KPI Goal Setting &
Handling Underperformance
Set targets people can actually hit and measure — then deal with it properly, and fairly, when they don't. The two hardest parts of managing performance, in two practical days. Fully HRD Corp claimable.
Vague targets, avoided conversations
Two failures show up in almost every SME. The first: KPIs that sound impressive and measure nothing — "improve customer service", "be more proactive" — so nobody can say at year-end whether they were met. The second: a manager who has known for eight months that someone isn't performing, has said nothing formal, and now wants them gone by Friday.
They're the same problem at different ends. Without a clear standard, you can't have a fair conversation about falling short of it. This course fixes both halves — writing targets that hold up, and running a performance conversation that's honest, documented and defensible.
What your managers will be able to do
- Write KPIs that are specific, measurable and genuinely within the person's control.
- Cascade company goals into department and individual targets that line up.
- Balance output, quality and behaviour measures — instead of only counting what's easy to count.
- Run performance reviews that people don't dread and that change what happens next.
- Diagnose underperformance properly: is it skill, will, clarity, or something the system is doing to them?
- Hold a direct, respectful underperformance conversation without it becoming a confrontation.
- Build a performance improvement plan with real support, clear measures and honest deadlines.
- Document performance issues contemporaneously, so the record reflects what actually happened.
What's covered
What a KPI is — and isn't
Goals versus KPIs versus tasks, leading and lagging indicators, and why most SME KPIs measure activity instead of outcomes.
Writing KPIs that work
Making targets specific and measurable, setting realistic thresholds, choosing the right number per role, and avoiding measures that quietly reward the wrong behaviour.
Cascading & alignment
Translating company objectives into department and individual KPIs, keeping them aligned across teams, and agreeing them with the person rather than announcing them.
Reviewing performance
Running the review cycle, giving evidence-based feedback, avoiding the common rating biases, and linking performance to development.
Diagnosing underperformance
Skill, will, clarity or system? Separating a capability gap from a motivation problem — and recognising when the real cause is unclear direction or a broken process.
The difficult conversation
Preparing properly, opening without ambush, staying on evidence rather than personality, handling defensiveness and emotion, and closing with agreed actions. Practised, not just discussed.
Improvement plans & documentation
Building a performance improvement plan with genuine support, measurable standards and review dates — and keeping a contemporaneous written record at every stage.
When it doesn't improve
Escalation, why a fair and documented process matters so much in the Malaysian context, when to involve HR, and how to seek proper advice before you act.
Who should attend
- Managers and supervisors who set targets and run reviews.
- Business owners and directors designing a performance system for the company.
- HR staff building or fixing the appraisal process.
- Anyone who has an underperformance conversation they've been putting off. No prior HR background needed.
How this differs from our other people courses
- This course — the practical mechanics: writing KPIs, running reviews, and handling underperformance properly.
- Organizational Performance & OKRs — a company-level goal framework for focus and ambition. OKRs and KPIs answer different questions; the workshop is about direction, this is about individual accountability.
- Leadership Foundations & Execution Excellence — the broader foundation of leading people and finishing work.
- Manpower Planning & HR Management — the wider people systems around hiring, onboarding and compliance.
It also goes deeper than Building High-Performance Teams, which covers goal-setting and feedback as part of team dynamics. This one is the detailed, procedural version for managers who need to get it right.
Download the course outline
The full curriculum, learning outcomes and course details in a PDF — easy to share with your team or attach to a grant application.
Course at a glance
| Format | Instructor-led with role-play practice — run in-house for your managers, or join a public session |
| Duration | 1 day |
| Level | Intermediate |
| Category | Leadership & People |
| Delivery | On-site or Remote Online Training (ROT) |
| Funding | HRD Corp claimable under SBL-Khas |
This programme can be funded from your levy under the HRD Corp Claimable Courses (SBL-Khas) scheme — we'll handle the grant application for you. See how the grant application works, and apply so approval lands at least 14 days before the training date.
Frequently Asked Questions
Set Clear Targets. Have the Conversation.
Bring your managers to this claimable two-day course — we'll arrange the session and handle the HRD Corp grant so it costs your levy, not your cash.