Quarterly Growth Reviews: How to Keep Your Strategy Aligned

Most MSPs plan for growth once a year, then spend the next 12 months reacting. Deals stall, renewals get missed, and meetings turn into status updates instead of strategy sessions.

A Quarterly Growth Review (QGR) fixes that. It’s not another meeting — it’s your checkpoint for turning data into direction. QGRs keep sales, service, and finance aligned around one goal: building a predictable, profitable revenue engine.

Empellor CRM’s MSP Revenue Flywheel research shows that MSPs who review growth performance every quarter grow 35 percent faster than those that only do annual planning. The difference is simple: consistency.

This guide shows how to run QGRs that actually move the needle — with the right agenda, KPIs, and tools to keep your team focused and accountable all year.

Quick Takeaway — The MSP QGR 

A Quarterly Growth Review (QGR) is a data-driven meeting that aligns your MSP’s sales, service, and finance teams around shared revenue goals each quarter. It isn’t a slide recap or a performance check-in. It’s a structured 90–120-minute meeting that aligns pipeline, renewals, delivery, and finance around measurable outcomes.

Use a standard agenda, scorecard, and action tracker to:

• Catch renewal leaks before they happen
  
• Keep quoting high velocity with CPQ data
  
• Connect service metrics to revenue.
  
• Turn your CRM into a proper growth system.
  

For most MSPs, the QGR becomes the heartbeat of the business — your built-in rhythm for refining strategy, assigning ownership, and tracking real progress.

 

Why MSPs Need QGRs 

Most MSPs hold “status meetings” that feel productive but don’t change outcomes. Everyone reports numbers, few make decisions, and nothing actually improves before the next quarter.

A Quarterly Growth Review (QGR) flips that script. It’s not about updates — it’s about alignment.

Commoditization, missed renewals, and slow quoting are the silent killers of MSP growth. QGRs bring sales, service, and finance together to fix those problems before they become costly.

Here’s what makes a QGR different:

• It focuses on causes, not just results. If pipeline velocity drops, you pinpoint why.
  
• It drives cross-functional action — sales owns follow-ups, service owns retention, finance owns margin accuracy.
  
• It turns your CRM into a growth engine, not just a database. Every KPI, dashboard, and workflow supports a measurable goal.
  

Empellor CRM’s research found that MSPs using structured QGRs experience 28% faster sales cycles and a sharp reduction in missed renewals within 6 months.

When your entire revenue team meets quarterly around data, decisions, and ownership, growth stops being random and becomes intentional.

 

Anatomy of a High-Impact QGR (90–120 Minutes)

A great QGR runs like a strategy sprint — short, focused, and actionable. Every agenda item connects to a measurable result. The goal isn’t discussion; it’s direction.

Here’s a proven 6-part structure that keeps your team aligned and your growth engine running smoothly.

Segment 1 — Outcomes and Health (20 minutes)

Start with a KPI flash in Power BI:

• MRR, Net Revenue Retention, Churn, Pipeline Velocity, Quote-to-Close Time, and Gross Margin.
  

Use a red-yellow-green dashboard to show what’s off track and why in one sentence per metric. This sets context for the rest of the meeting.

Segment 2 — Pipeline and Conversion (20 minutes)

Review top-of-funnel activity and progress in demand generation. Use CRM data to check:

• Stage aging
  
• Follow-up compliance
  
• Proposal turnaround speed
  

Assign owners to stalled deals and set a clear SLA — for example, proposals must go out within 48 hours using Experlogix CPQ.

Segment 3 — Renewals and Expansion (20 minutes)

Pull your 90-day renewal radar from Work 365 and confirm that QBRs or renewal meetings are scheduled.

Turn client health signals into new opportunities:

• Automate upsell and cross-sell creation when satisfaction or utilization drops.
  
• Use the QGR to flag at-risk accounts early.
  

Segment 4 — Delivery to Revenue (15 minutes)

Tie service performance directly to revenue impact:

• Ticket SLAs and backlog
  
• CSAT or NPS trends
  
• Project burn rate and margin
  

Identify which issues affect client retention or expansion potential.

Segment 5 — Forecast and Cash (15 minutes)

Review your 120-day weighted forecast. Use Power BI to show:

• ARR and MRR bridge
  
• Capacity and hiring needs
  
• Pipeline coverage and conversion targets
  

This ensures financial and operational alignment for the next quarter.

Segment 6 — Decisions and Commitments (10–20 minutes)

Close with three to five quarterly bets — high-impact actions tied to KPIs.
Each decision should include:

• Owner
  
• Due date
  
• Metric
  
• Tool or system used
  

Publish all commitments in your CRM or project hub, and automate accountability reminders.

Takeaway: A QGR isn’t about slides — it’s about solving real growth problems in 120 minutes or less.

 

The QGR Scorecard -What to Measure Every Quarter

A QGR without a scorecard is just another meeting. The scorecard is your single source of truth — the set of numbers that tells you if your MSP’s growth engine is working.

Your QGR should track both performance KPIs (what happened) and predictive KPIs (what’s about to happen). Use Dynamics 365 as the system of record and Power BI to visualize the results.

Revenue Engine KPIs to Review Every Quarter

• Monthly Recurring Revenue (MRR)
  
• Net Revenue Retention (NRR)
  
• Logo Churn Rate
  
• Expansion MRR (upsells and cross-sells)
  
• Pipeline Coverage (3–4× target)
  
• Win Rate
  
• Average Sales Cycle Length
  
• Quote Accuracy and Margin
  
• Renewal On-Time Percentage
  
• SLA Attainment and Ticket Response
  
• Customer Satisfaction (CSAT) or NPS
  

These KPIs form the foundation of your MSP Growth Flywheel. Each one connects directly to a process in your CRM — quoting, forecasting, billing, or service delivery — making it easy to assign ownership and track improvement.

Snippet-ready block:
Top 10 KPIs for MSP Quarterly Growth Reviews

1. MRR
   
2. Net Revenue Retention
   
3. Churn Rate
   
4. Pipeline Coverage
   
5. Win Rate
   
6. Quote Accuracy
   
7. Renewal On-Time %
   
8. Gross Margin
   
9. SLA Attainment
   
10. Customer Satisfaction

Avoid the spreadsheet trap — it’s slow, error-prone, and invisible between meetings. Power BI dashboards keep everyone honest and decisions grounded in data, not opinions.

Tooling That Makes QGRs Frictionless (MSP Stack)

The right tools make QGRs easy to run and hard to skip. Your goal is to pull all data — sales, renewals, projects, and finance — into one connected view.

Here’s the MSP tech stack that powers a smooth, insight-driven QGR.

Dynamics 365 Sales, Service, and Project Operations

This is your system of record. It tracks every opportunity, ticket, and project in one place, giving your QGR team visibility from pipeline to delivery.

• Sales: pipeline velocity, quote-to-close, win rate
  
• Service: SLA, CSAT, escalation trends
  
• Projects: margin, burn rate, delivery timelines
  

Work 365 for Billing and Renewals

Work 365 automates recurring billing and renewals so your QGRs never start with surprises.

• Generates renewal alerts and 90-day radars automatically
  
• Tracks expansion and subscription changes in real time
  
• Reduces manual tracking and missed revenue
  

Experlogix CPQ for Quoting and Proposals

CPQ eliminates manual quoting errors and speeds up approvals.

• Prebuilt product bundles and discount rules
• SOW and proposal automation inside Dynamics 365
• Metrics: quote accuracy, margin per deal, approval time

Power BI for KPIs and Forecasting

Your QGR’s command center. Power BI brings MRR, churn, and margin data together across departments.

• Live dashboards for all stakeholders
• Forecasting and trend analysis
• Drill-downs for root cause analysis

Microsoft Copilot for AI-Driven Insight

Copilot helps summarize client accounts, highlight risk signals, and draft follow-ups after the meeting.

• Auto-generated summaries of pipeline status and client health
  
• AI-driven recommendations for next actions
  
• Saves time while improving data quality
  

Each tool plays a specific role, but together they form Empellor’s MSP Growth OS — a unified system that fuels every QGR discussion with accurate, actionable data.

Quarterly Cadence — From Planning to Proof

A QGR only works when it becomes part of your company rhythm. It’s not a meeting to plan once in a while; it’s a cycle that connects planning, execution, and accountability throughout the quarter.

Here’s the cadence that top-performing MSPs follow to make QGRs part of their growth culture.

Week −2: Prep and Data Hygiene

Refresh dashboards, update CRM records, and validate key metrics in Power BI.
Prepare a one-page pre-read with highlights, red/yellow/green statuses, and early insights.

Week −1: Functional Pre-Meetings

Hold short syncs with Sales, Customer Success, and Finance leaders.
Each group proposes actions, not just reports — what needs to change, who owns it, and what success looks like.

Week 0: The QGR

Run the full 90–120-minute meeting using the agenda from earlier.
Keep it decision-driven and tie every item back to your scorecard metrics.

Week +1: Publish and Follow Up

Post a summary of decisions, KPIs, and new commitments in your CRM or project hub.
Convert every decision into a task or opportunity and set automated reminders.

Week +6: Mid-Quarter Micro-QGR

Run a quick 30-minute check-in to review progress, update the dashboard, and adjust course.
This keeps accountability high and prevents last-minute surprises.

A consistent cadence keeps your MSP aligned, transparent, and proactive. You’re not waiting until year-end to fix problems — you’re improving every 90 days.

Pro tip: The best QGRs balance structure and agility — a repeatable format powered by real-time data.

 

Roles and RACI for a QGR That Actually Changes Outcomes

A QGR only works if everyone knows their role and what they’re responsible for. Clear accountability turns meetings into movement. Use a RACI framework — Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, Informed — to define ownership across your MSP.

Executive Sponsor

• Sets quarterly targets and priorities.
  
• Removes blockers and reinforces accountability.
  
• Reviews KPIs for overall business health.
  

Sales Lead

• Owns pipeline discipline, quoting speed, and forecast accuracy.
  
• Ensures CPQ data and CRM stages are up to date.
  
• Brings insights on win/loss trends and deal velocity.
  

Customer Success / Service Lead

• Reports on churn risk, SLA attainment, and expansion signals.
  
• Uses Work 365 and CRM data to track renewal readiness.
  
• Identifies service gaps affecting client retention.
  

Finance / RevOps Lead

• Owns MRR bridge, gross margin, and data integrity.
  
• Provides cash flow forecasts and margin analysis.
  
• Partners with sales and service to connect delivery to revenue.
  

Owner per Quarterly Bet

• Each major initiative or “bet” has one clear owner.
  
• Defines success metrics and due dates.
  
• Updates progress during mid-quarter and end-of-quarter reviews.
  

Rule: One person, one metric, one date — no committees, no blurred lines.

Adoption is everything. User training, dashboards, and change management must be part of your QGR rollout. The goal is a culture where every team knows how their data drives growth.

Templates (Steal This)

You don’t need to start from scratch. These simple templates help you stand up your first Quarterly Growth Review fast — and keep every session consistent, measurable, and repeatable.

QGR Agenda (Copy and Use)

1. Outcomes and Health – Review key KPIs: MRR, NRR, churn, pipeline velocity, margin.
   
2. Pipeline and Conversion – Check stage aging, follow-up compliance, quote-to-close times.
   
3. Renewals and Expansion – Review 90-day renewal radar and expansion opportunities.
   
4. Delivery to Revenue – Track SLA, NPS, backlog, and project profitability.
   
5. Forecast and Cash – Review next 120 days of revenue and capacity forecasts.
   
6. Decisions and Commitments – Finalize 3–5 action items with owners, deadlines, and success metrics.

QGR Scorecard Fields

 

Metric	Target	Actual	Delta	Root Cause	Action	Owner	Due Date
Monthly Recurring Revenue (MRR)	$500,000	$465,000	–7%	Missed renewals	Launch renewal automation in Work 365	Sarah	May 15
Win Rate	30%	22%	–8%	Slow proposal turnaround	Enforce 48-hour quote SLA using Experlogix CPQ	Alex	May 10

 

Decision Log Template

Decision	Rationale	Impact KPI	Owner	Due Date	Status
Launch client health scoring	Reduce churn	NRR	Jamie	May 31	In Progress
Add Power BI renewal dashboard	Improve visibility	Renewal On-Time %	Chris	May 20	Complete

 

One-Slide CEO View

Summarize your QGR on a single page for leadership and board visibility.

• Top 6 KPIs (MRR, NRR, churn, pipeline, margin, forecast accuracy)
  
• 3 Red Flags (biggest risks)
  
• 3 Decisions (what was agreed)
  
• 3 Wins (successes from last quarter)
  

This slide can be generated directly from Power BI and shared in your CRM dashboard.

Pro tip: Keep templates consistent across quarters so trends are easy to spot and teams can track improvement at a glance.

Decision Log Template

Use a decision log to make your QGR outcomes trackable and transparent. Every decision should have a clear reason, measurable impact, and an owner with a due date. This turns discussion into accountability.

 

Decision	Rationale	Impact KPI	Owner	Due Date	Status
Launch client health scoring	Reduce churn risk	Net Revenue Retention (NRR)	Jamie	May 31	In Progress
Add Power BI renewal dashboard	Improve renewal visibility	Renewal On-Time %	Chris	May 20	Complete
Standardize quote review process	Protect margin accuracy	Gross Margin	Alex	June 5	Planned

Pro Tip: Publish the decision log in your CRM or project hub so updates are visible to everyone. Use reminders and automation to follow up on each item during your mid-quarter check-in.

FAQ 

 

Q1: Isn’t a PSA enough for QGRs?

No. A PSA manages tickets, projects, and service delivery, but not revenue growth. A full QGR needs data from your CRM, billing, and BI tools to connect delivery outcomes with financial performance.

Use:

• PSA for operations
  
• CRM for pipeline and renewals
  
• Work 365 for billing automation
  
• Power BI for KPIs and forecasting
  

Together, they turn service data into growth actions.

 

Q2: How often should we adjust targets?

Review and adjust your goals during the QGR each quarter. Use mid-quarter check-ins only for significant changes, such as pricing updates or macro shifts. Always record adjustments in your decision log for transparency.

Q3: What if our team hates meetings?

Keep your QGR short, structured, and results-driven. Ninety to 120 minutes is enough if everyone comes prepared with data. Automate follow-ups and task creation in your CRM so the meeting ends with clarity, not more work.

Q4: Which KPIs matter most for MSPs?

Focus on metrics that reveal both retention and growth:

• Monthly Recurring Revenue (MRR)
  
• Net Revenue Retention (NRR)
  
• Churn Rate
  
• Pipeline Velocity
  
• Quote-to-Close Time
  
• Renewal On-Time Percentage
  
• Customer Satisfaction (CSAT or NPS)
  

These form the foundation of every effective QGR scorecard.

Common Pitfalls And Fixes

Even with the right agenda and data, many MSPs stumble when implementing QGRs. The most common issues are simple to fix once you spot them early.

Pitfall 1: Reporting Theater

Teams spend hours building pretty slides that don’t lead to action.
Fix: End every QGR segment with an Action, Owner, and Due Date. Capture them in your Decision Log inside the CRM so progress can be tracked automatically.

Pitfall 2: Data Whiplash

Numbers don’t match between tools, and everyone debates whose version is correct.
Fix: Build one source of truth in Power BI connected directly to Dynamics 365 and Work 365. This ensures consistency across sales, service, and finance.

Pitfall 3: Renewal Surprises

Teams find out about expiring contracts too late, leading to lost revenue.
Fix: Use Work 365’s automated 90-day renewal radar to alert account managers early and pre-schedule renewal calls.

Pitfall 4: Slow Quotes

Manual spreadsheets delay proposals and hurt close rates.
Fix: Implement Experlogix CPQ inside Dynamics 365 to automate pricing, discounts, and approvals. This reduces quote turnaround time to under 48 hours.

Pitfall 5: Meeting Fatigue

Too many QGRs turn into reporting marathons.
Fix: Limit your main QGR to 90–120 minutes, focus on decisions, and run a short mid-quarter micro-QGR for course corrections.

 QGRs fail when they become routines instead of growth checkpoints. Keep them action-oriented, data-driven, and short enough to sustain momentum.

 

 Make Quarterly Alignment Your Competitive Edge

Quarterly Growth Reviews are more than meetings — they are the rhythm that keeps your MSP focused, accountable, and aligned. When you connect data from sales, renewals, delivery, and finance, every decision becomes part of one growth story.

The MSPs that grow fastest don’t rely on luck or referrals. They operate with a system that checks progress every 90 days and course-corrects in real time. QGRs make that possible by linking metrics to action, ownership, and measurable improvement.

Start simple:

• Use the agenda and scorecard templates from this guide.
  
• Bring your team’s data together with Dynamics 365, Work 365, Experlogix CPQ, and Power BI.
  
• Add Copilot for quick summaries and next-step recommendations.
  

When you treat alignment as a process — not an event — your revenue engine never drifts off course.

Book an MSP Growth Assessment to build your first QGR with dashboards, playbooks, and the Empellor CRM Growth OS. Because CRMShouldntSuck — it should drive growth that lasts.