ADR FAQ

Essentially the Accountability and Development Review (ADR) Policy replaces previous annual review, appraisal and personal development planning processes. The ADR policy provides a framework to structure regular review discussions between members of staff and their line manager/reviewer. It provides a formal opportunity to review progress towards work objectives and plan for future activities and development which will support strategic objectives.

ADR differs in that it conjoins previous annual review processes with personal development planning. It also requires staff to agree appropriate work objectives for the ensuing review year with their line manager/reviewer that are aligned to the University’s strategic priorities.

All employees are covered by ADR with the exception of those on very short term contracts of three months or less.

If a member of staff is currently working their notice period there is no requirement to conduct an ADR discussion.

If the reviewee is agreeable to attending an ADR review discussion during their period of leave then this should be arranged by the reviewer. If it is not possible for a review discussion to take place within the normal review timescales, then the review discussion should take place as soon as possible following a return to work. In the case of Maternity Leave, the review would count as a Keeping in Touch (KIT) day.

Formally, ADR takes place on an annual basis normally between March and June each year. Previously the ADR process took place between January and March each year.  Throughout the course of the year, managers and staff will be encouraged to continue informal discussions to ensure that objectives set remain relevant and that identified learning needs are being met.

ADR timeframes are as below:

• An evaluation of the past review year, including progress against objectives 
• Planning for the coming review year (1 August to 31 July) by setting objectives and target dates for activities
• Identifying learning and development activities and other support required to support the achievement of objectives and to address broader professional development needs as appropriate

Other review processes will remain in existence and completed ADR documentation will be used to inform these. Other processes include:

• The Senior Academic Review and Development (SARD) process for Professorial staff, Academic HoDs and Vice-Deans
• Remuneration Committee which reviews the performance and remuneration of Senior Officers, Deans and Professional Services Directors
• Review of probationary Academic staff
• Academic Promotion
• Promotion / regrading recommendations
• Contribution pay recommendations (when applicable)

 A full list of HR Policies and Procedures is avaliable on the Human Resources website.

Further information can be found on the University website.  This includes guidance for reviewers and reviewees on setting objectives and associated development activities, example objectives and guidance on using the electronic ADR system.

For those without regular access to the website, paper copies of support documentation can be accessed via notice boards or through requests via line management.

Support can also be provided by the appropriate HR representative.

The electronic form can be accessed via Pegasus.

When the individual member of staff has completed the first draft of the form, an automatic notification will be sent to the line manager who will then arrange to meet with the individual. Further Guidance on Completion of the Electronic ADR Form is available.

There are two different versions of the ADR form: one for academic professional staff (academic, research, knowledge exchange and teaching staff categories) and one which covers all support staff (administrative and professional services, technical services, operational services and trades staff categories).

For Support Staff all sections of the form must be completed with exception of Section D Additional Comments which is optional.

For Academic Professional Staff, the Review section (Review of Past Contribution and Achievement) is split into five sub-sections of activity, namely

• Teaching,
• Research,
• Knowledge Exchange
• Citizenship
• Internationalisation

It is only necessary to complete the sub-sections which are relevant to the role in question. For example, a member of the research staff would not be required to complete the section on teaching activity (unless there is relevant activity of this nature to report on).  As with the Support Staff category Section D Additional Comments is optional.

The ADR review meeting should be a meaningful exchange through which the reviewer and reviewee will review past performance, agree future objectives and plan development activities.

Members of staff should prepare by conducting a self-review and drafting wording for the relevant sections of the ADR Review Record Form, namely:

• their contribution and achievements over the past review period (Review)
• details of progress against objectives previously set (B/F Objectives)
• details of progress against learning and development activities previously set (L & D Plan)

The reviewee is also asked to consider and suggest (by providing rough draft wording for the relevant sections of the form):

• possible performance objectives for the forthcoming review period (Objectives)
• possible learning and development needs for the forthcoming review period (L & D Plan)

For further information on conducting self review please see section on Self Review on page 3 of the ADR Policy.

The report on past activity should be of a summary format, highlighting key achievements and challenges. It is not necessary to list every activity in extensive detail however there should be sufficient information to allow the reviewer to understand what the reviewee has based their self review on.

The duration of the review meeting will vary depending on circumstances (e.g. nature of the post) however it would advisable to set aside (on average) one hour for each meeting.

Yes, although it is recognised that the number of performance objectives and learning and development objectives will differ depending on the nature of the post. Between two and five performance objectives should be set (depending on nature of activity) with the aim of agreeing a manageable number of objectives for the forthcoming review year.

Formal training needs identified through the ADR process should be further discussed with the relevant line manager (in the event that this is not the reviewer). Costs for any training required should be further agreed through the Head of Department, as per regular process. Where there is a designated Departmental Training Co-ordinator then training needs should also be taken forward in liaison with this individual.

Copies of ADR information will be accessible to the reviewee, reviewer and the Head of Department/School and other relevant personnel e.g. direct line manager if this is not the reviewer. In addition, at the conclusion of the ADR period HR will be able to access ADR information for the purposes of quality assurance, monitoring and as part of an individual employment record.

The member of staff should contact their Head of Department (or equivalent) with an indication of why they have a difficulty with the allocated reviewer and the Head of Department will consider whether another reviewer should be allocated.

The University of Strathclyde is committed to achieving and promoting equality of opportunity in its learning, teaching, research and working environments, the University will do everything possible to accommodate people who require workplace adjustments. Adjustments may be required due to a variety of reasons such as a disability or for family support.

Please contact the services below for further support:

Disability and Wellbeing Service

disability-wellbeing@strath.ac.uk

 Equality and Diversity Office

equalopportunities@strath.ac.uk

The following guidance has been circulated to Pure users by the Pure Administrator:

In order to prevent users from entering to the ADR system information already input to or gathered in Pure, every user is able to create a Summary report containing all activity stored on Pure for a specified one year period – this period can be based on an academic or calendar year. The report can be output as a word document and amended if required before being uploaded onto the person’s ADR pages as an attachment.

There is guidance available to assist with the process of creating a ‘summary report’ in Pure (SharePoint). If you have questions about generating the report, or updating your Pure profile before doing so, then please contact pure@strath.ac.uk for assistance.