15Five launches new AI capabilities that facilitate a continuous performance management feedback loop. Latest features help managers, HR leaders and executives have personalized, timely conversations that advance employee growth and increase operational efficiency. 15Five, the AI-powered performance management platform used by over 3,000 companies, debuted several AI capabilities during its NEXT virtual summit for HR leaders and people managers focused on where work is headed. "15Five AI reduces administrative busywork so leaders can focus on what matters most - supporting and developing their people." Performance management has not kept up as AI changes how we work. 15Five's Vice Chairman David Hassell recently spoke about this at the Fortune Workplace Innovation Summit, a topic that resonated deeply with the executives, CHROs and technologists in attendance. Managers are overwhelmed by fragmented information spanning disconnected platforms. HR leaders and managers need a more accurate understanding of performance without creating additional administrative work, and the c-suite needs a clearer view of how performance is tied to business outcomes. 15Five's new features solve those challenges by turning disparate data into timely manager insights. This arms them with knowledge to have more productive touch-points with their teams and to better nurture talent. Work Context Work Context helps users understand performance as it happens across tools like Slack, Teams, Asana, Notion, Jira, Github, GenAI tools and more. By connecting these systems in 15Five's context graph, Work Context creates a more complete and continuous understanding of employee performance without requiring additional reporting. The 15Five platform automatically brings relevant context into the continuous performance communications loop. This provides HR and managers with a detailed, real-time view of performance, progress, engagement and coaching opportunities. AI Assisted Reviews 15Five announced several advancements to its AI Assisted Reviews, which automatically drafts reviews using performance data already in 15Five (goals, feedback, 1:1s, prior reviews) along with Work Context. While AI helps to compile roughly 80% of the first draft, managers have full editorial control. As the manager writes, 15Five identifies opportunities to make feedback more specific, balanced, actionable and development-oriented. The platform also suggests key focus areas and suggested discussion points. This allows for meaningful reviews without requiring managers to dedicate even more time to the process. Following the conversation, Individual Development Plans can be drafted directly from review insights to support continuous growth. The result is a faster but more productive review process and stronger conversations between manager and employee. Focus Briefs 15Five also introduced Focus Briefs, which give managers a detailed weekly view of where to focus, what needs attention and where their team is making progress. These insights are based on Work Context and other data in 15Five. Focus Briefs synthesize that same context into a weekly view of team priorities so managers arrive at every 1-on-1 prepared and not reactive. Instead of requesting endless status updates from direct reports or searching disparate systems to see what employees are working on, each manager has a clear handle on priorities and richer context for 1-on-1s and coaching conversations summarized specifically for them. "We run a true player-coach model where every leader owns outcomes," said McKayla Schrofer, VP, HR Operations & Solutions at National Carwash Solutions (NCS), the leading provider of equipment, chemistry and technology solutions for the carwash industry. "15Five AI reduces administrative busywork so leaders can focus on what matters most - supporting and developing their people." Putting the Pieces Together The three features flow together to deliver continuous, AI-assisted performance management that elevates humans by requiring less manual work, providing better manager insights and facilitating smoother HR cycles. * By using Work Context from the tools teams already use paired with 15Five's performance data, 15Five gives managers better information without asking employees to duplicate updates across systems. * AI Assisted Reviews use that same context to help managers draft stronger reviews faster and prepare for better development conversations. * Focus Briefs help managers see what to prioritize each week and where teams are progressing or stalling. "What 15Five has built here gets at something really important - the more you use it, the more it learns how leaders and their teams work," said Melissa Richards, People Systems & Analytics Manager at NCS. "Over time, that insight makes performance management more effective by creating a steady flow of information and feedback between managers and their teams." "For the first time in a long time, continuous performance management is better, faster and easier for HR and managers without requiring even more effort from them," said Dr. Jeff Smith, CEO of 15Five. "At 15Five, we're using our context graph to help weave together the signals of how work actually gets done into an ongoing performance feedback loop that makes manager and employee touch-points more productive. These advancements are a natural progression of what we've been building over the past 15 years and adds tremendous depth to the employee-manager relationship." [To share your insights with us, please write to [email protected]]

Dr. Jeff Smith named 15Five CEO. Megan Lampros May 18, 2026 15Five Inc. is proud to announce that its COO and a 15Five leader for nearly seven years, Dr. Jeff Smith, has been promoted to CEO. Jeff succeeds David Hassell, 15Five's co-founder, who will remain on the board and focus on evangelizing 15Five and its mission. Veteran technology executive Larry Dunivan, who joined 15Five's board in January 2025, has been appointed Executive Chairman. Larry and Jeff will continue to partner closely as 15Five enters its next chapter. This is the leadership team taking 15Five forward. Jeff is no stranger to performance management or how technology is changing work. A psychologist, people leader, technologist, inventor, and bestselling author of "The Meaningful Manager: How to Manage What Matters," he's spent much of his career focused on how organizations and technology can help people perform at their best. And yes, at 15Five, 15Five Inc. continue to be bullish in its belief that humans will always be at the center of how companies create value - even in the AI era. "I've spent nearly seven years at 15Five because I believe work and technology should add to people's lives, not subtract from them," said Smith. "That belief is more relevant now, in the AI era, than ever. I'm honored to lead this team into what comes next." "Elevating humans has always been at the core of 15Five, and that belief matters even more in the AI era. Jeff has been a longtime trusted advisor and partner to me," said Hassell. "Across R&D, marketing, sales, CX, operations, and strategy, he's consistently brought a rare combination of customer- and human-centricity, operational rigor, and a deep, genuine care for people. There is nobody better suited to lead 15Five going forward." Its account and support teams are here to serve you. Its roadmap remains on track. Learn more about where 15Five Inc. is headed at 15Five Next.