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qbr-facilitator skill

/skills/qbr-facilitator

This skill designs and facilitates quarterly business reviews to maximize executive value, align strategy, and drive measurable outcomes.

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SKILL.md
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---
name: qbr-facilitator
description: Expert Quarterly Business Review facilitation for maximizing customer value and strategic alignment. Use when designing QBR programs, preparing executive presentations, demonstrating ROI and value realization, conducting strategic account planning, aligning product roadmaps, identifying risks and opportunities, facilitating business reviews, or automating QBR processes. Use for EBR preparation, success metrics presentation, renewal preparation, and stakeholder engagement.
---

# QBR Facilitator

Expert guidance for designing and executing Quarterly Business Reviews that transform routine check-ins into strategic partnership moments. The QBR is your most valuable face time with customer executives — make it count.

## Philosophy

Quarterly Business Reviews are not PowerPoint presentations — they're strategic conversations:

1. **Value over vanity** — Show business impact, not feature usage
2. **Future over past** — Spend 70% on what's next, 30% on what happened
3. **Dialogue over monologue** — QBR is a conversation, not a presentation
4. **Executive time is precious** — Every minute must deliver value
5. **Action over information** — End with commitments, not just insights

## How This Skill Works

When invoked, apply the guidelines in `rules/` organized by:

- `program-*` — QBR program design, cadence, and governance
- `preparation-*` — Executive stakeholder preparation and research
- `value-*` — ROI demonstration and value storytelling
- `metrics-*` — Success metrics presentation and benchmarking
- `planning-*` — Strategic account planning and success plans
- `roadmap-*` — Product roadmap alignment and feature advocacy
- `risk-*` — Risk identification and opportunity discovery
- `facilitation-*` — Meeting techniques and executive engagement
- `followup-*` — Action tracking and accountability
- `automation-*` — QBR templates, automation, and scalability

## Core Frameworks

### The QBR Value Hierarchy

```
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                     STRATEGIC VALUE                              │
│   Business outcomes, market impact, competitive advantage        │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│                     OPERATIONAL VALUE                            │
│   Efficiency gains, cost savings, process improvements           │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│                     TACTICAL VALUE                               │
│   Feature adoption, usage metrics, technical performance         │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│                     BASE EXPECTATIONS                            │
│   Uptime, support response, basic functionality                  │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

       ↑ Focus QBR conversation HERE (top two levels)
```

### QBR Cadence by Segment

| Segment | Review Type | Frequency | Duration | Attendees |
|---------|-------------|-----------|----------|-----------|
| **Strategic** ($500K+) | EBR | Quarterly | 90-120 min | C-level + team |
| **Enterprise** ($100K-$500K) | QBR | Quarterly | 60-90 min | VP/Director + team |
| **Mid-Market** ($25K-$100K) | QBR | Semi-annual | 45-60 min | Manager + team |
| **SMB** ($5K-$25K) | Digital QBR | Annual | 30 min or async | Primary contact |
| **Tech-Touch** (<$5K) | Automated | Annual | Self-service | Automated |

### The QBR Flow Framework

```
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                                                                         │
│  PREPARE → OPEN → REVIEW → PLAN → COMMIT → FOLLOW-UP                   │
│     ↓        ↓       ↓        ↓       ↓         ↓                       │
│  Research  Align  Demonstrate  Co-create  Secure    Track               │
│  & Build   Goals  Value       Strategy   Actions   Accountable          │
│  Story     & Tone & Insights  & Roadmap  & Next    & Execute            │
│                                                                         │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
```

### Executive Presence Levels

| Level | Role | QBR Involvement | Key Interests |
|-------|------|-----------------|---------------|
| **C-Suite** | CEO, CFO, CTO | Strategic EBRs only | Business outcomes, ROI, strategy |
| **VP** | VP Operations, VP Sales | Quarterly EBRs | Department impact, efficiency |
| **Director** | Department heads | All QBRs | Team metrics, roadmap, adoption |
| **Manager** | Day-to-day owners | All reviews | Usage, features, support |

### QBR Agenda Structure (60-Minute Template)

| Section | Duration | Focus | Owner |
|---------|----------|-------|-------|
| **Opening** | 5 min | Alignment, agenda confirmation | CSM |
| **Business Context** | 10 min | Customer updates, priorities | Customer |
| **Value Review** | 15 min | Outcomes, ROI, success metrics | Joint |
| **Strategic Discussion** | 20 min | Roadmap, opportunities, planning | Joint |
| **Action Planning** | 8 min | Commitments, next steps | Joint |
| **Close** | 2 min | Summary, appreciation | CSM |

### Value Demonstration Formula

```
                    (Outcomes Achieved - Baseline)
Value Impact = ──────────────────────────────────── × Business Weight
                         Time Period

Where:
- Outcomes = Measurable results (revenue, time, quality)
- Baseline = Starting point before implementation
- Business Weight = Customer's priority weighting

Example:
"Your team saved 1,200 hours in Q3, valued at $90,000,
representing a 340% ROI on your investment."
```

### The SUCCESS QBR Framework

| Element | Focus | Key Questions |
|---------|-------|---------------|
| **S**tatus | Where are we now? | Health score, adoption, engagement |
| **U**tilization | Are they using it fully? | Feature adoption, user coverage |
| **C**hallenges | What's blocking success? | Issues, friction, concerns |
| **C**elebrations | What wins can we highlight? | Achievements, milestones |
| **E**xpansion | Where can we grow? | Opportunities, whitespace |
| **S**trategy | What's the plan forward? | Goals, roadmap, alignment |
| **S**teps | What do we commit to? | Actions, owners, dates |

### QBR Health Indicators

| Indicator | Green | Yellow | Red |
|-----------|-------|--------|-----|
| **Executive attendance** | Sponsors present | Delegates attended | No-show, rescheduled 2x+ |
| **Customer preparation** | Questions/updates ready | Minimal prep | No engagement |
| **Engagement level** | Active discussion | Polite listening | Distracted, cut short |
| **Follow-up response** | Same-day response | Within week | No response |
| **Action completion** | 80%+ completed | 50-80% completed | <50% completed |

### ROI Categories

| Category | Metrics | Calculation |
|----------|---------|-------------|
| **Revenue Impact** | New revenue, upsell | $ pipeline/closed attributed |
| **Cost Reduction** | Time saved, efficiency | Hours × hourly rate |
| **Risk Mitigation** | Avoided incidents | Cost per incident × frequency reduction |
| **Quality Improvement** | Error reduction | Error cost × reduction % |
| **Strategic Value** | Competitive advantage | Market position improvement |

### QBR Maturity Model

| Stage | Characteristics | Evolution |
|-------|-----------------|-----------|
| **Basic** | Status report, feature updates | Report card format |
| **Standard** | Usage metrics, support review | Metrics dashboard |
| **Strategic** | Business outcomes, ROI proof | Value demonstration |
| **Transformational** | Executive partnership, co-planning | Strategic dialogue |

### Risk & Opportunity Matrix

```
              HIGH IMPACT
                   ↑
    ┌──────────────┼──────────────┐
    │   MONITOR    │   PRIORITY   │
    │   CLOSELY    │    ACTION    │
    │              │              │
LOW ←──────────────┼──────────────→ HIGH
LIKELIHOOD         │              LIKELIHOOD
    │   WATCH &    │   PLAN &     │
    │   WAIT       │   PREPARE    │
    │              │              │
    └──────────────┼──────────────┘
                   ↓
              LOW IMPACT
```

## Key Metrics Reference

| Metric | Definition | QBR Relevance |
|--------|------------|---------------|
| **NRR** | Net Revenue Retention | Overall account health |
| **Product Adoption** | Features used / Available | Usage depth |
| **User Coverage** | Active users / Licensed | Deployment breadth |
| **Time to Value** | Days to first outcome | Onboarding success |
| **Support Health** | Tickets, CSAT, resolution | Service quality |
| **Engagement Score** | Activity + sentiment | Relationship health |
| **ROI Achieved** | Value delivered / Investment | Business justification |

## Anti-Patterns

- **Death by PowerPoint** — 50 slides of usage charts
- **Past-focused reviews** — All backward, no forward
- **Monologue mode** — CSM talks 90% of time
- **Vanity metrics only** — Logins instead of outcomes
- **No executive presence** — Only operational contacts
- **Surprise bad news** — First time hearing about issues
- **No follow-through** — Actions from last QBR incomplete
- **One-size-fits-all** — Same deck for $20K and $500K customers
- **Feature request session** — QBR becomes support ticket
- **No customer voice** — They never share their perspective

Overview

This skill provides expert Quarterly Business Review (QBR) facilitation to convert routine check-ins into strategic, outcome-driven conversations that maximize customer value and alignment. It focuses on preparing executives, demonstrating ROI, co-creating plans, and ensuring accountable follow-up. Use it to design repeatable QBR programs, run executive reviews, and scale QBR automation.

How this skill works

When invoked, the skill applies a modular ruleset covering program design, stakeholder research, value storytelling, metrics presentation, account planning, roadmap alignment, risk discovery, facilitation techniques, and follow-up automation. It structures QBRs around a proven flow: Prepare → Open → Review → Plan → Commit → Follow-up, emphasizing strategic and operational value over tactical detail. The skill produces agendas, talking points, ROI calculations, health indicators, and action-tracking templates tailored to customer segment and executive level.

When to use it

  • Design a QBR program and governance model for your customer base
  • Prepare executive-facing presentations that demonstrate ROI and business outcomes
  • Plan and facilitate strategic account reviews or EBRs with C-level sponsors
  • Align product roadmaps and feature advocacy with customer strategy
  • Identify risks, expansion opportunities, and commitments before renewals
  • Automate templates and cadence for high-volume or tech-touch segments

Best practices

  • Lead with business outcomes and prioritize strategic value over feature lists
  • Spend ~70% of meeting time on forward-looking strategy and 30% on past performance
  • Confirm agenda and desired outcomes with the executive sponsor before the meeting
  • Use a compact agenda (e.g., 60-min template) and protect executive time with clear ownership of actions
  • Quantify value: baseline, outcomes, time period, and business weight to show ROI
  • Track commitments with owners and dates; report completion in the next review

Example use cases

  • Create a 90–120 minute EBR for a $500K+ strategic account, including ROI slide and co-planning session
  • Prepare a 60-minute QBR for enterprise accounts with health indicators, success metrics, and roadmap alignment
  • Build automated QBR templates for mid-market and SMB segments to scale touch frequency
  • Run renewal preparation: highlight realized value, outstanding risks, and expansion opportunities
  • Facilitate a product roadmap sync that surfaces customer priorities and converts them into prioritized asks

FAQ

What is the ideal QBR cadence by account segment?

Strategic: quarterly EBRs (90–120 min); Enterprise: quarterly QBRs (60–90 min); Mid-market: semi-annual (45–60 min); SMB: annual or digital; Tech-touch: automated.

How do I demonstrate ROI in a QBR?

Use the Value Demonstration Formula: Outcomes minus baseline over the time period, multiplied by a business weight. Translate hours saved, revenue impact, or risk avoidance into dollar terms and percent ROI.

Who should attend from the customer side?

Invite executives for strategic reviews (C-suite for strategic accounts), VPs for enterprise reviews, directors and managers for operational sessions—tailor attendees to agenda and desired decisions.