MSP Quarterly Business Review (QBR) Checklist Template

What the MSP QBR Checklist Covers

1. 1
   Phase 1

   Phase 1: Schedule & Gather Input

   4 tasks

   Start three to four weeks before the meeting. The questionnaire answers shape everything that follows.

   • Book the QBR with the decision-maker — the owner, managing director or finance lead, not only the day-to-day contact
   • Send the pre-meeting questionnaire — business changes, hiring plans, new sites or systems, frustrations and upcoming contracts or audits
   • Pull the quarter’s monthly reports — the last three reports and the open recommendation log
   • Review the account internally — agreement scope, renewal date, profitability and any open complaints or unpaid invoices
2. 2
   Phase 2

   Phase 2: Analyse the Quarter

   4 tasks

   • Summarise service performance — SLA results, ticket trends and the top issue categories, in one slide
   • Summarise security posture — patching, EDR coverage, backup results, MFA coverage and any incidents, compared with last quarter
   • Review asset lifecycle — hardware leaving warranty and operating systems reaching end of support in the next 12 months
   • Identify what improved and what got worse — and the reason for each
3. 3
   Phase 3

   Phase 3: Build the Roadmap & Budget

   4 tasks

   Assign this phase to the vCIO. It is the part of the QBR the client can’t get from a report.

   • Update the technology roadmap — the next 12 to 36 months, linked to the business changes from the questionnaire
   • Prioritise recommendations by risk and business impact — rate each one red, amber or green
   • Price each recommendation — a budget estimate and a suggested quarter, aligned to the client’s budget cycle
   • Check against your technology standards — note where the client is out of alignment and what it would take to fix
4. 4
   Phase 4

   Phase 4: Internal Pre-Brief

   4 tasks

   • Review the deck internally — lead with business outcomes, remove jargon and cut anything that doesn’t need a decision or a conversation
   • Agree the decisions you need — the two or three approvals you want the client to give in the meeting
   • Agree how to handle account risks — unhappy users, billing disputes or signs the client is talking to another provider
   • Confirm attendees and roles — who presents, who takes notes and who answers technical questions
5. 5
   Phase 5

   Phase 5: Run the QBR

   5 tasks

   • Recap last quarter’s actions — what was agreed, what was done and what is still open
   • Ask about the business first — review the questionnaire answers and any changes since
   • Present performance and security posture — one slide each, with exceptions explained
   • Walk through the roadmap and budget — recommendations in priority order, with the cost and the risk of doing nothing
   • Record decisions — approved, deferred and declined recommendations, with the client’s reason for each
6. 6
   Phase 6

   Phase 6: Follow Up

   4 tasks

   • Send the meeting summary within two working days — decisions, actions, owners and dates
   • Raise quotes and projects for approved work — in the PSA, with the client’s approval recorded
   • Record declined recommendations as accepted risks — with the client’s name and the date
   • Update the roadmap and recommendation log — and book the next QBR
7. 7
   Phase 7 — Renewal Due

   Phase 7: Renewal Preparation

   4 tasks

   Shown only when the agreement renews within six months. Conditional logic keeps it out of the other QBRs.

   • Compare agreement scope with actual usage — users, devices, sites and services against what the agreement covers
   • Review account profitability — effective hourly rate, project margin and time spent outside scope
   • Prepare the renewal proposal — scope changes, pricing and any new services, approved internally
   • Agree the renewal conversation — at the QBR or in a separate meeting, and who leads it