Welcome to ACE Performance

We are thrilled to introduce Auburn’s new performance development process, ACE Performance (Align, Collaborate, and Evaluate).

Developing people to their highest potential is a basic leadership responsibility. ACE Performance helps supervisors and employees achieve optimal performance and development through collaboration, goal setting, and growth opportunities. In other words, it will help us “ACE” performance at Auburn.  

ACE Performance was developed for us, by us so it has Auburn’s culture and values written all over it. 

A&P and Staff employees with a full-time equivalent (FTE) of .5 or greater will participate in the ACE annual performance process.

What is ACE?
Auburn Core Values and Leadership Principles
What to Know This Year
Additional Resources

What is ACE?

ACE Performance is a development process that helps employees and supervisors work together to achieve personal, departmental, and organizational goals. Here's how it works:

The first step in ACE Performance is Align, which allows supervisors to provide job clarity. Job functions should be reviewed by supervisors with their employees along with other duties assigned, tasks, goals, initiatives and contributions to the department's mission and success.

Collaborate is the longest phase of ACE Performance. During Collaborate, supervisors and employees should meet regularly and talk throughout the year. They should engage in regular one-on-one discussions to adjust priorities, celebrate achievements, provide constructive feedback, and identify development opportunities.

Our goal is for everyone to look forward to the Evaluate phase of ACE Performance. This should also be the easiest phase because we have been communicating throughout the performance year.

Auburn Core Values and Leadership Principles

A new component of the 2024-2025 performance process is adherence to Auburn Core Values and Leadership Principles.

Evaluation of Values and Principles will be required for the 2025-2026 performance year. For the 2024-2025 performance year, evaluation of Values and Principles will be optional. 

  • Auburn Core Values: Integrity, Respect and commitment to Excellence.

  • Leadership Principles: Supervisors will also be evaluated on the following Leadership Principles.

    • Empower, enable and encourage direct reports

    • Develop self and direct reports

What to Know This Year

The Align and Collaborate phases officially began in June/July 2024 using the Align/Collaborate Planning Tool. If you are currently using this tool, you will simply copy and paste the contents into the new ACE Performance Document.

The User Guide will provide step-by-step instructions on completing the form. Department/units that weight scores will be required to complete the ACE Performance Weighting Worksheet and submit it with the final evaluation.

Additional Resources

For questions, email hrddept@auburn.edu.

FAQs

Yes

For this performance year, providing a Word document or a format that works best for your supervisor will be helpful. Next performance year, employees can keep track of accomplishments in the Collaborate section of the ACE Document.

  1. Unacceptable: Performance consistently fails to meet the minimum expectations for the Essential Function or Other Duty Assigned.

  2. Marginal: Performance meets some, but not all of the expectations for the Essential Function or Other Duty Assigned.

  3. Meets Expectations: Performance consistently meets the expectations for the Essential Function or Other Duty Assigned.

  4. Exceeds Expectations: Performance frequently exceeds the expectations for the Essential Function or Other Duty Assigned.

  5. Exemplary: Performance is consistently superior and significantly exceeds the expectations for the Essential Function or Other Duty Assigned.

Scoring for Combined Core Values: Integrity, Respect, and Excellence

  1. Unacceptable: Consistently fails to demonstrate honesty, ethical behavior, respect for others, and pursuit of excellence. Engages in actions that compromise trust, create a hostile environment, and do not contribute to advancing Auburn's mission.

  2. Marginal: Occasionally demonstrates honesty, ethical behavior, respect for others, and pursuit of excellence but has lapses that affect trust, the environment, and the advancement of Auburn's mission.

  3. Meets Expectations: Generally demonstrates honesty, ethical behavior, respect for others, and pursuit of excellence. Maintains trust, creates a welcoming environment, and contributes to advancing Auburn's mission in most situations.

  4. Exceeds Expectations: Consistently demonstrates honesty, ethical behavior, respect for others, and pursuit of excellence. Builds strong trust, fosters a highly welcoming environment, and makes significant contributions to advancing Auburn's mission.

  5. Exemplary: Always demonstrates the highest standards of honesty, ethical behavior, respect for others, and pursuit of excellence. Serves as a role model for trust, creating a welcoming environment, and advancing Auburn's mission.

Scoring for Combined Leadership Principles: Empower, Enable, Encourage, and Develop

  1. Unacceptable: Consistently fails to empower, enable, encourage, and develop direct reports. Engages in actions that undermine team morale, hinder growth, and stifle innovation.

  2. Marginal: Occasionally empowers, enables, encourages, and develops direct reports but has lapses that negatively affect team morale, growth, and innovation.

  3. Meets Expectations: Generally empowers, enables, encourages, and develops direct reports. Maintains team morale, supports growth, and fosters innovation in most situations.

  4. Exceeds Expectations: Consistently empowers, enables, encourages, and develops direct reports. Builds strong team morale, supports significant growth, and fosters high levels of innovation.

  5. Exemplary: Always demonstrates the highest standards of empowering, enabling, encouraging, and developing direct reports. Serves as a role model for building team morale, supporting growth, and fostering innovation.

For the 20245-2025 performance year, HRD recommends the Core Values be weighted at 10% and leadership values weighted at 10%. However, this should be determined by the senior leader in each College/Functional unit (i.e. Dean/SVP level).

This decision should be made at the SVP and Dean level of leadership.

This decision is encouraged to be made at the SVP and Dean level but if made at the Supervisor level, all direct reports weighting vs. non-weighting must be consistent.