Appraisal of academic staff is now a formal part of university procedures. Prior to its introduction there was much exhortation as to the beneficial effects appraisal would bring, and equally forceful arguments about the harmful effects of imposing it as a means of exercising tighter managerial control. The paper presents the findings of an investigation of the academic appraisal programme in the University of Ulster. Consideration of two forms of appraisal, manageralist and developmental, with their associated perspectives on the nature of professional practice, its assessment and improvement, provide the context within which the University of Ulster's programme can be considered. The evidence reveals inconsistency, tension and uncertainty about the programme and its effects: the reader is invited to judge the virtues of the different perspectives and the degree to which the programme's intents and operations meet, or fit, with any of them.