Amanda Spencer, EY Contracts and SRM Director (UKI), has highlighted the importance of building effective Quarterly Business Reviews (QBRs) to strengthen supplier relationships and drive business growth. Speaking at Clientshare’s Beyond the Review event, Spencer outlined four essential components that can transform QBRs from routine meetings into strategic tools for alignment and decision-making.

Foundation: Planning Before the Meeting

Spencer emphasized that the foundation of a successful QBR lies in preparation. She recommended sharing a clear agenda and pre-reading materials well in advance of the meeting. This ensures participants arrive informed and ready to engage in meaningful discussions. By confirming the key issues to be addressed and inviting the right individuals, companies can focus on resolving specific challenges rather than merely going through the motions.

According to Spencer, it is also crucial to provide context about the broader market and any external factors that may impact the supplier relationship. This helps align the conversation with current industry trends and regulatory considerations, rather than focusing solely on internal metrics.

Data: Informing, Not Dominating the Conversation

Data should support decision-making, not replace it. Spencer suggested using the first five minutes of the QBR to review key performance indicators (KPIs), reserving the remainder of the meeting for deeper discussion of exceptions and strategic choices. She recommended using AI to transcribe meetings, summarize trends, and compile relevant news and filings, ensuring that the focus remains on actionable insights rather than data overload.

“AI can help here by transcribing meetings, summarizing trends and sentiment, and compiling an overview of related news items and filings,” Spencer said. “The point is not to make AI the topic, but to provide participants with the information needed to ensure the meeting is focused and impactful.”

Relationships: Inviting Problem-Solvers, Not Just Attendees

Spencer stressed the importance of inviting individuals who can drive change, rather than those who might merely attend. This includes engineers for reliability issues, analysts for trend analysis, and behavioral specialists when adoption is a concern. By bringing together a diverse range of skills and perspectives, companies can support more productive discussions and faster decision-making.

She recommended naming the expert responsible for each agenda item and ensuring a mix of analytical and empathetic voices to address different types of challenges. Tracking time-to-decision and cycle times quarter on quarter can also help maintain consistency and enable meaningful comparisons over time.

Outcomes: Maintaining Momentum Between Meetings

Closing the QBR with a clear summary of decisions, action owners, and deadlines is essential to maintaining momentum. Spencer advised keeping the loop tight between reviews by agreeing on key focus areas for the next quarter and assessing progress against these areas during the next meeting.

She also recommended recognizing achievements by sharing updates with sponsors and adjacent teams, ensuring that success is acknowledged and support is built for future initiatives. Logging actions, owners, and deadlines, along with sending an executive summary within 24 hours, can help maintain accountability and transparency.

Spencer concluded with five key ideas for the upcoming quarter, including publishing a standard QBR format, limiting the KPI review to five minutes, and ensuring that the right people are invited to the meeting. She also emphasized the importance of using AI to transcribe meetings and provide summaries, as well as sharing next steps and a meeting summary within 24 hours.

These strategies, according to Spencer, can help organizations build more effective QBR processes and ultimately achieve better business outcomes by strengthening supplier relationships and driving growth.