At project close, the project manager is asked to provide performance ratings for team members. What should the project manager primarily reference?

Performance ratings at project close should primarily reference the agreed-upon Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). These KPIs establish objective, measurable criteria for success and define what constitutes good performance for each team member's role and responsibilities. Using KPIs ensures that evaluations are fair, consistent, and aligned with project objectives and individual contributions. While input from project stakeholders and feedback from the project sponsor are valuable for overall project assessment, they tend to be more subjective and less granular for individual performance ratings. The competencies of the team members are important for skill assessment and development, but KPIs provide the direct link to their performance on the specific project tasks and deliverables.