This glossary explains the most important terms in flowit — listed alphabetically and written for all user groups. Whether you are an admin, team lead, or employee: here you will find explanations for terms you encounter on the platform.
A
Admin → see Customer Admin
Anonymity Threshold flowit protects employee privacy by only displaying results from surveys once a minimum number of responses has been reached. For anonymous surveys, results at team level are only shown when at least 5 responses are available — in the AI Dashboard, the minimum is 6. If a team is too small, responses are not shown separately but are aggregated at a higher organisational level. This ensures no conclusions can be drawn about individual people.
→ Relevant for: Surveys, AI Dashboard, Data Privacy
Access Permission (Dashboard Access) The dashboard access permission is a separate permission in flowit that allows a user to view the AI Dashboard. This permission is independent of the assigned role and must be explicitly granted by the admin. Even a Team Lead with the appropriate role will not see the AI Dashboard if this access permission has not been set. The permission can be granted for individual surveys or reviews, or globally for all dashboards.
→ Relevant for: Admins (to grant), Team Leads & HR Admins (to receive)
B
Benchmarking Benchmarking means comparing your own survey results against reference values. In flowit, results can be compared with internal averages from your own organisation. This helps contextualise whether a value is good, average, or critical — rather than viewing it in isolation. Benchmarking is particularly useful for pulse surveys to identify trends over time.
→ Relevant for: Surveys, Insights
C
Connected Insights Connected Insights is an optional, advanced analysis feature in flowit. It connects data from different modules — reviews, feedback, evaluations, development cards — into cross-cutting insights. Rather than looking at individual metrics in isolation, Connected Insights reveals relationships: Why is one team developing differently? Where are risks emerging before they become visible? The feature is primarily aimed at leaders and HR who want to act early. Connected Insights is not available to all customers by default — availability depends on the package booked.
→ Distinction: Connected Insights ≠ AI Dashboard. The AI Dashboard analyses individual surveys or reviews. Connected Insights connects data across modules. → Relevant for: Team Leads, HR Admins
Customer Admin (also: Admin) The Customer Admin is the highest role in flowit and has full access to all settings and content on the platform. A Customer Admin can create and manage users, structure teams, assign roles, configure modules, define evaluation pairs, and adjust global settings. Every organisation has at least one Customer Admin. This role is typically held by HR managers or IT administrators.
→ Distinction: There are different admin roles in flowit (e.g. HR Admin, Reviews Admin). The Customer Admin is the overarching role with the most extensive permissions. → Relevant for: Everyone — important to know who can decide what
D
Development Card (also: Card) A development card defines a specific competency area that an employee is working on — for example "Communication", "Accountability", or "Project Management". Cards are assigned within an evaluation pair and form the basis for evaluations. They show what someone is working on and make it possible to track progress across multiple evaluation periods. A card is neither a goal (OKR) nor an assessment (evaluation) — it is the focus area that the evaluation refers to.
→ Distinction: Development card ≠ OKR. An OKR is a measurable goal. A card is a competency area without a direct success criterion. → Relevant for: Employees, Team Leads, Evaluators
E
Engagement (KPI) Engagement is one of the three core KPIs in the Insights area of flowit. It measures how strongly employees identify with their work and organisation. Values above 7 are considered above average, values below 4 are critical. A low engagement score is often an early warning signal for staff turnover or dissatisfaction.
The data for this KPI is collected as part of the evaluation — each employee answers the relevant question from their own perspective. The results are then aggregated and feed into the Insights area. This requires the feature to be activated in the platform's basic settings by the admin.
→ See also: Leadership (KPI), Work Mood (KPI), Insights → Relevant for: Team Leads, HR Admins
Evaluation An evaluation is a continuous competency assessment process based on development cards. The focus is not on general performance questions, but on the specific competency cards assigned to an employee — these are regularly assessed using a questionnaire. The admin configures evaluation pairs and defines an assessment cycle at company or team level. In each period, both evaluator and evaluee complete a questionnaire, and self-perception is compared with external perception.
→ Distinction: Evaluation ≠ Review. A review is broader and centrally managed. An evaluation always takes place between exactly two people and focuses on competency cards. → Relevant for: All
Evaluation Pair An evaluation pair is the fixed connection between two people in the evaluation process: the evaluator (who assesses) and the evaluee (who is assessed). Evaluation pairs are configured by the admin — usually based on the direct management relationship. Within an evaluation pair, development cards are assigned and evaluations are conducted. If an employee changes teams or gets a new
manager, the evaluation pair must be manually updated by the admin.
→ Relevant for: Admins, Team Leads, Employees
Evaluation Period The defined timeframe in which an evaluation takes place. The length of a period is set by the admin at company or team level and can span weeks or months. At the end of each period, evaluator and evaluee complete the questionnaire and results are compared. Evaluation periods run continuously — independently of the review cycle.
→ Relevant for: Admins, Team Leads, Employees
Evaluator The evaluator is the person who conducts the assessment in an evaluation — usually the direct line manager. The evaluator completes the questionnaire from the perspective of external perception: how do they assess the evaluee's competencies?
→ Distinction: Evaluator ≠ Reviewer. A reviewer participates in a review. An evaluator is always part of a fixed evaluation pair. → Relevant for: Team Leads, Managers
Evaluee The evaluee is the person being assessed in an evaluation. The evaluee also completes a questionnaire — from the perspective of self-perception. Self-perception and external perception are then compared to provide a complete picture of competency development.
→ Relevant for: Employees
F
Feedback Module The feedback module in flowit enables situational, lightweight responses — at any time and without administrative effort. It is a single module that covers both structured feedback with defined fields and quick, direct responses. Feedback can be actively given, requested, or received. Anyone in the organisation can give feedback — regardless of role or hierarchy. The feedback module is not tied to a process and cannot be started by an admin.
→ Distinction: Feedback ≠ Review ≠ Evaluation. Feedback is situational and voluntary. Reviews and evaluations are structured processes with defined participants and deadlines. → Relevant for: Everyone
G
GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) The GDPR is the European data protection regulation governing the handling of personal data of EU residents. It gives individuals the right to know what data is stored about them and requires organisations to handle this data transparently and securely. flowit is GDPR-compliant.
→ See also: revDSG → Relevant for: Everyone, especially Admins
Guideline (also: Template) A guideline is a reusable template in flowit — for surveys or reviews. It contains predefined questions, settings, and structures that serve as a starting point when creating new surveys or reviews. Guidelines save time, ensure consistency, and make it possible to reuse proven questions. A guideline is not the survey or review itself — it is the template behind it.
→ Relevant for: HR Admins, Team Leads, Admins
H
HR Admin A specific admin role in flowit with extended permissions in the area of reviews and surveys. An HR Admin can create and manage reviews, access results, and manage employees — but cannot change all global settings like a Customer Admin. The exact permissions may vary depending on configuration.
→ Relevant for: HR Teams, Admins
I
Insights The Insights area in flowit shows quantitative usage metrics of the platform — how many employees are active, how many reviews or evaluations are running, survey response rates, card statistics, and more. This area is aimed at admins and team leads who want to keep an overview of platform usage in their organisation. Access is via the chart icon in the top right corner of the home screen and requires a separate user permission.
→ Distinction: Insights ≠ AI Dashboard. Insights show usage data — how the platform is being used. The AI Dashboard analyses content — what employees have said. → Relevant for: Admins, HR Admins, Team Leads
K
KPI (Key Performance Indicator) KPIs are metrics that measure the state of a specific area. In flowit there are two types of KPIs: The Insights KPIs (Leadership, Work Mood, Engagement) are collected as part of evaluations — each employee answers the relevant questions from their own perspective, and the results are aggregated and feed into the Insights area. The usage KPIs in the Insights area (e.g. active users, review completion rates) are automatically calculated from platform usage. The Insights KPIs require the feature to be activated in the platform's basic settings by the admin.
→ Relevant for: Team Leads, HR Admins
L
Leadership (KPI) Leadership is one of the three core KPIs in the Insights area. It measures how employees perceive the leadership behaviour of their direct manager. Values above 7 are considered very positive, values below 4 are critical and require action. This KPI is particularly valuable because leadership quality is one of the strongest influencing factors on engagement and staff turnover.
→ See also: Engagement (KPI), Work Mood (KPI) → Relevant for: Team Leads, HR Admins
M
MAG (Employee Appraisal) MAG stands for "Mitarbeitendengespräch" — a Swiss German term for the structured annual or semi-annual conversation between an employee and their manager. In flowit, a MAG is set up as a review. The MAG cycle describes the full process: preparation, the conversation itself, and follow-up with defined measures. Since the term is regionally used, "annual review", "employee appraisal", or "performance review" are also common.
→ Synonyms: Annual review, employee appraisal, performance review → See also: Review → Relevant for: Everyone
Messenger The Messenger in flowit is an internal communication tool that enables direct messages between users of the platform. It is part of the flowit Success Package and is not included in all packages. The Messenger complements the other modules — for example, follow-up conversations after a review can be conducted directly via the Messenger.
→ Relevant for: Everyone (depending on package)
O
OKR (Objectives & Key Results) OKR is a goal-setting framework integrated directly into flowit. An Objective is a qualitative, inspiring goal — for example "We want to become the best employer in our industry". Key Results are measurable outcomes that show whether the goal has been achieved — for example "Increase employee satisfaction from 7.2 to 8.5". OKRs typically run in quarterly cycles.
→ Distinction: OKR ≠ Development Card. An OKR is a measurable goal. A development card shows a competency area without a direct success criterion. → Relevant for: Everyone
P
Profile Attributes Profile attributes are additional pieces of information in a user profile — for example age, gender, tenure, or location. These attributes can be used as filter criteria in the AI Dashboard to break down survey results by specific groups. Important: profile attributes can only be used as filters for quantitative data, not for text responses. Anonymity thresholds also apply — groups below a minimum size are not shown separately.
→ Relevant for: Admins, HR Admins
Pulse Survey A pulse survey is a short, regularly recurring survey with typically 3–10 questions. The goal is to quickly and easily get a current picture of the mood — without burdening employees with long questionnaires. Pulse surveys are particularly well suited to tracking changes over time: Is morale improving after a measure? How does a reorganisation affect engagement? In flowit, pulse surveys are created as surveys using the appropriate guideline.
→ Relevant for: HR Admins, Team Leads
R
Reminder A reminder is an automatic notification in flowit sent when a deadline is approaching — for example 5 or 7 working days before a survey, review, or evaluation expires. Reminders help ensure deadlines are not missed. Admins can control which reminders are active in the global notification settings.
→ Relevant for: Everyone
Review A review is a structured conversation and reflection process that can be set up by HR Admins, Admins, or Team Leads. Reviews are flexible — from defined cycles like the annual MAG to situational conversations that can arise at any time during the year. All participants complete a questionnaire, followed by a completion phase. Reviews can be created for individuals or entire teams and support both structured performance processes and spontaneous reflection conversations.
→ Distinction: Review ≠ Evaluation. A review is broader, involves more participants, and is centrally managed. An evaluation always takes place between exactly two people and focuses on competency cards. → Synonyms: MAG, employee appraisal, annual review → Relevant for: Everyone
revDSG (Revised Swiss Data Protection Act) The revDSG is the revised Swiss Data Protection Act, which came into force on 1 September 2023. It strengthens individual data rights: organisations must communicate more transparently about what data they collect, how it is used, and how long it is stored. The revDSG applies to all organisations processing data of people in Switzerland. flowit is revDSG-compliant.
→ Synonyms: nDSG, new Swiss data protection law → See also: GDPR → Relevant for: Admins, HR Admins
Roles & Permissions flowit distinguishes between different user roles that determine what a person can see and do on the platform. The main roles are: Customer Admin (full access), HR Admin (extended permissions for reviews and surveys), Reviews Admin (review management), Team Lead (reviews for own team), and Employee (standard user). Roles are assigned by the Customer Admin and can be combined.
→ Relevant for: Everyone — important to know which role has which capabilities
S
Sentiment Analysis Sentiment analysis is an AI-powered feature in the AI Dashboard. It automatically analyses text responses from surveys or reviews and detects the emotional tone — positive, neutral, or negative. This makes it possible to see at a glance whether employees perceive a topic positively or critically, without having to read every comment individually. Sentiment analysis is particularly valuable when there are large numbers of text responses.
→ Relevant for: Team Leads, HR Admins, Customer Admins
Substatus The substatus shows the detailed progress within a review process. A review has an overall status (e.g. "Fill-in in progress") and a substatus showing the exact state (e.g. "Reviewer has submitted, employee has not yet"). The substatus helps admins and team leads keep track and follow up specifically with people who have not yet responded.
→ Relevant for: HR Admins, Team Leads
T
Topic Cluster Topic clusters are AI-generated groups of similar text responses from surveys or reviews. The AI Dashboard automatically groups responses that address the same topic — for example all comments about "work-life balance" or "team communication". This creates an overview of the most frequently mentioned topics at a glance, without having to read each individual comment. Topic clusters are combined with sentiment analysis — making it immediately clear whether a topic is perceived positively or critically.
→ Relevant for: Team Leads, HR Admins
S
Survey A survey in flowit is a structured data collection instrument created by HR Admins or Admins and sent to employees. Surveys can contain different question types (scale, multiple choice, free text) and are used for different purposes — from regular pulse surveys to comprehensive employee surveys. Results can be analysed in the AI Dashboard. External participants can also be invited to surveys.
→ Relevant for: Everyone
W
Work Mood (KPI) Work Mood is one of the three core KPIs in the Insights area. It measures how employees experience their working conditions, team atmosphere, and day-to-day satisfaction. Values above 6 are considered above average, values below 4 are critical. A low work mood score often points to issues with workload, team dynamics, or organisational conditions.
→ See also: Leadership (KPI), Engagement (KPI) → Relevant for: Team Leads, HR Admins