One of our best projects of 2009 was a full 360 feedback process for a law firm.  We worked with a consultant to the firm and helped end-to-end from design of the questionnaire through an on-line solution to debriefs and finally to present overall findings to the department heads.

During the project, the two sponsors within the firm had to take key decisions on how to implement the 360 feedback.  I saw a key decision as "do we need someone (external) to debrief the report with each recipient?".  This was certainly a big budgetary decision but it also required thought around what was the purpose of the 360.

The sponsors went for external debriefing which we then provided together with the consultant.  I know they made the correct decision.  The people involved in the 360 were all senior, many were unused to the process, many had never had feedback on their behaviours in this way before, and they all had great potential.  The feedback sessions were nearly all challenging as the partners worked hard to understand the feedback and the implications.  The client extracted amazing value out of the 360 by following it through rather than leaving the report, debriefing, and feedback to chance.

When reviewing the budget for a 360 feedback intervention I would encourage anyone to be very careful around how they ensure the report is delivered and reviewed.  Money spent up until that point is all spent on preparing for that moment.  Getting the report delivery and feedback right is crucial.  For 360 feedback for a senior team I would wholeheartedly recommend external debriefers.  For larger 360 feedback interventions then ensure that training programmes are in place for the people debriefing the report.

Brendan