You are rolling out a new employee developmental program, and you are meeting with a manager who does not believe that documenting her employees' performance is a good use of time

Please explain to her why it is important to document employee performance, specifically in relation to achieving developmental goals.
What will be an ideal response?

Even though it may be time consuming and even difficult to document performance, it is extremely important to do so for several reasons. First, observing and evaluating developmental activities and performance in general is a complex cognitive task. Thus, documentation helps prevent memory-related errors. Second, when documentation exists to support evaluations, there is no mystery regarding the outcomes. This, in turn, promotes trust and acceptance of decisions based on the evaluation provided. Third, documenting developmental activities and their outcomes allows for a discussion about specific facts and careful examination of these facts allows for better planning of developmental activities for the future. Finally, keeping accurate records of what developmental activities employees complete and to what degree of success, and of performance in general, is a good line of defense in case of litigation based on discrimination of wrongful termination.