When it comes to supplier relationships, Quarterly Business Reviews (QBRs) should be one of the simplest levers companies have available to support business retention and growth. When they work effectively, they can align people, support decision making and create momentum. When they do not, they can often become a backward-looking report, with vague follow up actions. The shift is practical, not philosophical.
A QBR when built on four elements - the foundation, the data, the relationships, and the outcomes – can become a key part of supplier governance rather than a mere calendar slot.
Foundation: results are planned before the meeting
Great QBRs are achieved in the preparation. Share a clear agenda, confirm the key issues to be decided and circulate the materials early, so people arrive informed. Curate the room deliberately by inviting the right people for the moment. If invoices are slowing the relationship, invite the Accounts Payable lead. If a policy change is blocking delivery, bring the person who can change it. Plus, it’s often valuable to provide an overview of the broader market context, so the conversation is anchored in what is changing outside your contract, not just inside it.
Key steps:
- Share agenda and pre-read in advance
- Circulate last quarter’s actions and owners, so the session is not a recap
- Provide an overview of the broader market context, including any additional supplier or regulatory considerations
- Confirm who is attending the meeting and why their contribution will be valuable
Data: should inform the conversation, not become it
Data should fuel judgement. Assume the pre-reading has been done, then use the meeting to discuss exceptions and choices.
AI can help here by transcribing meetings, summarising trends and sentiment, and compiling an overview of related news items and filings. The point is not to make AI the topic - it’s to provide participants with the information needed to ensure the meeting is focused and impactful.
Key steps:
- Take 5-minutes for KPIs, the rest lives in the pre-read
- If appropriate and agreed by the participants, use AI to support with preparation, meeting transcripts and summaries
- Ask for views, options and potential risks, not just history
- Capture “decision, owner & deadline” live in the meeting
Relationships: invite problem-solvers, not passengers
Trust grows when progress is visible to the people who can enact change. Bring experts for each agenda item, e.g. engineers for a reliability issue, analysts for a trend you cannot explain, a behavioural specialist when adoption is the problem, the empathetic operator when a site needs support...
Diversity of skills and thinking can often produce better options and faster decisions.
Key steps:
- Name the expert next to each agenda line
- Mix analytical and empathetic voices to suit the problem
- Track time-to-decision and cycle times quarter on quarter to ensure consistency and enable comparisons
Outcomes: keep momentum between meetings
Close the QBR with a summary of the key decisions, action owners and deadlines, then keep the loop tight between reviews. Beyond KPIs and Service Level Agreements, be clear about the focus areas for the next quarter and assess progress against these areas during the next meeting.
It’s also important to take the time to recognise results and key deliverables when they are achieved by sharing a short update with sponsors and adjacent teams, so success travels and support builds for the next change.
Key steps:
- Log actions, owners and deadlines
- Agree key focus areas for the coming quarter and monitor progress
- Send an executive summary within 24 hours
- Amplify wins in relevant internal updates and client-approved case studies between meetings
Final thoughts: 5 ideas for the quarter ahead
- Publish your QBR standard including the agenda format, pre-read rules, and outcome expectations
- Keep the meeting KPI review to five minutes (share full details in advance as a pre-read)
- Invite the right people to the meeting & assign an expert for each agenda item
- If appropriate and agreed by all participants, draw on the use AI to transcribe the meeting and provide a clear summary of actions & outcomes
- Share next steps and a summary of the meeting within 24 hours
These actions should help contribute to a more effective QBR process and ultimately better business outcomes.
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This piece is based on Amanda's keynote speech from Clientshare's 'Beyond the Review' event 2025.
