360 review software collects feedback about an employee from the people around them, peers, direct reports, the manager and sometimes customers, and presents it alongside the self-appraisal so the review is written from more than one view. In an enterprise it is a programme of its own, with anonymity thresholds, competency models and a consultant. In a company of ten to two hundred it is an input to the same appraisal cycle everything else on this site describes, and 360 degree feedback software should be judged on how well it feeds that cycle rather than on how much it can do apart from it. This page sets out what the software collects, how the feedback reaches the rating and what to look for at small scale.
What 360 feedback software collects, and from whom
A short set of questions, the same for every rater, answered by a handful of people the employee works with and by the employee about themselves. Ratings on a scale and free comments, usually anonymised below a threshold so a direct report can be honest. 360 assessment software adds the logistics: choosing raters, sending reminders, closing the window, aggregating the answers by rater group. The output is a picture of how the employee is seen by peers, by reports and by their manager, next to how they see themselves, which is the useful part and the part the appraisal conversation should start from.
How it feeds the appraisal
The feedback is an input, not a rating. The manager reads it beside the self-appraisal and their own observations, writes the rating against the objectives, and uses the 360 picture to explain the comments and shape the development plan. 360 evaluation software that produces its own score and calls it the rating has confused the input with the outcome, and a small company that adopts that score inherits every rater's grudge. The self-appraisal worksheet on this site is where the employee's own view is worked; the 360 sits beside it in the conversation.
What a small company needs from it
A short questionnaire, a rater set of four to eight, anonymity where reports rate managers, a window that closes on time and a summary that reaches the manager before the review. The best 360 degree feedback software for that size is the one that does those five things without a consultant; 360 performance review software built for the enterprise adds competency libraries and analytics the small company will pay for and not use. The employee appraisal software guide on this site sets published pricing beside a small headcount. Reviewvo Pro keeps the 360 summary against the employee's cycle record with the self-appraisal, the rating and the outcome.
Questions people ask about 360 review software
What is 360 review software?
Software that collects structured feedback about an employee from peers, direct reports and their manager, alongside a self-assessment, and summarises it by rater group as an input to the performance review.
Should 360 feedback decide the performance rating?
No. The manager rates against the objectives; the 360 feedback explains the comments and shapes the development plan. A tool that turns 360 scores into the rating has confused the input with the outcome.
How many raters does a 360 need in a small company?
Four to eight who work with the person regularly, with anonymity below a threshold where reports rate managers. Fewer than four and the feedback identifies its author; more than eight and the reminders outlast the window.