A quarterly business review is the customer’s meeting, not yours. The deck should prove the value they got, surface problems honestly, and end with decisions.
A structure that works
- Their goals — what they told you they wanted this year, in their words.
- The quarter at a glance — three numbers that show progress against those goals.
- Usage — who uses it, how much, and the trend.
- Wins — two or three concrete outcomes, ideally with a quote from their team.
- Open issues — what isn’t working yet, and what you’re doing about it.
- Next quarter — the plan, tied back to their goals.
- Decisions and next steps — what you need from them, with owners and dates.
Do’s and don’ts
- Do use their metrics, not yours. “Hours saved” beats “features shipped”.
- Do bring bad news yourself. Trust grows when problems come from you first.
- Don’t spend a slide on your roadmap unless it answers one of their issues.
- Don’t end on “Questions?”. End on the decisions you need.
Try this prompt
A QBR for Halcyon Logistics: their goals for the year, this quarter at a glance, usage, wins, open issues, next quarter's plan, and the decisions we need. For their ops leadership. Direct and honest.
halcyon-usage.pdf
