The People Analyzer® is an essential component of the EOS Toolbox. Use this tool to strengthen your organization's People Component® by ensuring you have the right people in the right seats.

What Is the People Analyzer®?

The People Analyzer is a core EOS® tool that helps you assess two fundamental questions about each team member:

1. Are they the right person? Do they embody your company's Core Values and fit your culture?
2. Are they in the right seat? Do they have the innate talents and skills to excel in their specific role?

As Gino Wickman notes in Traction, the People Analyzer is among the top five tools that EOS clients use most frequently. This makes sense when you consider that many organizational issues ultimately trace back to people challenges — whether someone doesn't align with your Core Values or isn't suited for their current role.

Getting Started — How to Use Ninety's People Analyzer Tool

Before using the People Analyzer, you or your leadership team should:

1. Ensure your Core Values are defined in your V/TO. If they haven't been added yet, we'll prompt you with a direct link to complete this step. Learn more about Core Values here.
2. Establish your company's Bar for both Core Values and GWC. This sets clear expectations across your organization. Learn how below in the section of this article called “Setting The Bar.” Learn more about GWC here.
3. Assign your team members to a Seat on the Accountability Chart. To begin a review of a team member, they must first be assigned to at least one Seat on the Accountability Chart. Learn how here.

How to Start a New People Analyzer Review

To start a new People Analyzer review:

1. Navigate to the People Analyzer tool. Click 1-on-1 from the left navigation. Then, click the People Analyzer tab above the filters bar.
2. Identify the team member(s) to review. Use the Person and Team dropdowns to narrow your search, or use the carets at the bottom of the list to find team member(s) to review. Click the checkbox on the left side of each user's row you'd like to review. If you've been assigned one or more team members to review, they'll appear in a list titled Assignments on the right side of the page.
3. Launch the review window. Click Review on the right side of the team member's row or the Review users button at the bottom of the list if you used the checkboxes. If you selected more than one team member, you can use the carets next to their profile images to choose which person to review first.
4. Review how well the team member exhibits your Core Values. Select plus ("+"), plus/minus ("+/-"), or minus ("-") for each of your Core Values. Even if the team member sits in more than one Seat, you'll only evaluate their Core Value adherence once, since Core Values supersede Seats.
5. Review how well the team member GWCs their Seat(s). Select “Yes” or “No” for Gets it, Wants it, and Capacity to do it. If the team member sits in more than one Seat, click the Review next Seat button and repeat this process.
6. Add any comments. Type any relevant comments in the textbox provided.
7. Complete the review. After rating each Core Value, assessing the GWC for each Seat, and leaving any relevant comments, click the Complete button to save the review.

How to See Previously Completed People Analyzer Reviews

To review previously completed People Analyzer assessments, simply left-click a team member's row on the People Analyzer page. If any reviewer has left comments, a clickable comment line will appear below the review's date; click it to view the comments.

How to Assign a People Analyzer Review as a To-Do in Ninety

To request a review of a team member from a leader in your company:

1. Navigate to 1-on-1 > People Analyzer.
2. Click the ellipsis on the far right of the team member's row.
3. Click Invite user to review.
4. Select one or more users from the User dropdown to receive a private To-Do to perform a People Analyzer review. Then, click Invite.

Using the People Analyzer® in Ninety

Ninety's updated People Analyzer brings this powerful EOS tool into a streamlined digital format with enhanced capabilities:

• Collaborative Multi-Person Reviews: Invite multiple users to review the same person, gathering diverse perspectives on their performance and fit. You can also evaluate multiple people in a single session, making the review process more efficient.
• Instant Results: As soon as you complete the scoring for Core Values and GWC, you'll immediately see whether the person is the right person in the right seat.
• Visual Performance Bars: See at a glance how team members measure against your company-defined thresholds through color-coded visual indicators.
• Flexible Evaluation Process: Save partially completed evaluations and return to finish them later — just like other Ninety tools, such as Quarterly Conversations.
• Historical Tracking: View past evaluations as snapshots in time, even if Core Values or seat definitions later change. This gives you valuable insight into growth and alignment trends.
• Assignment Capabilities: Assign People Analyzer evaluations as To-Dos.

Role-Based Access

Access to People Analyzer data is carefully controlled based on your role:

• Owners: Full access to create, complete, and configure evaluations; can view all completed People Analyzer reviews.
• Admins: Similar capabilities to Owners, but cannot see the reviews completed by Owners.
• Implementers: View-only access to most evaluations; can configure company-level performance bars.
• Managers: Can create and complete evaluations for direct reports; they can only see evaluations they participated in.
• Mangagees/Team Members: Can view evaluations performed on them by others.

How the People Analyzer Works

The tool uses a simple, two-part evaluation system:

Part 1: Core Values Assessment

Your team members are rated on how well they live each of your company's Core Values. These values come directly from your V/TO® (Vision/Traction Organizer®) and represent the behaviors and characteristics that define your culture.

The rating system is straightforward:

• + (Plus): They consistently exhibit this Core Value.
• +/- (Plus/Minus): Sometimes they do, sometimes they don't — they're inconsistent.
• - (Minus): Most of the time, they do not exhibit this Core Value.

Part 2: GWC™ Evaluation

GWC stands for Get It, Want It, and Capacity to Do It. This framework helps you determine if someone is suited for their specific seat:

• Get It: Do they truly understand the role and its responsibilities? Do they grasp how their job relates to and affects others? Do all the neurons connect for this position?
• Want It: Do they genuinely want to do this job? Do they wake up each day motivated to do the work? Do they demonstrate passion for it?
• Capacity: Do they have the intellectual, emotional, and physical capability—as well as the time—to do the job? This includes their education, training, and experience.

For GWC, the answer is binary: yes or no. There are no maybes. Each element must be an emphatic YES.

Multi-Seat Evaluations

If a team member occupies more than one seat in your organization, you'll need to evaluate the GWC for each seat separately to complete a People Analyzer review. While their Core Value alignment will remain the same, you'll click Review next Seat to continue evaluating their GWC before you can complete the review. This ensures a comprehensive assessment of their fit across all responsibilities.

If you're reviewing someone who sits in multiple seats, but you cannot fairly assess whether they GWC one or more of their seats, collaborate with another leader who can and complete the People Analyzer together.

Setting The Bar

EOS teaches that every organization needs to establish "The Bar" — the minimum acceptable standard for determining if someone is the right person in the right seat.

For Core Values: If your company has five Core Values, the EOS recommended Bar is any combination of three "plus" ratings and two "plus/minus" ratings, with no "minus" ratings.

For GWC: EOS recommends that The Bar be three emphatic yeses.

When someone meets or exceeds The Bar for both Core Values and GWC, they're the right person in the right seat.

How to Set The Bar

Users with Owner or Admin permissions can set The Bar for the company. Here's how:

1. Navigate to the People Analyzer in Ninety. Click 1-on-1 from the left navigation. Then, click the The People Analyzer® tab at the top of the page.
2. Access the People Analyzer Settings. Click the gear icon on the far right of the filters bar.
3. Select your bar for the company's Core Values. At the top of the settings panel, select the number of minuses ("-") and plus/minuses ("+/-") you'll accept using the corresponding dropdowns.

The Four People Scenarios

The People Analyzer reveals one of four possible outcomes for each team member:

1. 🟩 Right Person, Right Seat: They embody your Core Values AND GWC their seat—these are your Great People
2. 🟨 Right Person, Wrong Seat: They fit your culture but aren't suited for their current role
3. 🟨 Wrong Person, Right Seat: They excel at the job but don't align with your Core Values
4. 🟥 Wrong Person, Wrong Seat: They neither fit your culture nor excel in their role

These clear categories help leadership teams identify where coaching, role changes, or other interventions are needed.

When to Use the People Analyzer

While you can use the People Analyzer anytime in Ninety, it's particularly impactful during:

• Quarterly Conversations: These regular check-ins provide a natural opportunity to evaluate team members against Core Values and GWC, ensuring consistent feedback and development.
• IDS® (Identify, Discuss, Solve) Sessions: When working through Issues, the People Analyzer helps quickly identify whether people challenges are at the root of the problem.
• Vision Building Days: During organizational planning, leadership teams can evaluate whether departmental team members fit Core Values and GWC their seats.
• Hiring Decisions: Use the framework to ensure new hires will be the Right Person for your culture and the right peoplefor the role.

The Impact of Getting People Right

When you use the People Analyzer to ensure you have the right people in the right seats, the impact on your organization can be transformational. You'll build teams where:

• People genuinely fit your culture and embody your Core Values.
• Employees are in roles that match their innate talents and skills.
• Team members are passionate about their work and excel at it.
• Leadership time is spent developing great people rather than managing poor fits.

Common Challenges and Solutions

Implementing the People Analyzer can reveal uncomfortable truths — you might discover team members in the wrong seats or people who don't embody your Core Values. These are challenging Issues to solve, but identifying them is the first step toward building a healthier organization.

For team members below The Bar:

• Schedule one-on-one time to discuss specific areas for improvement.
• Consider whether a different seat might be a better fit for them.
• Provide clear expectations and a timeframe for improvement.
• Remember: being the wrong person doesn't mean they're a bad person.