The Ultimate Performance Improvement Plan (PIP) Guide

The easiest way to stress out a tech worker is to bring up a PIP -- a Performance Improvement Plan.

A PIP is a formal document informing an employee about recurring performance issues. The performance improvement plan (PIP) indicates that the employee is not meeting expectations for their job, and without an improvement, they'll be let go.

Given how high the stakes are, it's essential that you create an airtight gameplan to get the best outcome for yourself.

This course shares everything you need to know about a PIP, presented in a structured way with easy-to-revisit sections. This course is broken down into 4 phases of a PIP lifecycle:

Before the PIP

• Surviving (and thriving) in a company that has a PIP culture.
• A systematic approach to prevent bad surprises when it comes to performance evaluation and feedback.
• How to identify if you're in the PIP danger zone, and what you can do about it.

Receiving a PIP

• Actionable advice if you've officially been put on a PIP. What to do and what not to do.
• The PIP Evaluation Framework to determine if you're setup to fail, or you have a fighting chance to succeed.
• Checklist of what you should negotiate (or at least ask about) in your severance package, and what to check before you walk out the door.

Case studies

Real stories of people who went through a PIP, including their context, what they ended up doing, and what advice they would share. Four case studies from Individual Contributors (ICs) who received PIPs and two case studies of managers who have put employees on PIPs.

Finding career success after a PIP

• How to prevent the negative impacts of a PIP from extending beyond the initial job.
• The right mindset to adopt for future jobs, and how to talk about your experience in the right way.
• Advice to avoid shooting yourself in the foot for future interviews.