved beyond implementing a new process towards continuously improving how performance management was understood and delivered.
Strengthened the foundations for more meaningful performance and development conversations.

More Work.

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