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The core sections of an MSP QBR
Most useful reviews follow the same order: what happened, what it means, what to decide. The table below is a starting outline. Drop sections that do not apply to a client rather than filling them with empty charts.
| Section | What it covers | Who in the client cares most | Where the data comes from |
|---|---|---|---|
| Executive summary | Three to five sentences: the quarter in brief, the biggest risk and the decisions needed | Owner, managing director | Written by the account manager or vCIO |
| Last quarter's commitments | Each agreed action, its owner and whether it is done, deferred or blocked | Everyone | Notes from the previous review |
| Service summary | Tickets opened and closed, open backlog, recurring issues and what is being done about them, satisfaction feedback | Office manager, operations | PSA, surveys |
| Security and backup | Security alerts and how they were handled, backup success, Microsoft 365 security settings, open security risks | Owner, insurer contact | Security tools, backup, Microsoft 365 |
| Devices and lifecycle | Device count, devices out of warranty or due for replacement, devices that have stopped checking in | Finance, operations | RMM, warranty data |
| Compliance and training | Checks passed and failed against the agreed standard, staff training completion, open remediation items | Owner, compliance lead | Compliance records, training platform |
| Licences | Licences owned against licences used, upcoming renewals | Finance | Microsoft 365, PSA |
| Budget | Spend against budget, upcoming costs, forecast changes | Finance, owner | Budget, PSA invoices |
| Roadmap | Planned projects and upgrades by quarter, with cost and status | Owner, finance | Roadmap or planning tool |
| Decisions and next steps | Recommendations to approve, defer or reject, each with an owner and date | Decision-makers | Prepared before the meeting, confirmed in it |
Section by section: what good looks like
Executive summary
Write it last and put it first. Name the one or two things that most affect the business, in plain language. "Six laptops fall out of warranty before March, and replacing them is in the budget" is more useful than "Device health: 87%".
Commitments and follow-through
List every action agreed at the last review with its current status. Include the ones that slipped and say why. This section is where clients judge whether the review process works.
Service results
Show trends, not just totals. Explain what drove the volume, which issues keep coming back and what you are doing to stop them. A rising ticket count can mean more staff or a new system, not worse service, so give the context.
Security, backup and compliance
Report status in terms the client understands: "every device is backing up successfully", "two staff members have not finished security training", "one check required by your insurer is failing, and here is the fix". Avoid tool names and scores without explanation. If you measure against a framework such as the CIS Controls, say what the result means rather than quoting control numbers. Showing compliance status covers this in more depth.
Devices, licences and budget
Connect lifecycle data to money. Devices due for replacement and licence renewals should appear as budget lines with dates. The IT budget planning guide covers how to lay out a budget clients can follow.
Roadmap and decisions
Show the next four quarters at most, with cost and status on each item. Then list the decisions you need today. Each recommendation should state what, why, cost, owner and timing. Approved items move to the technology roadmap.
What to leave out of a QBR
- Raw ticket lists. Put them in an appendix if a client asks for them.
- Internal metrics. Technician utilisation, margins, effective hourly rate and internal health scores help your team decide where to focus, but they are not the client's concern.
- Charts without a takeaway. If you cannot say in one sentence why a chart matters, cut it.
- Unexplained jargon. Translate tool names and acronyms into what they mean for the client's staff and business.
- Surprises. Bad news the client hears for the first time in a group meeting erodes trust. Raise urgent issues before the review.
Adjusting the QBR for different clients
A ten-person office may need a fifteen-minute review covering service, security, devices and two decisions. A larger client with several locations may need a section per site and a combined summary for leadership. Clients in regulated industries need more time on compliance evidence. Keep the order the same so each review is easy to compare with the last, and change the depth, not the structure.
How MSPortal structures a QBR
In MSPortal's reporting module, a full report lets you choose a report type such as a QBR, then keep, require or exclude each built-in section and reorder the outline. You can add custom sections with your own title and writing goals, for example a section on a client's plan to open a second office, and save the outline as a template for other clients or scheduled reports. AI drafts each section from the sources you select, cites them and lists gaps. Your team reviews the draft before publishing it to the client's portal.
Block reports cover the same ground with blocks such as Ticket Open/Close Summary, Compliance Score Overview, Device Warranties, Quarterly Roadmap, Budget Detail and satisfaction trends. For a parent company, a report can cover the parent alone, merge every location or give each location its own section. Section options are described in the reporting guide, and the vCIO tools page shows how the roadmap and budget link to the review. You can scroll through a sample client review to see the sections in order.
Related questions
What is the most important part of a QBR?
The decisions and next steps. A review that ends with clear recommendations, each with an owner, a cost and a date, gives the client something to act on. Service and security results matter mainly because they explain why those recommendations are needed.
Should a QBR include ticket data?
Yes, but as a short trend with an explanation, not a list. Show volume over time, the issues that keep recurring and what you are doing about them. Put detailed ticket lists in an appendix for clients who want them.
Should an MSP QBR include a budget?
Yes, for any client with planned spending. Show spend against the agreed budget, upcoming renewals and replacement costs, and the cost of each recommendation. Linking recommendations to budget lines makes it easier for the client to approve them.
How is a QBR different from a monthly report?
A monthly report shows what happened and is mostly read on its own. A QBR is a meeting built around decisions: it interprets the quarter, updates the roadmap and budget and asks the client to approve next steps.