360 Reviews #3: Preparation and implementation: how to do it right

Once you know what you want to evaluate and who will be providing feedback, the most difficult part begins: implementation.

This is where it will be decided whether your project succeeds — or becomes just another “HR initiative” everyone forgets about in six months. The key is careful preparation and, above all, gaining the trust of people in your organization.

Start strategically, not tactically

The most common mistake I see is focusing on technical details without thinking strategically. HR managers often start with questions like: “What software should we use? How long should the questionnaire be?”
But that’s the wrong place to begin.

Define a clear purpose

Imagine you’re looking back a year from now, evaluating the success of your 360-degree feedback process. What would need to be different for you to say, “It worked”?
Do you want your managers to communicate better? Reduce team turnover? Improve cross-department collaboration?

Pro tip: A clear goal is the foundation of success. Organizations that implement 360-degree feedback simply because “everyone else is doing it” often fail.
Successful implementations start with a specific objective — for example, “We want our team leads to become better people managers.”
Then the entire process is tailored to that goal — from selecting competencies to designing follow-up development activities.

Get leadership buy-in — and I mean real buy-in

You might think: “Sure, leadership support — that’s a cliché from every HR article.”
But with 360-degree feedback, it’s truly critical. It’s not just about approving the budget. You need leadership to:

• Understand the purpose and expected benefits

• Actively communicate the importance of the process

• Lead by example (ideally, participate themselves)

• Support the resulting development activities

Pro tip: A formal “yes” from leadership is not enough.
If the CEO says, “Yes, let’s do it,” but then doesn’t participate and never talks about it publicly, employees will quickly realize it’s not a real priority.

The project will fizzle out — no matter how well it’s planned.
Leadership must actively demonstrate the importance of the process: by participating personally, communicating about it regularly, asking about results, and supporting the follow-up actions.
Visible support is just as important as budget allocation.

Communication, communication, communication

If you remember just one thing from this section, let it be this: communication is everything.
People are naturally nervous about 360-degree feedback.
They fear it’s a “witch hunt,” that they’ll be punished for negative feedback, or that it will be used against them.

What to communicate and how

Your communication needs to be clear, honest, and repeated.
Key messages include:

• Why we’re doing this:
  “We want to support the development of key people and help them become better leaders.”

• What it means for employees:
  “You’ll receive valuable feedback to help you grow. This is not a performance evaluation used for rewards or punishment.”

• How anonymity is ensured:
  “All responses except those from your manager will be anonymous. Individual comments will be seen only by you and your coach.”

• What happens with the results:
  “We will create an individual development plan together. The results will not be used to make decisions about salary or promotions.”

Pro tip: Invest in information sessions.
Organize briefings or presentations for all involved to explain the process, answer questions, and — most importantly — let people know who they can contact with concerns.
Transparency and open communication are the foundation of trust.
In fact, these sessions often determine whether people see the process as helpful or just another “HR initiative.”

Creating the evaluation tool

Now comes the “technical” part — building the questionnaire.
It might seem straightforward, but designing a high-quality questionnaire is an art.
It must be detailed enough to provide valuable data, but short enough not to discourage reviewers.

Structure of an effective questionnaire

A proven structure looks like this:

• Intro (5 minutes reading):
  Explains the purpose, emphasizes anonymity, gives an estimated completion time (usually 20–25 minutes), and provides contact info for support.

• Scaled questions (15 minutes):
  For each competency, 3–5 specific behavioral items rated on a 5-point scale (Never – Rarely – Sometimes – Often – Always), with an option for “Cannot assess.”

• Open-ended questions (5–10 minutes):
  3–4 qualitative questions such as “What are this person’s greatest strengths?” or “In what areas could they improve the most?”

Example of a well-written scaled question:
Instead of “Is a good communicator,” ask:
“Listens to others without interrupting” or “Gives clear and understandable instructions.”

Choosing and preparing reviewers

You might be surprised, but the quality of feedback depends less on who you select as reviewers and more on how you prepare them.
Even the best-chosen person can give useless feedback if they don’t know how to do it well.

Reviewer selection criteria

Reviewers should:

• Know the person for at least 6 months

• Work with them regularly

• Have observed their behavior in relevant contexts

• Be capable of giving honest and constructive feedback

Reviewer training – the most critical step

This is where most projects fail.
People know how to evaluate, but not how to provide quality feedback.

Effective training should cover:

• Basics of constructive feedback:
  Focus on behavior, not personality. Instead of “John is arrogant,” say “John frequently interrupts others during meetings.”

• SBI method: Situation–Behavior–Impact
  “During Monday’s meeting (situation), you interrupted Maria three times (behavior), which made it seem like her opinion didn’t matter (impact).”

• Avoiding common mistakes:

  • Halo effect (one strong trait influences all ratings)

  • Leniency/severity bias or tendency to give only average ratings

  • Recency bias (rating based on recent events)

Pro tip:
Training pays off tenfold.
Organizations that skip this step often get vague feedback like “he’s okay” or “should communicate more.”
Proper training teaches reviewers to give specific, behavior-based feedback with real examples.
The difference in data quality between trained and untrained reviewers is huge.

Timeline – expectations vs. reality

A common pitfall is underestimating the time needed.
Quality 360-degree feedback is a marathon, not a sprint.

A realistic timeline might look like this:

• Preparation phase (4–6 weeks):
  Define goals, select competencies, design the questionnaire, plan communication, train admins

• Communication & training (1–2 weeks):
  Inform employees, train reviewers, answer questions

• Data collection (3–4 weeks):
  Distribute questionnaires, monitor progress, send reminders

• Analysis & feedback (3–4 weeks):
  Generate reports, conduct individual feedback sessions

• Development plans (ongoing):
  Create and implement personalized development plans

Pro tip:
Don’t rush the timeline.
Trying to complete the entire 360 process in 2 months often leads to chaos.
People are confused, feedback is shallow, and the whole thing feels unprofessional.
A realistic timeline — often double your original estimate — allows space for quality preparation, training, and reflection. It’s better to delay than to do it badly.