Annotations let you add context to a person's timeline that delivery metrics alone don't show, onboarding, an incident, a role change, or anything else that explains a change in output. Each annotation has a date range and a short message, and it shows up wherever that person's work appears: their report, the Contributors table, and charts.
What annotations are for
Metrics tell you what happened; annotations tell you why. A quiet week is read very differently when the timeline says "On-call rotation, two Sev-1 incidents". Annotations keep that context next to the data instead of in someone's memory.
An annotation is made of:
a start date and end date (the end date is inclusive; use the same date twice for a single day)
a short message describing the event
Two ways annotations can work in your organization
Who writes annotations depends on an organization-level setting chosen by your workspace admin:
Manager-authored: managers (and admins) add annotations for the people in their reporting line from Contributors → select the teammate → Annotations tab. Individual contributors see those annotations on their own Annotations page and on their charts, but cannot add or edit them.
IC-authored (default): individual contributors add annotations about themselves from the Annotations page in the left menu. Managers see them on the teammate's report (Annotations tab), in the Contributors table and on charts, and can also add their own.
In both setups annotations appear on charts for managers and ICs alike, and can be exported from the Contributors page. If you are not sure which setup applies to you, ask your workspace admin.
Where to find annotations
Annotations tab on a person's report (Contributors → select the person → Annotations): the full list for that person, with dates, message, and who added it. Annotations overlapping the selected period are highlighted.
Annotations in the left menu: the same view for individual contributors looking at their own timeline.
Contributors table: an Annotations column showing how many annotations overlap the selected period, with a preview on hover, plus a Has annotation / No annotation filter. Use Export on the Contributors page to download the table, annotations included.
Charts: a marker icon appears on the weeks an annotation overlaps, and the message shows in the chart tooltip.
Who can add or edit annotations
Directors: can add, edit, and delete annotations for anyone in the workspace.
Managers: can add, edit, and delete annotations for anyone in their reporting line.
Individual contributors: can add annotations on themselves, and edit or delete the ones they created, when IC annotations are enabled for the organization.
Turning IC annotations on or off
Whether individual contributors can annotate their own timeline is an organization-level setting. It is on by default. When it is turned off, annotations become manager-authored only: ICs can still see the annotations on their Annotations page and charts, but only admins and managers can create, edit, or delete them. Only a workspace admin can change this setting; ask them to confirm how it is configured for your organization.
Tips
Keep messages short and factual, they are read at a glance in tooltips and table previews.
Annotate the whole period an event covers, not just the day it started, so charts mark every affected week.
Add annotations as things happen; they are most useful when reviewing a period weeks later.