Monthly Business Review Template

The monthly review is the tier most teams skip, and it is the one that catches problems while they are still fixable. Its only job is trajectory: not solving today's blockers (that is the weekly) and not re-planning (that is the quarterly), but checking whether a month of data says you will hit the quarter. This template keeps the meeting on trend lines and the one or two corrections worth making this month.

MONTHLY BUSINESS REVIEW — ________  Month: ______  (45 min)

1. TRAJECTORY (15 min)
   For each quarterly goal:
   Goal: __________  Target by Q-end: ____  Where we are: ____
   Pace needed vs actual: on pace / behind / ahead
   Trend over last 3 months: up / flat / down

2. LEADING INDICATORS (10 min)
   Are the early signals pointing the right way?
   Indicator: ________  Last month: ____  This month: ____  Read: ___

3. DRIFT & CORRECTIONS (15 min)
   What is trending away from target? __________
   The 1-2 corrections we will make this month: __________
   Owner: ______  By: ______

4. FLAGS FOR THE QBR (5 min)
   Anything that needs a bigger decision than a monthly correction: __________

How to use this template

1. Keep the meeting on trajectory. The question is always whether the trend hits the quarterly target, not what is blocked today.
2. Use leading indicators, not just lagging results. By the time the lagging number misses, the month to fix it is gone.
3. Make at most one or two corrections. The MBR is for course adjustments, not for re-planning the quarter.
4. Flag anything bigger for the QBR rather than solving it here. Monthly reviews protect the quarterly from surprises.

Frequently asked questions

How is an MBR different from a QBR?

An MBR checks trajectory monthly and makes small corrections; a QBR scores the quarter and re-plans. The MBR exists so the QBR is never the first time a problem is noticed.

Do small teams need a monthly review?

If the quarterly is the only review, problems that build over weeks only surface at the end. Even a 30-minute monthly trajectory check prevents most quarter-end surprises.