One of the hardest parts of writing a Performance Improvement Plan is knowing what goals should actually look like for a specific role. A PIP for a sales representative is structurally similar to one for a software engineer — but the goals, measurement methods, and timelines look completely different.
This guide provides concrete PIP examples for three common roles. Each example follows the standard PIP structure and can be adapted to your specific situation using the Templates Hub PIP Builder.
PIP Example 1: Sales Representative
Context
Marcus has been a sales representative for 14 months. His monthly revenue target is $40,000. Over the past three months, his average closed revenue has been $21,000 — 52% of target. Two prior informal conversations have not produced improvement.
Employee: Marcus [Last Name]
Role: Sales Representative
Manager: [Manager Name]
Department: Sales
PIP Issue Date: [Date]
PIP Duration: 60 days
Statement of performance issues:
Over the past three months (Month 1 – Month 3), Marcus’s average monthly closed revenue has been $21,000, against a team target of $40,000 and a team average of $36,000. Marcus’s outbound call volume has averaged 8 calls per day, against a team standard of 15. These issues were raised in one-on-one meetings on [Date 1] and [Date 2]. No sustained improvement has occurred.
Goals:
- Achieve a minimum of $30,000 in closed revenue in each of the two calendar months of the PIP period (Months 4 and 5), as measured via the CRM revenue report on the last business day of each month.
- Complete a minimum of 12 documented outbound calls per day, logged in the CRM by 5pm, on at least 90% of working days during the PIP period.
- Maintain an active pipeline value of at least $120,000 at each bi-weekly check-in, as measured in the CRM pipeline view.
Support the company will provide:
- Weekly 30-minute coaching sessions with the sales manager (Thursdays at 10am)
- Access to the consultative selling online course — to be completed by [Date, 2 weeks from PIP start]
- Manager will listen to two recorded calls per week and provide written feedback within 48 hours
Timeline and milestones:
- Week 1–2: Daily CRM activity reviewed. Manager provides call feedback.
- Day 30: Formal mid-point check-in — review Month 4 revenue, pipeline value, and call volume.
- Day 60: Final evaluation — review Month 5 revenue against all three goals.
Consequences:
If Marcus does not meet the goals outlined above by Day 60 of this plan, further disciplinary action, up to and including termination of employment, will follow.
PIP Example 2: Software Engineer
Context
Priya has been a mid-level software engineer for 18 months. Over the past four months, six of her eight assigned sprint tasks have been delivered late, and three pull requests were rejected by code review for not meeting quality standards. The team lead has flagged insufficient testing coverage in her recent submissions.
Employee: Priya [Last Name]
Role: Software Engineer (Mid-level)
Manager: [Manager Name]
Department: Engineering
PIP Issue Date: [Date]
PIP Duration: 90 days
Statement of performance issues:
Over the past four months, Priya has delivered 6 of 8 assigned sprint tasks late, with delays ranging from 3 to 11 business days beyond the sprint deadline. Three pull requests (PRs) in Month 3 and Month 4 were rejected in code review for insufficient test coverage and failure to meet the team’s coding standards document (last updated [Date]). These issues were discussed in sprint retrospectives and in one-on-one meetings on [Date 1] and [Date 2].
Goals:
- Deliver all assigned sprint tasks within the agreed sprint deadline, with no more than one task delayed by more than two business days across the 90-day PIP period.
- Achieve a first-pass code review approval rate of 85% or above (measured monthly) — meaning PRs that pass review without rejection for quality, testing, or standards violations.
- Maintain test coverage of 80% or above on all new code submissions, as measured by the automated coverage tool in the CI pipeline.
Support the company will provide:
- Bi-weekly 45-minute technical mentoring sessions with the senior engineer (name)
- Manager will review and adjust Priya’s sprint load for Weeks 1–4 to allow focus on quality
- Access to the advanced software testing course — to be completed by [Date, 3 weeks from PIP start]
Timeline and milestones:
- Weeks 1–4: Bi-weekly check-ins. Manager reviews sprint delivery and code review outcomes.
- Day 30: Formal check-in — review delivery record, PR approval rate, and test coverage data for Month 1.
- Day 60: Second formal check-in — review Month 2 data. Assess trajectory and adjust support if needed.
- Day 90: Final evaluation — full review of all three goals across the PIP period.
Consequences:
If Priya does not meet the goals outlined in this plan by Day 90, further disciplinary action, up to and including termination of employment, will follow.
PIP Example 3: Customer Support Agent
Context
Daniel has been a customer support agent for 11 months. His average CSAT score over the past 90 days is 3.0 out of 5.0, against a team target of 4.0. He has received five formal escalations in that period and has a ticket response-time compliance rate of 71% against an SLA of 90%.
Employee: Daniel [Last Name]
Role: Customer Support Agent
Manager: [Manager Name]
Department: Customer Experience
PIP Issue Date: [Date]
PIP Duration: 60 days
Statement of performance issues:
Over the past 90 days, Daniel’s average CSAT score has been 3.0 out of 5.0, against a team target of 4.0 and a team average of 4.2. He has received five formal client escalations, against a team average of one per quarter. His ticket response-time compliance rate (the percentage of tickets responded to within the 4-hour SLA) has been 71%, against a target of 90%. These issues were discussed in one-on-one meetings on [Date 1] and [Date 2].
Goals:
- Achieve a CSAT score of 3.7 or above in the monthly satisfaction report for each of the two months in the PIP period (Month 1 and Month 2 of the plan).
- Receive no more than one formal client escalation in each of the two months.
- Achieve a ticket response-time compliance rate of 88% or above in each of the two months (measured via the helpdesk reporting dashboard).
Support the company will provide:
- Enrollment in the customer communication and de-escalation training course — to be completed by [Date, 1 week from PIP start]
- Weekly case review with the team lead — Tuesdays at 11am — for the first four weeks
- Manager will personally review and provide written feedback on three complex tickets per week in Weeks 1–4
Timeline and milestones:
- Weeks 1–4: Weekly check-ins. Team lead reviews open cases and CSAT feedback each week.
- Day 30: Formal mid-point check-in — review Month 1 CSAT, escalation count, and response-time compliance.
- Day 60: Final evaluation — review Month 2 data against all three goals.
Consequences:
If Daniel does not meet the goals outlined in this plan by Day 60, further disciplinary action, up to and including termination of employment, will follow.
Adapting These Examples for Your Situation
These examples share a consistent structure: specific evidence of the performance issues, SMART goals with measurable targets and timelines, clearly stated support commitments, and a formal evaluation schedule. What changes is the language, the metrics, and the measurement tools — which should always reflect what is actually tracked in your organization.
Templates Hub’s PIP Builder allows managers to select their employee’s role type and generates a customized plan structure pre-populated with relevant goal frameworks and language — so you are not starting from scratch, and you are not copying a generic template that does not fit the role.
Summary
A PIP for a sales representative focuses on revenue and activity metrics. One for a software engineer focuses on delivery, quality, and technical standards. One for a customer support agent focuses on satisfaction scores, escalations, and SLA compliance. The structure is the same — the measurement tools and expectations are role-specific. Getting both right is what makes a PIP a fair and effective document.
Related reading:
- How to Write a PIP That Actually Helps Employees Improve
- SMART Goals in a PIP
- What to Include in a 30-60-90 Day PIP
- How to Set a Realistic PIP Timeline
- The Best PIP Templates for Managers in 2025
- How to Run a PIP Check-in Meeting
- How to Track Employee Progress During a PIP
- How AI Can Help You Write Better PIPs
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