Wins and misses
Two short lists. Include misses on purpose — a QBR without misses is a red flag, not a green one.
Metrics that moved (and didn't)
- Delivery: what changed in throughput or lead time
- Reliability: SLO attainment, incident count, MTTR trend
- Team: hiring, attrition, engagement direction
What we learned
Two or three bets you resolved this quarter — whether they worked or not. This is the section execs remember; it shows you're building organisational judgement, not just shipping.
Next quarter's bets
Three at most, each with the outcome you'll be measured on and the primary risk. If everything is a bet, nothing is.
Asks
The specific decisions or investments you need from leadership. Frame each with options and a recommendation.
Common pitfalls
- — Presenting activity instead of outcomes.
- — Hiding the miss. It always leaks — better it comes from you.
- — Bringing 12 bets. Three is the max you can execute on and still ship anything else.