To set goals for employee, unit and organizational improvement. To motivate employees to succeed. To give formal feedback to employees concerning where they stand in terms of job expectations. To clarify job responsibilities and job standards. To reinforce good performance in an official way, so that others will know about it. To plan career development. To document performance so that the organization creates a written record. To justify merit raises or other rewards. To justify the basis for a promotion. For planning; to give the supervisor or manager information to make decisions about staffing, training, resources, or other issues. To give the supervisor or manager feedback about his or her own performance. To communicate in depth, in a manner not typically possible during the everyday press of business.