Performance cycles are the core unit of review management in Nami. Use the 5-step creation wizard to configure everything from participants to questions before launching.
Cycle Types
Before creating a cycle, choose the type that matches your review cadence:
| Type | Typical Duration | Use Case |
|---|---|---|
| Annual | 12 months | Comprehensive year-end review |
| Mid-Year | 6 months | Check-in at the halfway point |
| Quarterly | 3 months | Frequent, lightweight reviews |
| Probation | 1-6 months | New hire evaluation period |
| Custom | Any duration | Ad-hoc or project-based reviews |
The 5-Step Wizard
Navigate to Dashboard > Cycles and click Create Cycle to open the wizard.
Step 1: Basics & Dates
Set the cycle name, type, and key dates:
- Cycle name -- e.g., "Q1 2026 Performance Review"
- Start date -- when the review period begins
- End date -- when the review period ends
- Review deadline (optional) -- when all reviews must be completed
Step 2: People
Select who participates. You can include people by:
- Department (e.g., all of Engineering)
- Individual selection
- Entire workspace
Nami automatically generates self-reviews, manager reviews, and upward reviews based on the selected participants and their manager relationships.
Step 3: Questions
Select competencies to include in the review and add text questions. You can optionally apply a template from the template library. Templates include pre-built competency frameworks. You can mix rating questions (1-5 scale) with open-ended text questions.
Tip
Start with a built-in template for your first cycle. You can duplicate and customize it later once you understand how questions flow through Nami.
Step 4: Nami Bot Configuration
Configure how Nami delivers reviews in Slack:
- Send immediately or schedule -- deliver all DMs on launch, or schedule for a specific date
- Skip Nami -- optionally disable Nami DMs if you prefer dashboard-only reviews
- DM preview -- see how many DMs will be sent to participants
Step 5: Review & Launch
Preview a summary of all settings. Check participant count, question count, deadlines, and review types. You can save as Draft to return later or click Launch to activate the cycle.
Warning
Launching a cycle is not reversible. Once launched, Nami begins sending DMs to participants. Double-check all settings, especially deadlines and participant lists, before clicking Launch.
Draft vs. Active Status
- Draft -- the cycle is saved but invisible to participants. Edit freely.
- Active -- the cycle is live. Nami is sending and collecting reviews. Limited edits are available (e.g., extending deadlines).
After all reviews are submitted and deadlines pass, the cycle moves to calibration (if enabled) and eventually to Closed status, at which point results are shared with employees.
Run this in Slack with Nami
Reviews, goals, surveys, and calibration — in the DM thread your team already reads. Free for teams of 10 or fewer.
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