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How to Write an EPR (new AF Form 910)

Writing an EPR is one of the supervisor's most important responsibilities because the EPR is the only formal record of an individual’s accomplishments during his or her Air Force career. EPRs must accurately, concisely, and clearly capture what the ratee has accomplished. EPRs aren’t merely a component of an individual’s WAP score --they are the primary source documents for assignments, decorations, and promotions, and, for SNCOs, the board process. A well-written EPR shows both what the individual accomplished and the impact of those accomplishments.

The Air Force recently introduced a new EPR form. The same two forms are used for documenting performance (AF Form 910 for AB through TSgt and AF Form 911 for MSgt and above) but the format has changed.

Directions for the new AF 910

Summary of changes:

  • The previous AF Form 910 only had a single block for rater's comments which allowed for flexibility and gave the rater some latitude on what he or she wrote. The new form forces the rater to address 5 areas:

    • PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT
    • STANDARDS, CONDUCT, CHARACTER, MILITARY BEARING
    • FITNESS
    • TRAINING
    • TEAMWORK / FOLLOWERSHIP

    and provides a scant 2 lines in the OTHER COMMENTS block for the rater to express anything else he or she might want to say.
  • The total numbers of lines for the rater's comments was reduced from thirteen to twelve (if fitness is not an issue --otherwise it remains at 13).
  • The Additional Rater's comment block was reduced from six lines to three.
  • Stratification statements for AB through TSgt are not required or allowed.
  • Bullet statements are limited to two lines.

Definitions: 

          Ratee.  The ratee is the subject of the EPR, the person being evaluated.
          Rater.  The rater is the ratee's supervisor, the person responsible for writing the EPR.
          Additional Rater. The Additional Rater is the rater's supervisor (normally).

The Front.

SECTION I. RATEE IDENTIFICATION DATA

Blocks 1 through 10 are self-explanatory. This information is contained in the EPR shell or RIP generated by the personnel section (of your unit or the base). The information entered in these blocks must match what is on the RIP.


SECTION II. JOB DESCRIPTION

(1) Normally the workcenter has a series of approved Duty Titles. Use the one approved for the ratee's rank and position.

(2) List any additional duties

(3) Every shop or office has a set of standard Job Descriptions (depending on rank) for the Key Duties, Tasks, and Responsibilities fields. If the officially sanctioned blurb needs editing for grammar or accuracy, there is no law against it. The Job Description entries must be in bullet statement format:


    - Manages $1.1 B in communications infrastructure at the Louisiana missile tracking center 
    - Processes communications outage reports for US Northern Command theater operations
    - Analyzes communications requirements and determines and engineers efficient comm links
    - Assists theater operations participants in resolving procedural and operational issues

If the ratee supervises any troops, state that fact on the first line of the job description.


SECTION III. PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT

This is the meat and potatoes of the EPR. This is where the ratee's accomplishments are documented by the rater. In the new EPR system, although the total number of lines provided for listing accomplishments has been reduced from 19 to 15, there is less latitude for the areas documented. The following categories must be addressed by the Rater and Additional Rater:

  • PRIMARY / ADDITIONAL DUTIES (4 lines)
  • STANDARDS, CONDUCT, CHARACTER & MILITARY BEARING (2 lines)
  • TRAINING REQUIREMENTS (2 lines)
  • TEAMWORK / FOLLOWERSHIP (2 lines)
  • OTHER COMMENTS (2 lines)
  • ADDITIONAL RATER'S COMMENTS (3 lines)
  • In addition, if required, FITNESS must be addressed

People often have to write their own EPRs or at least provide their own bullet statements. This is practical and normal and it's in the ratee's interest to provide the best bullets possible. Thinking up 15 accomplishments can be hard. At times it can seem almost impossible. The things we do everyday don't seem noteworthy. But they are. The work that all of us do is indispensable to the Air Force's mission. It just takes a little thought to bring it to light and express its full impact.

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The quickest way to complete the EPR is to brainstorm first. List all the ratee's accomplishments on a separate sheet of paper. Jot down everything that might qualify as an accomplishment. Then, when you have roughly fifteen accomplishments (to fill all the required sections), go back to the form and start fitting them in. If you try to think up accomplishments individually, edit them for readability, and make them fit in the space provided as you go along, your progress will be slower.

One thing that's important to note is that when you're putting together a list of accomplishments, don't hold back! If you're new to Air Force performance reports, you might be reluctant to claim credit for any achievements that you weren't 100% responsible for. Don't be! Most workcenter accomplishments require the efforts of several people and are the product of teamwork. If you had any part in an accomplishment, you are allowed to claim it and summarize it in a bullet statement. Very often, a workcenter supervisor will reuse the same bullet statements, over and over, in several different EPRs so it's not unexpected or out of the ordinary. As a rule of thumb, if you had any part in an achievement, from documenting the situation in a log to turning a wrench, you can claim it. So claim everything and let your supervisor sort it out. And don't worry that your supervisor will scrutinize your inputs and dispute your claims --it doesn't happen. A supervisor is much more concerned with getting material for your EPR than with analyzing which person contributed the most to this or that accomplishment. He or she will be thrilled that you provided anything at all!

The format required for entries throughout the EPR is the "bullet statement" format. If you don't use this format, your EPR will be returned for editing. In addition, the EPR should be written in plain English using common words that anyone can understand. Avoid jargon and strive for readability. By jargon, I mean words or phrases that are only understood by Airmen in your career field. You might understand what "retrofitted weep holes" means but most people wouldn't. It's very important that your EPR be understandable to anyone who reads it because it's the main source of information for selection for assignments, promotion, and other personnel decisions. If abbreviations or acronyms are used, they must be defined the first time they are used unless they are commonly understood and approved . See our list of approved Abbreviations & Acronyms. The goal is clarity and efficiency.


(1) PRIMARY / ADDITIONAL DUTIES

Place an X in the block that accurately describes the Ratee's performance. All the bullet statements in this section should concern the ratee's performance in their primary (or additional) duty --not the Honor Guard or your work with the annual base Dining-in. There's only room for four single-line bullet statements in this section so make 'em count. Two line bullets are allowed but since there's only four lines in which to list all the ratee's accomplishments, unless you have a really special two-line bullet in mind, it would be more effective to list four individual, single-line accomplishments.

Example:

  • - Managed 11 personnel workcenter in direct support of U.S. Space Command--exceeded all assigned goals!
  • - Supervised repair of air conditioning at Air Force Network facility; protected $.5M in critical equipment
  • - Reacted quickly under pressure by reprogramming C-5 display unit on divert acft; $9K flight computer saved
  • - Utilized existing equipment and spare parts to assemble rack--saved work center $26K in material costs

Traditionally, in the old EPR format, the first line in the Rater's Comment block was a sort of introduction, a line which described the Rater's opinion of the ratee. Something like one of these lines:

  • - SSgt Baker is enthusiastic, dedicated SNCO--quickly transitioned from maintenance background to staff
  • - SrA Smith is a very talented, well trained electronics and systems technician who inspires his peers
  • - A task-oriented, conscientious SNCO--efforts lead to increased workcenter efficiency and effectiveness

And then the rater would fill in the rest of the block with accomplishments that supported his statement about the ratee.

But now, in the new EPR format, there is a section, the Other Comments section, set aside for that purpose. So it would be redundant to make an introductory statement here AND a waste of a line that could be used for an accomplishment. However, as in the last EPR format, this is the first line that a reviewer will see and it should set the tone for the whole EPR. I suggest, if possible, working in a statement on the first line that expresses the Rater's opinion AND an accomplishment. For examples, check out our list of Primary Duty bullet statements.

Prioritize! There are only four lines to describe our accomplishments. Make sure your best accomplishments are listed! After your brainstorming section, review your list of primary duty accomplishments and rate them from most significant to least. The best accomplishments are those that somehow support your unit's mission. List the best accomplishment first --at the top. The next important accomplishment would be second and so on.

Quantify! The overall goal of the EPR is to, as accurately as possible, describe a person's performance. To that end, every statement should be "qualified"; every claim should be supported by a quantity or be as specific as possible.


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