Instructions
The Summary of Accomplishments (SOA) is a narrative description of your accomplishments as it relates to your job responsibilities,
competencies, goals, objectives, and other factors. The SOA invites you to be part of a discussion about your performance over the
past year. Your supervisor will review and consider your feedback prior to finalizing the appraisal form.
Please keep the following in mind while writing your SOA:
SPECIFICS MATTER: Use specific examples. Specific examples add credibility. Although words like outstanding, dependable, and
create are positive, they do not always paint a convincing picture. Instead of stating you "always maintain good customer relations," cite
customer satisfaction surveys, letters of commendation, and the absence of any customer complaints about you.
DATA-DRIVEN METRICS: Use numbers or metrics, if appropriate. Numbers are concrete. If you are in charge of a large staff, budget,
or region, use numbers to show how large it is.
ACCURACY: Do not exaggerate. Your SOA should make you feel proud and help you speak confidently in a performance discussion.
Exaggerations or misstatements will not give you confidence.
STAY ON POINT: Give relevant information. Align your feedback to specific core competencies, e.g. communication. Be sure the
examples match the category; otherwise, they lose power.
PRECISION: Be factual, specific, and concise. The SOA does not need to be lengthy. Focus your language and convey your facts by
highlighting key areas for the year in review.
QUANTIFY/EXPLAIN VALUE: Be sure to tie results to organizational goals. For example, as the new ethics coordinator at your
organization, you may have conducted 40 ethics briefings in your first three months. The number sounds impressive, but what does
it mean? Is there a correlation between your briefings and a reduction in violations or incidents? Whenever possible, translate your
hard work into results your reader will value. Consider “negative data” to illustrate your effectiveness‐ information such as the
absence of on‐the‐job violations, lawsuits, and grievances.
Major Contributions and Accomplishments
In the space below, please discuss the major contributions and accomplishments you achieved in the past year-in-review (July 1, 2015 -
June 30, 2016). Cite goals achieved, professional development initiatives achieved, and other accomplishments/contributions to your
department.