anonymous writes: "...and I'd assume that there will be a mandated number of "fails" per group...
What I learned from the 2015 (my only full year) Focal process is that the only thing that matters is the rating that you get and not the verbiage.
When my manager told me that she was giving me a Successful/SL4 "because I am new" (and wasn't going to change it), I made sure that my accomplishments for the year were well represented on the Focal form (e.g. achieved 100% of all individual and team MBOs and stretch goals, quotes from customers about the quality of my work, etc.).
None of this matters when it's an HR algorithm that swings the axe."
ARM, as we speak, is swinging the axe... Ruthlessly ;-)!