Quarterly Business Reviews (QBRs) and Their Value for Your Business (with SMART Examples)

What Is a Quarterly Business Review (QBR) & Why Does Your Business Need One?

Running a business is demanding. As a business owner or founder, you may periodically face ongoing challenges such as declining sales, high turnover, operational inefficiencies, and difficulty scaling. You can get caught up in day-to-day problem-solving, forgetting to step back and examine the bigger picture. Without a clear process for assessing progress and making strategic adjustments, your business can stagnate, falling behind the competition.

This is where Quarterly Business Reviews (QBRs) come in. A QBR provides a structured, data-driven approach to reviewing performance, identifying opportunities, and ensuring that short-term actions align with long-term business goals. By dedicating time every quarter to analyzing results, realigning priorities, and adjusting strategies, you will maintain focus, making informed decisions that drive sustainable growth.

What Is a Quarterly Business Review (QBR)?

A QBR is a high-level meeting conducted every three months to evaluate business performance and set strategic priorities for the next quarter. Unlike weekly or monthly operational meetings that focus on immediate issues, a QBR helps leaders take a step back and assess the company’s overall trajectory.

The Key Components of a QBR

1. Performance Analysis – Begin by looking at the numbers and listening to your customers. In other words, take a deep dive into your business performance. This means reviewing financials, operational data, and customer feedback to understand what’s working and where improvements are needed. Tracking key performance indicators (KPIs) ensures you’re making decisions based on real data rather than gut feelings.
2. Goal Review & Reset – It’s important to check in on goals and adjust as/where needed. Every business sets goals, but they shouldn’t be written in stone. A QBR gives you the chance to assess how far you’ve come toward your annual objectives and determine what needs to shift to stay on track. This is the time to celebrate wins, course-correct where necessary, and set clear priorities for the next quarter.
3. Strategic Planning – Always explore new growth opportunities. Markets change, trends evolve, and new challenges arise. A QBR provides the space to think strategically about the future—helping you recognize places to grow, potential risks, and deciding where and when to pivot. This is the time to make smart, proactive decisions, whether that means expanding into a new market, adjusting pricing, or refining operations.
4. Team & Culture Check-In – A business is only as strong as its team. Are team members engaged and aligned with company goals? Is communication clear? Are you fostering a culture that supports accountability, collaboration, and long-term success? A QBR is the perfect time to make sure your leadership and team culture are in sync with your vision.
5. Pre-QBR Interviews – To make the most of your QBR, preparation is key. That’s why leadership interviews are conducted beforehand. These conversations help gather insights, ensure alignment on key challenges and opportunities, and refine the strategy before the meeting. By doing this groundwork, you ensure the QBR is a productive, focused session that drives real results.

QBRs Are Invaluable Because They:

1. Ensure Strategic Alignment
   Businesses evolve rapidly, and so do market conditions. A QBR ensures that your leadership team remains aligned with the company’s vision and adjusts strategies accordingly.
2. Improve Decision-Making with Data
   QBRs provide a structured opportunity to analyze performance metrics, trends, and customer insights, allowing leaders to make informed, data-driven decisions instead of relying on intuition alone.
3. Enhance Accountability & Focus
   Regularly reviewing progress against strategic goals helps team members stay accountable and focused on the most important initiatives, minimizing distractions that don’t contribute to long-term success.
4. Drive Continuous Improvement
   A QBR isn’t just about celebrating wins—it’s about identifying gaps and implementing action plans for improvement. Leaders can assess what’s working, what isn’t, and where adjustments need to be made.
5. Strengthen Team Collaboration
   A well-executed QBR fosters open communication among leadership and key stakeholders, ensuring everyone is on the same page and working toward shared objectives.

Examples of Goals Set in a QBR

Each quarter, business goals should be clearly defined, measurable, and aligned with overall growth objectives. Setting goals is essential for business growth, but vague or unrealistic objectives can lead to confusion, wasted effort, and missed opportunities. That’s where SMART goals come in. SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Bound—a framework designed to create clear, actionable goals that drive real progress. By incorporating SMART goals into your Quarterly Business Review (QBR), you ensure that your team is aligned, priorities are clear, and progress is trackable. Instead of setting broad objectives like “increase revenue” or “improve customer service,” SMART goals allow you to set concrete targets, measure success, and adjust strategies as needed. Here’s how SMART goals can be effectively integrated into a QBR to maximize results. Examples of QBR goals include:

• Look at the Numbers & Listen to Customers – A QBR starts with a deep dive into your business performance. That means reviewing financials, operational data, and customer feedback to understand what’s working and where improvements are needed. Tracking key performance indicators (KPIs) ensures you’re making decisions based on real data rather than gut feelings.

  • SMART Example: Increase customer satisfaction score from 85% to 90% by the end of Q2 through improved response times and personalized service follow-ups.

• Check In on Goals & Adjust as Needed – Every business sets goals, but they shouldn’t be written in stone. A QBR gives you the chance to assess how far you’ve come toward your annual objectives and determine what needs to shift to stay on track. This is the time to celebrate wins, course-correct where necessary, and set clear priorities for the next quarter.

  • SMART Example: Reduce order processing time from 48 hours to 24 hours by the end of next quarter by optimizing workflows and automating key steps.

• Explore New Growth Opportunities – Markets change, trends evolve, and new challenges arise. A QBR provides the space to think strategically about the future—identifying opportunities for growth, recognizing potential risks, and deciding where to pivot if necessary. Whether it’s expanding into a new market, adjusting pricing, or refining operations, this is the time to make smart, proactive decisions.

  • SMART Example: Launch a new product line in two test markets by Q3, with a goal of achieving $50,000 in revenue within the first three months.

• Check In on Your Team & Culture – A business is only as strong as its team. Are team members engaged and aligned with company goals? Is communication clear? Are you fostering a culture that supports accountability, collaboration, and long-term success? A QBR is the perfect time to make sure your leadership and team culture are in sync with your vision.

  • SMART Example: Increase team engagement scores by 10% by the end of Q2 by implementing monthly check-ins, peer recognition programs, and leadership training sessions.

• Get Leadership Aligned Before the Meeting – To make the most of your QBR, preparation is key. That’s why leadership interviews are conducted beforehand. These conversations help gather insights, ensure alignment on key challenges and opportunities, and refine the strategy before the meeting. By doing this groundwork, you ensure the QBR is a productive, focused session that drives real results.

  • SMART Example: Conduct leadership interviews with at least 10 key stakeholders two weeks before the QBR to identify top three strategic priorities for the next quarter.

How Consult to Grow® Can Help

At Consult to Grow, we offer Quarterly Business Reviews designed to help restaurant and hospitality businesses optimize operations, refine strategies, and accelerate growth. Our QBR process includes pre-QBR leadership interviews to gather insights, ensure alignment, and refine strategic direction. We then facilitate a data-driven, results-oriented QBR meeting to help your team stay on track and execute with clarity.

Ready to implement a QBR process that drives real results? Contact us today to schedule your next QBR.

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