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Program Design · FareHarbor

Program Design: QBRs & EBRs

When I moved to the Enterprise Account Management team, I realized they had no structured business review process. So I built one. It evolved over time into a two-track program, QBRs for quarterly performance, EBRs for executive strategic alignment, with purpose-built decks, Tableau and Looker integrations, and a full team rollout. It's now standard practice.

Outcome
Team-wide QBR + EBR program, now standard practice
Partners
Ops · Marketing · AM Leadership
Skills
Program design · Cross-functional alignment · Executive communication · Data storytelling

The gap

After a period away from FareHarbor, I returned and started looking at how the Enterprise AM team was operating. One gap stood out: there was no consistent, structured way to review account performance with clients. Individual AMs were having ad hoc conversations, but there was no shared framework, no standard agenda, no data model, no cadence.

Starting with QBRs

I designed the initial QBR framework by working backwards from one question: what does an executive actually want to see in this meeting? What would make our clients feel like their time was well spent.

The answer: a clear picture of what's working, what's not, and what we're going to do about it, framed in their terms. Revenue. Growth. Operational efficiency. I built a structure around that, then partnered with the Ops team to build out Tableau reports and integrate Looker so data could be pulled into decks without starting from scratch each time. Less prep work per AM, more consistent output across the team.

Expanding to EBRs

Last year, as part of a broader Service Cards rollout, we added Executive Business Reviews as a second track. Over time, we had gone more and more upmarket. Working with larger, more corporate accounts. These clients required a different way of working. We needed to have new, more streamlined decks focused more on strategy and alignment and less operational and day to day. We built separate decks and frameworks for each, so AMs could deploy the right format for the right moment with the right stakeholder.

Phase 1
Identified the gap, designed the QBR framework
Built structure, agenda, and data model. Worked with Ops to connect Tableau and Looker for scalable data pulls.
Phase 2
Cross-functional build-out and branding
Partnered with Marketing to ensure decks were properly branded. Brought AM leadership in early to pressure-test the format and get full buy-in before any team rollout.
Phase 3
Team rollout
Rolled out to the broader enterprise AM team. Coaching QBR and EBR execution became a core part of my work as a manager.
Phase 4 · Last year
Added EBRs as a separate track
As part of the Service Cards rollout, built a distinct EBR framework alongside the QBR program. Two different conversations, two purpose-built formats.

Getting buy-in

Before any rollout, I brought AM leadership into the process, asked for feedback, incorporated their input, and made sure the format had their fingerprints on it. Because everyone had a chance to play a role, I was able to get buy-in along the way and ensure there were no surprises when it came time for rollout.

Operations, Tableau + Looker integration
Marketing, deck branding and templates
AM Leadership, feedback and full buy-in
Enterprise AM Team, rollout and coaching
0 → 2
Business review programs built from scratch. QBRs and EBRs now run across the enterprise team as standard practice. A massive game changer for how the team shows up in executive relationships.

Why this matters

Structured business reviews are one of the primary ways a CS team demonstrates that they're a strategic partner, not just a support function. They create a cadence for proactive conversation, surface expansion opportunities, and give clients a reason to bring you into bigger decisions.

I built it because I saw the gap and knew it mattered. Nobody asked me to.

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