Write a Performance Improvement Plan a manager can defend and an employee can actually act on — specific concerns, measurable goals, real support, and an honest timeline. Use when asked to write a PIP, put someone on a performance plan, document underperformance, or build a formal improvement plan. Produces the concern statement, the measurable goals with success criteria, the support plan, the check-in cadence, and the consequences — HR/legal-ready. Complements pip-responder (the employee's side).
Start a fresh conversation. Replace the highlighted placeholders.
Use pip-writer to draft a fair, measurable PIP for [role and dated performance gaps], using [prior feedback, timeline, and policy constraints] and the stated [turnaround or exit goal]; prepare it for HR/counsel review before delivery.
Required inputs
[role and dated performance gaps]
[prior feedback, timeline, and policy constraints]
[turnaround or exit goal]
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SKILL.md
name: pip-writerdescription: "Write a Performance Improvement Plan a manager can defend and an employee can actually act on — specific concerns, measurable goals, real support, and an honest timeline. Use when asked to write a PIP, put someone on a performance plan, document underperformance, or build a formal improvement plan. Produces the concern statement, the measurable goals with success criteria, the support plan, the check-in cadence, and the consequences — HR/legal-ready. Complements pip-responder (the employee's side)."
PIP Writer
A Performance Improvement Plan fails when it's vague ("improve communication"), unfair (goals no one could hit), or a paper trail dressed as help. This writes the version that is genuinely fair and defensible: concrete concerns tied to examples, goals with measurable success criteria, the support the company will provide, and honest stakes — so the outcome is either a real turnaround or a decision no one can call arbitrary.
Not legal advice. Employment law varies by jurisdiction and contract — have HR/counsel review before delivery.
What This Skill Produces
The concern statement — what's below bar, tied to specific, dated examples (not personality)
The goals — 2–4, each with a measurable success criterion and how it's evidenced
The support plan — what the manager/company will do (coaching, resources, time)
The cadence — check-in schedule and what each reviews
The stakes & timeline — the plan length, the review points, and the honest consequence of not meeting bar
Required Inputs
Ask for these if not provided:
The role & bar — what "meeting expectations" looks like for this level
The specific gaps — concrete instances, with dates where possible (an audit trail beats adjectives)
What's already been tried — prior feedback, informal or documented
Timeline — 30 / 60 / 90 days, and any policy constraints
The goal — genuine turnaround vs. documented exit; the plan is honest either way, but the framing differs
Framework: A Fair, Defensible PIP
Behaviour, not character. Every concern is an observable action or output, with an example — never "attitude."
Measurable or it's not a goal. "Respond to customer tickets within SLA on 95% of tickets," not "be more responsive."
Support is real. If the plan asks for change, it names what help comes with it — else it's a setup.
The bar is achievable. A goal no one at level could hit is evidence of bad faith, not underperformance.
Consequences stated plainly. The employee should never be surprised by the outcome.