SHRM developed this guide using the same general-purpose AI tools it describes. The prompts are intended as starting points and may need to be adapted, reviewed, and validated for your specific use case.
AI can help you get more done with the HR work you already do, from drafting and summarizing to organizing information and generating ideas. But it does not know your organization, your people, your policies, or your obligations unless you provide that context. This prompt gives you a starting point, with space to add the unique information AI needs to support your work.
Prompt — Create Clear, Measurable Performance Goals
Replace everything in brackets before you run it.
Help me sharpen these performance goals.
Role: [title, level]
Team or business priorities these should support: [paste]
Goal framework we use: [SMART / OKR / other]
Review period: [dates]
My draft goals:
- [paste, however rough]
For each goal, give me:
- A rewritten version with a specific measure, a target, a timeframe, and where the evidence will come from.
- What I would observe at the end of the period if this were genuinely achieved.
- Which stated priority it supports and how directly.
- What behavior this goal would encourage if someone optimized for the metric alone and ignored the intent.
Rules:
- Do not invent targets, numbers, or priorities I did not give you. If a goal needs a number I have not supplied, ask me for it.
- Do not soften an ambitious goal into a safe one.
- Flag any goal that is really a job duty rather than a goal.
- Flag any goal the employee could not influence through their own work.
Write in plain, everyday language. Do not use jargon or invented terms; if a simpler word exists, use it.
Optional, if available: give the AI your organization's style guide, brand voice guide, or writing standards document alongside this prompt so the output matches how we write.
Check Before You Publish
Before you publish, review the AI-generated draft carefully. You are responsible for the final version.
- Check facts, figures, dates, requirements, and other details against the information you supplied or the original source.
- Paste in any legally required or compliance-sensitive language yourself. Do not let AI generate it.
- Confirm nothing was invented, assumed, or taken out of context.
- Verify that the final version reflects your organization, your audience, and the purpose of the work.
Use your judgement as an HR professional. AI can assist with the work, but you make the final call. Looking for more prompts? Explore the AI Prompts Guide for HR for more prompts and templates to support your HR work.
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