Performance Report (OPR/EPR) info

[FreudianSlip]

Oh my GOD, I can't believe what I've done. I worked my way into a position where I have to write OPRs...I know I know....stupid, stupid, stupid. Oh well.

Does anybody have some good quidelines/examples/gouge. My squad keeps all the good OPRs as examples and the scrounge off of but I'm sure someone has to have some good stuff out there!?!

Anybodys help would be greatly appriciated....

have a good one!

[M2]

Slip

It's easy, but as you have probably found out FormFlow is a mother. Best to work in MS Word, use <Shift> F7 for a quick thesaraus, then copy/paste over to form flow to make sure the bullets fit.

As for content, BS as much as you can without blatantly lying. Use a "action-result-impact" format and don't let the admin weenies tell you what you can/cannot write (unless it directly violates regs, such as promotion recommendations). You are signing the damn thing, you can say what you want!

PM me if you really get in a bind, I will send you some of my copyrighted gems!

[ 03 October 2003, 16:12: Message edited by: MajorMadMax ]

[Guest jtpuro]

What goes on a pilot's OPR? Are the bullets based on flght performance or on additional duties in the squadron?

[Toro]

Under your primary duty you'll have a generic bullet listing your duties and responsibilities as an aviator. Your additional duties will be listed at the end.

In the bullet section you'll have items listed with aviation accomplishments generally first followed by job accomplishments.

[Guest AirGuardian]

Speaking from being an OPR moniter/Cleaner/Doer for the weakest ones I've seen, just do one thing for your rater if possible. KEEP TRACK of all the great things you accomplish. It will make the painful process for your rater(sometimes you) so much easier to have a list when writing your OPR's. It does take a little finesse writing them, but we can see the crapola from the shinola very easily after reviewing so many back to back. Fill the blocks with the good stuff, it will make a difference later on...

[Cooter]

Welcome to hell my friend! Now someone knows my pain on these boards. Check out AFI 36-2406, that's the overarching guidnace for report writing, I also use T&Q and the 8th AF Wrting guide (there should be equivalents out there. Also our Wing has a Wing Man for writing reports. That'll get you started, the big thing is to only use approved acronyms that are in your approved guides (at least here anyway). In all my vast experience as a 3 1/2 year 1Lt has me writing and proffing OPRs for guys 3 grades above me. After 6 months or so I sorta had a knack for it and it was fun for 5 minutes. Now 8 months later...well you'll know how I feel. Anyway like I said I've been doing this for a while and if you have any questions let me know, PM, email or whatever. If you're any good at it you're in for a haul.

Cooter

[M2]

I found it useful to create a binder with copies of all my OPRs and decs in it for a quic.easy reference when I have to write on others. It is also good for your boss when it comes to PRF time. I loan it out to buds with the caveat that they don't laugh too much at some of the comments in my performance reports.

Promotion boards used to put out AARs on what they found useful/useless from OPRs, I have one from a Lt Col board a few years back and I wish AFPC would make more of an effort to get this gouge to the masses. I will see if I can find a copy to post here, but the main thing I remember was the emphasis on stratification ("#1 of 20").

Cheers! M2

[M2]

Finally found it...

Observations from the November 2000 Lieutenant Colonel Selection Board:

(This paper has been reviewed by the AFPC Board Secretariat and approved for release)

• Some Do’s and Don’ts:

 It is very important to stratify in OPRs…e.g., “my #2 of 43 officers”…to highlight and identify your top performers!

 Stratify also in PRFs…e.g., “my #3 BPZ” or “my #3 IPZ”

 On PRF use hard-hitting facts, then quote from previous OPRs…e.g., succeeded where others failed--“ saved X dollars”

 Always use #1 as often as possible…not “number one”!

 Suggest also using quotes from Chain of Command..e.g., LG/CC says “easily top 1% of all LG majors (#)”

 Avoid vague comments in the PRF

 If you use two lines, don’t use for a short period (e.g., deployment) (you only have 9 lines for a career!)

 In the OPR…use the last line for hard-hitting comments; not for the finish line of the previous bullet

 Acceptable abbreviations on a PRF: a/c; ofcr; sq; ldr; CGOQX3!

Overused comments:

“Finest officer; blue chip officer; stellar; first rate; absolutely tops; exceptional; continue to challenge; standout performer; rock solid; one of my go-to officers; ace staffer; rising star; top tier; none finer; no job too tough; platinum; white hot; hit the ground running”

(If used, they must be substantiated with the facts…cannot stand alone)

Effective/Innovative Comments used in PRF/OPRs:

 “My #1 candidate in any zone…”

 “A leader of incredible breadth--….”

 “Impact leader--gets results--…."

 “My fire and forget weapon--……..”

 ”My #2/34 Majs” (if short on space)

 “Leader with a purpose-- making sorties for our Fighter Squadrons!”

 “Commander’s commander--leads, coaches, force multiplier, …”

 “Phenomenal officer--top 2% of all officers in my X years as a logistician--….”

 “Eye-watering record--exudes confidence and excellence….”

 “Drives results--SQ/CC was spot on! Groom for GP/CC--definitely promote!”

 “Tested hard--passed brilliantly….”

 “No better officer…anywhere!”

 “MVP from day 1!”

 “My next DP” or “If I had one more DP…X would have it!”

 “You need to really scrutinize this record…deserves a 10!”

 “Hear me: even stronger than record…top 10% talent!”

 “In the top 10% of 04s I’ve seen in 27 years!”

 “Give me ten more like him…I’d serve with him anytime, anywhere!”

 “Look closely: leadership his hallmark, excellence the norm!”

 “DP from day--…”

 “Top 1% of every assignment!”

 “My most talented FGO-leader, instructor, mentor…top loggie-leads from the front”

 “Warrior-Leader for the 21st Century”

 “Pile driver behind ….”

 “Multiple CGOQs…”

 “Put a tough job on his radar scope, and you can take it off yours!”

 “We’re all looking for this guy to work for us-he’ll be running a large part of the AF someday!”

 “Reserve a slot for ICAF” (or NWC etc)

 “If any other FGO sounds better, I’ve failed to be clear-XXX is the best there is!” or “If another sounds better, its my fault!”

 “If you’re saving your #10-give it up now!”

 “Absolutely peerless officer, aviator, exec, cmdr!”

 “Backbone of a lion, savvy of a diplomat-XXX has no equal!”

 “Tenacious problem-solver:…”

 “Broke the code on making things happen--…”

 “AF leader-I’ve never supervised a more aggressive and competent officer!”

 “Absolute superstar--Top 1%--has succeeded at all levels: unit, MAJCOM, Joint, …”

 “Responds magnificently to pressure and responsibility; always kept us out in front!”

 “If I go to war, I want XXX in the lead and so do you!”

 “One of my top 2 support 04’s! -Off to do handsprings as CC”

 “Hear me: even stronger than his record…top 2% talent!”

 “My #1 DP BPZ-dazzling aviator and leader--#1 in all he does!”

 “Exemplary! Sharp, honest professional-XXX always operates consistently two steps ahead of his peers!”

 “11 on a scale of 10! Officer of the highest caliber-records read like Who’s Who of AF leadership!”

 “Eye-watering squadron commander! Easy choice for BPZ…make it happen: DP then NDU”

 “I’ll make this simple…A+ in every area-brilliantly successful in most diverse division-unlimited future!”

 “Leadership A+…XXX is at the pinnacle of my FGOs; his performance ensures success…”

 “I have 30 BPZ 04’s…XXX is #1! "Ready for Sq CC and much more…DP, SSS, then JS/J5!”

 “…..Officer of the year! Leadership A+, potential A+, initiative A+, …questions?!”

 “I depend on XXX so much that when he sneezes, I get a cold-he personifies the model exec!”

 “In a roomful of standout AO’s, XXX shines brightest for…”

 “A thoroughbred running full stride-command written all over him!”

 “Pure gold! Gutsy, incisive leadership!” XXX/DO

 “I want XXX to command a sq in my wing! DP this phenomenal superstar and score “10” for in-residence SSS!”

 “Outstanding results-oriented leader with a capitol “L”-exceptional performance at the MAJCOM level!”

 “All the adjectives apply-Major XXX exemplifies follow-me leadership!”

 “If I could pick only one for a difficult task it would be XXX-boundless talent!”

 “Never a doubt…the equation is simple: problem + XXX = solution!”

 “Nerves of steel-rare talent!”

 “Read this carefully: SOS DG, 9 OPRs say she’s #1!”

 “Top 5% of my star-studded cast of Majors (15)!”

 “#2 of 42 in …! Highly capable leader, professional, top choice for CC!”

 “Lapped his peers! Outstanding drive…”

 “Riding a big wave to AF stardom-XXX has …”

 “5 star performer and leader…real force enhancer!”

 “Finest cyber warrior I’ve seen in my 19 year career!”

 “#1 promote! Ready for Lt Col now…I’d stake my reputation on him! DP now and SSS!”

General comments/observations:

 Stratification in OPRs/PRFs is the most powerful tool to highlight to board members your top performers

 Individual awards (e.g., Leo Marquez, FGO yr,)-- very important and must be highlighted to the max!

 PRF sets the tone of the officer’s record; say it with enthusiasm!

 For the PRF: Top and bottom lines must be powerful and stratify if possible (e.g., #1 of 123, 1% of all Major’s I know); be willing to back the PRF with a very strong top OPR)

 The top and bottom lines of OPR rater and indorsor blocks must also be well-written and strong…stratify here also as these lines sum up your assessment of the officer and is the first place the board goes to look for consistency to growth in the officer’s performance

 If your next DP would have gone to a particular candidate…say so! Be honest and don’t abuse the statement…”my #1 IPZ promote of 28” is also effective

 Recommendations for command are good and important; use of “challenge” and “greater responsibility” are also telling, but negatively

 Assist civilians and raters from other Services in writing your OPR/PRFs; if amenable, offer up a rough draft

 Write a letter to the board if there is any oddity in your record that needs to be explained (e.g., your record does not reflect your recent Masters Degree); keep it short and don’t whine!

 Some PRFs highlighted many CGO accomplishments, then dries up on FGOs more recent accomplishments; comes across as a negative trend

 Its great if you get a “DP”…but remember…board members still expect to see a record that supports promotion…the record is still scored against your peers and must compete. There are IPZ DPs that are not promoted!

 Senior raters are recommending SSS and/or CC tour for almost ALL…they need to make the tough calls

Learn it, know it, live it...

Cheers! M2

[Cooter]

Everything in OPRs has been done 100 times before and then some. That's becoming the problem, everybodies are starting to look the same. Especially when we've got folks doing all of the same things. Think of the beginning of bullets as an attention step. Personally for my next OPR I'm going to slip in (STS) "Nails jello to the wall!" The more creative you can be with staying true to the facts the better. To piggy back on strats this was just released from AFPC: Level 1--#1/12, Best ever known lvl 2--Top 5-10% lvl 3--One of my best lvl 4--One of my sharpest/hardest working. Basically you want a level one or two strat, try to avoid level 3 and 4 unless they are truly deserving of it. Again if you need any help let me know. The Air University Guide is also a good writing guide as well.

Cooter

[Guest rotorhead]

Also remember that regardless of what you write, the group and wing WILL send it back at least once for changes....you must ensure correct spelling, correct spacing, legitimate (truthful) comments, etc. etc, but they will still return the damn thing because you said "anti-terrorism" and they wanted "antiterrorism." (If you had used the other version, that would have come back, too.) We just had one written by the sqdn cc returned with a comment from a CMS that "...gets it done..." sounded like Larry the Cable Guy (and therefore unacceptable). "...schoolhouse for HH-60G and UH-1N training..." was returned to say "...HH-60G and UH-1N training schoolhouse..."

Follow spelling, grammar, AFI and wing pet peeves to the letter, and then fully expect "happy" to "glad" returns.

[Guest Spike84]

Does anyone know the regs concerning OPRs as Add Lts? I can't find them anywhere. I'm an add for approximately 6 months and was just wondering if I was going to receive an OPR. I highly doubt it and just wanted to make sure.

[C17Driver]

Yes, you most likely will (if you have more than 120 days of supervision).

[Guest T38driver]

Spike,

Concur with the others. You want that OPR in your file. Keep track of the things that you do, to help your rater out.

Regards,

[Chuck17]

I went to KRND for the old 'records review' last month and found there was no record of my time as an ADD Lt at the Det prior to UPT. It was a period of supervision of approx 3 months and a month of that I was at ASBC. However, you have to have accountability for your ENTIRE time in service.

The TSgt behind the desk changed my UPT supervision start date to my EAD date. End of problem.

My advice - keep track of everything and make sure you get all your training reports, etc. to include hard copies. Then, after you get done with all your training and have been a captain for a few years, do the permissive TDY to Randolph and check out your records in person.

Chuck

[outlaw05]

I work as an exec while on casual status and I've helped produce many packages for promotions boards. Believe me, having an OPR that says something good about you while you were casual can only help you in the long run. That is, unless you didn't do anything or did something really stupid.

[Fozzy Bear]

I'm deployed and my flt/cc back home needs bullets for my first OPR. I'm a new 135 pilot. At the same experience level, what are some things you guys put down?

[M2]

Action -- Result -- Impact

Follow that format, and lead off each bullet with a "power word(s)" (e.g 'Expertly,' 'Outstanding,' 'Team Player'), and you will have the USAF format as I remember it down pat. And try to quantify (i.e. 'Best of six,' 'My top lieutenant out of 10') or add numbers ("Saved $100M...," "Responsible for $3B...") where you can. Keep in mind that your future PRFs will be mainly written from your OPRs, so quantification and specifics will help you down the road...

Whatever you do, do NOT buy that little blue book on OPR writing and directly use anything from it. At best it can give you ideas, but the bullets from that book are too generic and are tired. Another good source of info is try to find someone who will give you a copy of their OPRs. I kept a binder in my desk with mine, along with my decorations, it was always a handy reference.

Hope that helps!

Cheers! M2

[Guest SATCOM]

Try www.afmentor.com for some good lines....

[Guest pencilpusher]

Fozzy...always write your own OPR if your boss will allow it. Most Line Flt/CCs are too busy to argue if you produce a half way reasonable OPR. Some guidelines/suggestions...

1) Your first OPR isn't going to make or break you. There's little hope you'll get a "top tier" strat (#1,2 or 3) as a new Co-Pilot...but possible.

2) Hardest hitting stuff ie...Amazing Aviator--Provided critical A/R for CSAR team after F-15E shot down--two lives and $24M asset saved--Awarded DFC! This stuff should be in the senior raters block. The next strongest in the raters block and the chaff on the front. One way to do this is to use a Word doc separated in three sections. After brainstorming, cut and paste to the IMT form in the order merited.

3) When all is said and done, the only thing that REALLY matters are your strats on the Top and/or bottom lines of the Rater's and Senior Rater's block. The rest a promotion board, MLR or Developmental Team will never remember. They will only spend about two minutes on your entire record. If they see a positive trend (#1 of everything consistently) then that's great. The reverse is also true if there is a trend of no strat or weak last lines.

4) Try to remember ant charity type work you've done. As much as it sickens me, this is appropriate for a young CGO to put on their OPR. I've seen guys who sucked at their primary job do a bunch of volunteer work and be the CGO of the qtr and yr. So if you helped a little old lady across the street, or built a Habitat for Humanity house, capture it on paper.

5) Stratify yourself. Give your boss the idea that you think you are #1 or #2 Co-Pilot in his Flt. Chances are he'll let it slide by if your sharp. If that's a no-go try Top 5%. This is a tough strat to track so most supervisors are willing to use it.

6) Actually do great things so all this is easy. If you ARE a superstar then your boss will have no problem letting a #1 of 10 CGOs or #1 Co-Pilot strat go forward. Get your PME and Master's done. Volunteer for the tough jobs...SELO, Exec. Apply for Phoenix Horizon programs...Reach and Hawk. In other words don't be a slug.

7) Last but not least, keep an annual running Word document that you update quarterly with stuff you've done. That way writing the OPR is just cut and paste into the IMT form.

I really embarrassed that I know this much about OPRs...a thousand lashes tonight, from my wife.

Edited March 2, 2007 by pencilpusher

[Boxhead]

5) Stratify yourself. Give your boss the idea that you think you are #1 or #2 Co-Pilot in his Flt. Chances are he'll let it slide by if your sharp. If that's a no-go try Top 5%. This is a tough strat to track so most supervisors are willing to use it.

I agree with everything pencil said except this...if you don't get a "#X of XX Co-Pilots type bullet, just don't put one, the Top 5% type statements are, like he said hard to track, and the higherups know it and so they don't care if it is there...they might as well say "ready for more challenges" or "Standout officer/crewmember"...some stuff only sounds good to people who don't know any better! Or, just use some of the suggestions form the Yokota fellas...after all, I was an exec there not to long ago...so they HAVE to be smart on this stuff! (Enjoy the bar fellas)

All technique...

[joe1234]

I agree with everything pencil said except this...if you don't get a "#X of XX Co-Pilots type bullet, just don't put one, the Top 5% type statements are, like he said hard to track, and the higherups know it and so they don't care if it is there...they might as well say "ready for more challenges" or "Standout officer/crewmember"...some stuff only sounds good to people who don't know any better! Or, just use some of the suggestions form the Yokota fellas...after all, I was an exec there not to long ago...so they HAVE to be smart on this stuff! (Enjoy the bar fellas)

All technique...

Oh, don't forget the fact that you can just plagarize the absolute living hell out of anything you see. It's not like OPR/EPR's are copyrighted. If you find a guy's OPR that has gone through your current rater and senior rater, steal a few bullets and just replace the information so that it applies to you (obviously you can't lie and say you did something you didn't do).

Also, sift through e-mails you've received and/or sent. That's a really good way to gather bullets and save some time. I was able to come up with like 20 bullets in an hour plagarizing and sifting through e-mails this way.

[FourFans]

I agree with everything pencil said except this...if you don't get a "#X of XX Co-Pilots type bullet, just don't put one, the Top 5% type statements are, like he said hard to track, and the higherups know it and so they don't care if it is there...they might as well say "ready for more challenges" or "Standout officer/crewmember"...some stuff only sounds good to people who don't know any better! Or, just use some of the suggestions form the Yokota fellas...after all, I was an exec there not to long ago...so they HAVE to be smart on this stuff! (Enjoy the bar fellas)

All technique...

Concur.

Let me reiterate...DO NOT steal lines for stuff you didn't do. It's ok to reference them and get an idea of how to write your own, but don't just steal bullets. When an exec sees 3 OPRs in a row that all have 10 out of 23 lines that are the same...they're gunna say something. Trust me when I say, you do not want to highlight yourself like that. If you didn't do it, don't try and take credit for it, everyone know's who does what in the squadron, so don't try and lie about it.

(edit: Be VERY careful about how you apply joe1234's advice. Good execs will see through BS bullets and ask you for some real info.)

Oh yeah, and leave extra bullets for your rater before you deploy or go on leave. It's a whole year's worth of activity. 23 lines is not that hard and 25 wouldn't be too tough. But if you hose your rater and give him nothing to work with and then go on leave or deploy, guess what the OG and the WG CCs are gunna see...a nice shiny turd of an OPR.

Alright...back to building bar furnatur....i mean exercise exercise exercise duties...yeah...

Cheers,

FourFans

[B-O-double-Z]

This whole thread is a little disturbing...

For a Lieutenant or Captain, the only thing the OPR "bullets" from you need to do, is remind your rater of the additional duties or projects that you have done since the last OPR. Your rater will decide if you performed them "expertly," or "amazingly," or "outstandingly."

Here's a little tip for you all. None of the queep that somebody makes up about you (or that you make up about yourself) is going to mean shit on your promotion board. The only thing that matters, ultimately, is how you are stratified in your peer group on your PRF. For all intents and purposes, your promotion is either on ice, or DOA, before your PRF ever leaves the wing.

As a young rated officer, the most important thing you can do is become an expert in your weapon system, be competent, well prepared, accept responsibility, upgrade as soon as you can with no bull-shit excuses, and handle whatever little chickenshit additional duties you are supposed to do.

Be a good fellow and show up for work and do your f*cking job without constant excuses about your wife's doctor appointments, or your need to take your kids to daycare, or why you can't fly that tough night mission because you are feeling a little "cruddy." Don't be a pain in the ass to the scheduler. Make yourself available to fly. If you are a lieutenant, and trying to find you around the squadron is like trying to find Jimmy Hoffa, you are gonna be on your Operations Officer's shit list.

Most of the successful officers I've been around, O-6 and above (and I work with senior officers from active duty, guard, and reserves every day), haven't spent too many brain cells worrying about their OPRs. They just showed up to work with a hard hat and lunch pale and did their job for 20+ years.

[FireMission]

As a young rated officer, the most important thing you can do is become an expert in your weapon system, be competent, well prepared, accept responsibility, upgrade as soon as you can with no bull-shit excuses, and handle whatever little chickenshit additional duties you are supposed to do.

SHACK!

As said before, let the shoe clerks worry about making up retarded bullets. I know a couple of shoe clerks who try to stand out by being involved in everything the CGOC does, and volunteering for every group/wing Memorial Day ceremony, etc. type thing just so they can put a bullet down like "Handpicked among 20 other CGOs by the WG/CC to narrate today's special event in honor of General XX"

I'm not saying that volunteering is a bad thing at all... just when the person does it for the express purpose of bolstering his/her OPR.

If you are a lieutenant, and trying to find you around the squadron is like trying to find Jimmy Hoffa, you are gonna be on your Operations Officer's shit list.

Funniest, but ENTIRELY true scenario/statment!

[Cooter]

Make sure to add in your combat, HHQ and any exercise missions you do as well as combat hours. Come PRF time it's nice to be able to see those quantified. Strats are the biggest hiters so aim for those. #1-3 is obviously the best the % ones get glossed over very easily. Volunteer for things if you find yourself running short of bullets. I keep an OPR form on my thumb drive so any time I do anything I just add it in right then and there so I don't forget 10 months down the line. I was the OPR guy in my squadron for a year and a half (apparnetly a history degree means you can write) so I saw a lot of good and a lot of bad. 75% of OPR's is queep, stick to missions, hours, strats and money. All things that can be quantified. For fun, and I only did this with my own OPR's, I like to add...different power words/statements. Be creative so it stands out, my last OPR had "Sean nails JellO to the wall". It's really all in what you make it. Do not copy verbatim out of one of those little books, they are a guide.

Cooter