This is not a coaching conversation — it’s a performance intervention. Most managers fail by being too vague, too late, or too emotional. The real risk isn’t morale; it’s prolonged mediocrity that erodes team velocity. Use this Amazon-aligned script and checklist to deliver precise, data-backed feedback that meets Leadership Principles and reduces legal exposure.
Template for Giving Feedback to an Underperformer at Amazon: Script and Checklist
TL;DR
This is not a coaching conversation — it’s a performance intervention. Most managers fail by being too vague, too late, or too emotional. The real risk isn’t morale; it’s prolonged mediocrity that erodes team velocity. Use this Amazon-aligned script and checklist to deliver precise, data-backed feedback that meets Leadership Principles and reduces legal exposure.
Not sure what to bring up in your next 1:1? The 0→1 SWE Interview Playbook (2026 Edition) has 30+ high-signal questions organized by goal.
Who This Is For
This guide is for Amazon managers in their first 18 months of people leadership, especially those facing their first underperformance write-up or PIP decision. It’s also used by L6–L7 executives coaching junior leaders through their first PIP cycle. If you’ve delayed feedback for more than three weeks, or if your last 1:1 avoided hard truths, this is for you.
How Do You Start a Feedback Conversation with an Underperforming Employee at Amazon?
Begin with context, not emotion. “I want to discuss your impact on the Q3 delivery timeline — specifically the delayed launch of the returns API redesign.” That sentence ends speculation and anchors the conversation in observable outcomes.
In a Q3 debrief last year, an L5 TPM hesitated, saying, “I feel like the team isn’t recognizing my effort.” The hiring manager replied, “This isn’t about effort. It’s about whether the API met the committed SLA. It didn’t.” That shift — from sentiment to standard — is non-negotiable at Amazon.
Not all feedback is equal. Not reinforcement, but correction. Not encouragement, but clarity. Not “you’re doing great, just needs tweaking,” but “this outcome was below bar, and here’s the data.”
Amazon’s Leadership Principle Earn Trust applies here: facts earn trust, not tone. Cite the PRFAQ, the committed date, the customer impact metric. One L6 told me, “I stopped saying ‘I feel’ after my first HC session. They laughed me out of the room.”
Your opening sets the frame. Weak openings invite debate. Strong ones close escape routes. Do not say, “I wanted to check in.” Say, “We need to address the missed launch deadline and what happens next.”
> 📖 Related: ATS Resume vs Human Review for Amazon PM: Why Both Matter in 2025
What Structure Should the Feedback Script Follow at Amazon?
Use the SBI-P model: Situation, Behavior, Impact, Plan — not the corporate variant, but Amazon’s enforcement-grade version.
Situation: “During the post-mortem for the returns API delay on August 12…”
Behavior: “You committed to resolving the error-handling module by August 18 but did not deliver the fix until August 26.”
Impact: “That pushed the integration testing window into September, delaying the customer-facing feature by 11 days and increasing support ticket volume by 37%.”
Plan: “You will submit a root cause analysis by September 3 and deliver all remaining backlog items by September 10 with daily stand-up updates.”
In a recent PIP review, the HC rejected a manager’s script because it said, “I noticed you’ve been distracted.” That’s not behavior — it’s perception. They demanded: “Show me the commit log. Show me the missed stand-ups. Show me the unresponsive Slack threads.”
Not interpretation, but evidence. Not attitude, but artifacts. Not frequency, but consequence.
One overlooked layer: the Plan must include verification, not just action. “You will pair with Priya on all backend tasks” is weak. “You will submit joint pull requests with Priya, with both approvals, for all backend changes” is verifiable.
At Amazon, trust is earned through auditability. If it can’t be checked, it doesn’t count.
How Do You Align Feedback with Amazon’s Leadership Principles?
You don’t just cite them — you weaponize them. Use LPs as evaluation criteria, not decoration.
Underperformance in delivery? That’s Deliver Results. Missed customer impact? That’s Customer Obsession. Poor collaboration? That’s Earn Trust or Have Backbone; Disagree and Commit.
In a 2023 HC meeting for an L5 PM, the manager said the candidate “disagreed during planning but didn’t commit.” The bar raiser shut it down: “That’s not Have Backbone. That’s passive resistance. Show me where they escalated.”
Exact LP references prevent subjectivity. “You didn’t show ownership” is weak. “This falls short of Ownership because you did not escalate resourcing risks to the TPM forum by the R0 date” is enforceable.
Not values, but contracts. Not ideals, but expectations. Not culture, but code.
One manager at AWS learned this the hard way. Her direct report missed three sprint deadlines. She wrote, “They lack urgency.” HC rejected it. “Urgency isn’t an LP. Bias for Action is. Show me the decisions they delayed.”
Reframe every critique through the nearest LP. Not “bad communication,” but “failed to Learn and Be Curious by not seeking feedback after the UX review.”
> 📖 Related: Amazon L6 PM RSU Vesting: Why Back-Loaded Schedules Hurt Your TC in Year 1
When Should You Escalate to a PIP at Amazon?
Escalate when the pattern persists after two documented feedback cycles, each at least 10 days apart, and the impact affects customer experience, revenue, or team delivery.
A PIP is not a coaching tool. It’s a termination pathway. Amazon’s policy allows 30 days for Level 4–5, 45 days for Level 6–7. Do not start a PIP unless you’re prepared to end the employment.
I sat in on a debrief where a manager said, “I’m putting her on PIP to see if she improves.” The HC lead stopped the session. “You don’t use PIPs for experimentation. You use them when you’ve already decided the outcome, but need to close fairly.”
Not hope, but conclusion. Not chance, but process. Not support, but standard.
Triggers for PIP:
- Missed critical deadlines (≥2) with customer impact
- Repeated failure to meet bar in Leadership Principle evaluations
- Inability to execute on documented, resourced plans
One L6 PM delayed escalation for 14 weeks because “I didn’t want to be the bad guy.” The team’s off-cycle launch slipped by 8 weeks. HC later ruled: “Manager failed Ownership. Underperformance was visible at Week 3.”
If you’re still asking “Should I start a PIP?” the answer is no. If you’re asking “How do I document it?” the answer is yes.
How Do You Document Feedback for HR and HC Review?
Write it like a prosecutor. Every claim must be provable, dated, and tied to business impact.
Use this structure:
- Date of incident
- Specific deliverable or behavior
- Source of expectation (PRFAQ, roadmap, 1:1 note)
- Measured outcome deviation
- Leadership Principle violated
- Employee response (verbatim)
- Next steps with deadlines
In a 2022 PIP audit, Amazon HR flagged 40% of cases for insufficient documentation. Most failed on “measured outcome deviation.” Managers wrote, “launch was delayed,” but didn’t attach the Gantt chart showing the 12-day slip.
Not anecdote, but archive. Not memory, but metadata. Not summary, but subpoena.
One manager survived an employee appeal because he had Slack timestamps showing ignored pings over 72 hours. Another lost a case because he said, “Everyone knew the deadline,” but couldn’t produce the calendar invite.
Store all records in your manager hub, not personal email. Amazon’s legal team will not accept “I thought it was saved.”
Do not use words like “seemed,” “felt,” or “maybe.” Use “did not,” “failed to,” “missed.”
You are building a case, not writing a performance poem.
Preparation Checklist
- Schedule the feedback session with at least 48 hours’ notice, no Fridays or pre-holidays
- Draft your SBI-P script with exact dates, deliverables, and LP references
- Pull data: timelines, error logs, customer metrics, peer feedback snippets
- Notify HRBP 24 hours before the meeting, sharing agenda and documentation
- Book a follow-up 1:1 within 72 hours to review progress
- Work through a structured preparation system (the PM Interview Playbook covers Amazon feedback frameworks with real debrief examples)
- Never go into the conversation without printed copies of all evidence, even for virtual meetings
Mistakes to Avoid
BAD: “I’ve noticed you’ve seemed disengaged lately. Is everything okay?”
This invites deflection. “Disengaged” is unmeasurable. “Lately” is vague. You’re asking for a therapy session, not performance correction.
GOOD: “On July 10, you committed to delivering the auth module by July 15. It was delivered on July 22. This delayed integration testing by 5 days and increased post-launch bugs by 28%. This falls short of Deliver Results.”
Specific, dated, tied to impact and LP. No room for reinterpretation.
BAD: Waiting until the annual review to address a missed deadline from Q2.
Amazon’s feedback rhythm is real-time. HC will ask, “Why was this not addressed in the weekly 1:1 on June 18?” Delayed feedback equals manager failure.
GOOD: Documenting the miss in the 1:1 notes on June 19, setting a follow-up for June 26, and referencing it in the mid-year review.
Shows pattern recognition and managerial follow-through.
BAD: Saying, “Let’s work on improving your ownership.”
Too vague. No action, no metric, no verification.
GOOD: “You will escalate resourcing risks within 24 hours of identification, using the risk register in JIRA. I will audit this weekly.”
Clear, observable, verifiable.
FAQ
Is it okay to give feedback via email at Amazon?
No. Critical feedback must be delivered live, in person or via video call. Email is only for follow-up documentation. In a 2023 HC case, a manager tried to initiate a PIP over email. The bar raiser voided it, stating, “You don’t terminate people through Outlook.”
What if the employee blames unclear expectations?
That’s your failure, not theirs. If expectations weren’t clear, you didn’t do your job. Amazon expects managers to socialize goals via PRFAQs, roadmap reviews, and written 1:1 notes. If you can’t prove you set the bar, you’ll be held accountable.
Can I skip PIP if the person resigns?
Yes, but you still must document the performance issues. Amazon tracks “flight risk” patterns. If three underperformers resign before PIP, HC will review your leadership. Silence isn’t escape — it’s complicity.
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