Boards today face rising expectations from regulators, investors, and stakeholders. To demonstrate accountability and effectiveness, many rely on formal performance reviews. Yet too often, these board evaluations are outdated, inconsistent, or fail to capture the board’s actual impact.
This board evaluation template solves those challenges with a structured, practical framework to assess governance, collaboration, risk oversight, and decision-making. Designed for real-world use, it moves evaluations beyond generic checklists and delivers actionable insights.
Why board evaluation matters
Regular board assessments are essential for trust, transparency, and strategic alignment. When done well, they highlight strengths, expose weaknesses, and foster a culture of accountability.
Recent PwC research shows significant gaps in board effectiveness:
- 49% of directors believe at least one board member should be replaced
- 16% say their peers hesitate to challenge management
- 15% feel some directors overstep their roles
- Only 52% rate their evaluations as effective
This board performance evaluation template helps organizations replace subjective impressions with data-driven insights and actionable outcomes.
What’s inside the board evaluation template?
The resource provides a ready-to-use structure that covers all critical aspects of board performance evaluation:
- Editable and fully customizable board evaluation form available in both PDF and spreadsheet formats
- Questionnaire-style survey with Likert-scale questions and open-ended responses for balanced feedback
- Core assessment areas, including board composition, decision-making, accountability, transparency, collaboration, and risk oversight
- Action plan section to convert insights into measurable improvements
- Guidance on using a board portal to streamline evaluations with secure document sharing, task tracking, and real-time dashboards
Who is it for?
This board of directors evaluation template is designed for governance professionals and advisors who need structured, reliable reviews, including:
- Corporate secretaries and governance officers
- Board chairs and committee leaders
- Executive assistants supporting directors
- Consultants conducting board evaluations and independent reviews
How to use this board evaluation form
With this template, the board assessment process becomes structured and efficient:
- Distribute the survey to all board members, digitally or in print
- Set clear timeframes for board members to complete responses
- Collect both quantitative ratings and open-ended comments
- Compile results into a board evaluation report for structured discussion
- Review findings during annual or mid-year assessments
- Use the action plan framework to assign follow-ups and track progress
This ensures your board performance evaluation template produces measurable results rather than static reports.
Download the board of directors evaluation template
With this board evaluation tool, your organization can:
- Strengthen governance with data-backed insights
- Encourage open, transparent, and consistent feedback
- Adapt the template easily in PDF or spreadsheet versions
- Translate results into action plans that are trackable and reportable
Build a more accountable, high-performing board using a tested board assessment template.