Quarterly IT reviews (also known as IT QBRs) are where business and IT strategy meet. They’re not just about patch reports or antivirus stats, they’re about proving IT value, identifying risks, aligning technology with business goals, and setting a forward-looking roadmap. In this article, we break down:
- Who should attend a quarterly IT review.
- The key agenda items and metrics covered.
- How reviews help with budgeting, compliance, and risk management.
- The deliverables you should expect and how to use them for continuous improvement.
What Is a Quarterly IT Review & Why Does It Matter?
A quarterly IT review is a structured meeting between your leadership team and your IT partner (or internal IT function). Its purpose is simple: to ensure IT is delivering measurable value, reducing risks, and staying aligned with your organisation’s objectives.
For business leaders, it provides transparency and accountability. For IT teams, it’s an opportunity to demonstrate performance and plan. And for the organisation as a whole, it’s where IT shifts from “keeping the lights on” to enabling growth and innovation.
Who Should Attend an IT Quarterly Review?
To make the sessions meaningful, the right people need to be in the room:
- vCIO / IT Strategy Lead – responsible for translating business needs into IT roadmaps.
- Internal IT Managers or Team Leads – to provide operational insight.
- Executive Sponsors (CFO, COO, CEO) – to connect IT planning to business priorities.
- Other stakeholders – such as HR (for user productivity) or Compliance Officers (for data security and regulations).
A good review balances both technical depth and strategic vision.
Don’t have a Virtual CIO in your business? We can help with that too – explore our vCIO & QBR service.
How to Prepare: Objectives, Agenda & KPIs
Preparation determines the value you get from a quarterly IT review. Before the meeting:
- Define clear objectives – is the focus on compliance, cost control, performance, or future planning?
- Agree KPIs to measure IT performance – uptime, ticket resolution times, patching success rates, or security incidents.
- Share the agenda in advance – so everyone arrives prepared to make decisions.
This ensures the review isn’t just reporting for reporting’s sake, it’s about insights that matter.
What Technical Metrics Are Reviewed?
The technical component of a quarterly IT review should give a clear snapshot of IT health and risk. Expect to see reporting on:
- Patching & Antivirus Coverage – status of operating systems and apps, plus incident response stats.
- Asset Inventory & Warranty Status – which hardware is nearing end-of-life or warranty expiry.
- Network & Performance Monitoring – uptime, latency, and bandwidth trends.
- User Support Metrics – volume of tickets, response times, satisfaction scores.
These metrics highlight where IT is performing well, and where vulnerabilities or bottlenecks may be forming.
Related reading: Hybrid IT Support.
How Does the Review Address Risk & Compliance?
Risk and compliance should always feature in an IT quarterly review. For UK businesses, that means:
- Cyber Security Updates – reviewing recent threats and controls in place.
- Compliance Requirements – GDPR, Cyber Essentials, ISO 27001, FCA (if applicable).
- Disaster Recovery & Business Continuity – recovery objectives, backup testing, resilience gaps.
Explore our Cyber Security services to see how we help businesses build compliance-first IT.
What Deliverable Should You Expect?
A review is only valuable if it produces actionable outputs. You should walk away with:
- A prioritised action plan with owners and deadlines.
- Next quarter’s objectives, linked to business goals.
- A technology roadmap update, showing near-term and long-term projects.
- Documentation of decisions made for accountability.
How to Use the Review for Continuous Improvement
Each quarterly IT review should improve on the last. That means:
- Capturing feedback from all attendees.
- Refining KPIs to reflect evolving priorities.
- Tracking whether last quarter’s actions were completed.
This continuous improvement cycle keeps IT aligned and accountable.
Protect your business and unlock IT as a strategic asset.
A quarterly IT review is your opportunity to prove IT value, reduce risk, and plan with confidence. With Dr Logic, you don’t just get reports, you get a partner who helps you turn insights into action.
Book your IT Quarterly Review with Dr Logic.
FAQs
How long should a quarterly IT review last?
Typically 60 – 90 minutes, depending on scope. Larger organisations may need up to 2 hours.
Who should attend an IT QBR?
Key IT stakeholders (internal and provider-side), plus business leadership responsible for strategy and budgets.
What technical metrics are usually reviewed?
Patching, antivirus coverage, asset health, network performance, and user support metrics.
How do you measure IT value in a quarterly review?
By aligning IT performance and projects to business outcomes, such as reduced downtime, stronger compliance, or enabling growth.
What happens after the review?
You should receive a documented action plan, clear ownership of next steps, and a refreshed roadmap for the next quarter.
