Running Quarterly Business Reviews (QBRs) and OKRs Using ClickUp Goals

The Importance of Aligning Strategy with Execution

Quarterly Business Reviews (QBRs) are more than just presentations—they’re strategic checkpoints. When done right, they connect company-wide goals to team-level progress, ensure visibility across business units, and identify gaps before they become problems.
 

But let’s be honest: QBRs are often a nightmare of scattered slides, missing metrics, and last-minute report hunting.

Enter ClickUp.
 

With its Goals feature, ClickUp helps businesses turn QBRs and OKR check-ins into seamless, data-driven rituals. You can set, track, and report on goals in real-time—all in the same platform where work gets done. This blog walks you through how to manage OKRs and run productive QBRs using ClickUp.

What Is a QBR and Why It Matters

A QBR (Quarterly Business Review) is a meeting—internal or external—that evaluates performance over the past quarter. The purpose is to:

• Track performance against goals
• Uncover risks and roadblocks
• Align cross-functional teams
• Set clear next steps
• Foster accountability and transparency

When supported by structured data and proactive planning, QBRs become powerful tools for strategic alignment. And ClickUp provides the framework to make that possible.

Understanding ClickUp Goals

ClickUp Goals is a native feature designed to help teams:

• Set clear, measurable objectives
• Connect day-to-day tasks with high-level goals
• Track progress in real time
• Break goals into milestones or targets
• Visualize impact across departments

It brings clarity to everyone involved—from individual contributors to executive leadership.

Goals in ClickUp are structured into:

• Goal: A broad strategic objective (e.g., "Improve Customer Retention")
• Targets: Subcomponents (e.g., “Reduce churn by 10%,” “Improve NPS by 5 points”)
• Tracking: Can be task completion, numerical value, true/false, or manual updates
• Owners: Each goal and target can have assigned owners and contributors

Setting OKRs Inside ClickUp

Objectives and Key Results (OKRs) are a popular goal-setting framework used by high-performing teams. Here’s how to structure OKRs in ClickUp:

• Objective: “Launch Scalable Client Onboarding by Q3”
• Key Results:
  • “Deploy onboarding automation by July 15”
  • “Train 100% of CSMs on new flow”
  • “Achieve 80% CSAT for onboarding experience”

Use ClickUp Goals to house these OKRs and link them to active tasks and projects. When tasks move through statuses, your Key Results auto-update—making reviews accurate and frictionless.

Building a QBR Framework in ClickUp

To streamline QBR prep, create a dedicated Folder or Space called “QBRs.” Inside this, create:

• A Folder for each quarter (e.g., Q1 2025, Q2 2025)
• Lists for each department (Marketing, Sales, Product, Support)
• Tasks for each metric, initiative, or discussion item
• A ClickUp Doc for the QBR agenda, meeting notes, and action items

This ensures that all QBR data and documentation live in one place.

Using Dashboards to Power QBR Reports

ClickUp Dashboards are the visual layer you need for a high-impact QBR. You can add widgets for:

• Goal Progress by Team or Department
• Completed vs. Outstanding OKRs
• Task velocity
• Campaign performance
• Sprint summaries
• Churn and NPS metrics

Widgets can be filtered by List, assignee, tag, or custom field—making them fully tailored to each stakeholder.

You can even embed Google Sheets, slide decks, or videos into your Dashboard for supplemental context.

Cross-Functional Visibility with Shared Goals

QBRs often highlight gaps in alignment. With ClickUp Goals, you can assign ownership across departments to promote accountability. For example:

• Revenue Goal: Owned by Sales, supported by Marketing
• Feature Release Goal: Owned by Product, supported by Engineering
• Customer Experience Goal: Owned by Support, informed by CS

This cross-functional ownership is transparent in ClickUp, with real-time visibility into who’s moving the needle—and who needs support.

Connecting Tasks to Goals for Seamless Progress

The real power of ClickUp Goals is in its task linkage. When you associate a target with a task or List:

• Progress updates automatically as work is completed
• You reduce manual tracking overhead
• Everyone knows how daily work maps to big-picture strategy

This makes QBR reviews less about defending performance and more about diagnosing opportunity.

Recurring QBR Tasks and Docs

Set up recurring tasks in ClickUp to prep for each QBR cycle:

• “Prepare Q2 Performance Summary”
• “Update Marketing OKR Dashboard”
• “Schedule QBR Prep Call with Leadership”

Attach Docs directly to the task for centralized agenda planning. Docs can also contain:

• Presentation drafts
• Talking points
• Past meeting notes
• Review questions

You’ll never again wonder where the QBR deck or action items live.

Using Assigned Comments for QBR Action Items

During or after the QBR, turn decisions into action instantly with Assigned Comments:

• “@Alex – please update sales forecast by Friday.”
• “@Product – share adoption numbers on the new release.”
• “@Support – loop in CSMs for QBR follow-up.”

These comments become actionable, assigned, and trackable within the ClickUp workspace.

Reviewing QBR Outcomes in ClickUp Goals

After the QBR, update your Goals to reflect what’s been completed, revised, or delayed. Then:

• Create new Goals or Targets for the next quarter
• Archive completed goals for historical tracking
• Reassign overdue items with realistic timelines
• Share a Goals Summary Doc with all stakeholders

ClickUp keeps every iteration documented, improving transparency and learning over time.

Real-World Use Case: ClickUp-Driven Marketing QBR

1. Set Q2 Objective: “Increase Brand Awareness”
2. Define Key Results:
   • Reach 500K impressions
   • Launch 4 content campaigns
   • Boost LinkedIn engagement by 30%
3. Connect Goals to:
   • Campaign tasks in the “Marketing Campaigns” List
   • Social calendar subtasks
   • Analytics review tasks
4. Track all progress in a Marketing Dashboard
5. Present during QBR via embedded ClickUp widgets and Docs
6. Create new Q3 Goals at end of review
7. Repeat next quarter—with less prep, more impact

Best Practices for Using ClickUp in QBRs and OKRs

• Set realistic but ambitious Objectives that are outcome-based
• Assign a single owner to each Key Result to avoid confusion
• Link tasks or Lists directly to Targets for auto-progress
• Use status-based automations to update progress or notify leaders
• Review and update Goals weekly—not just before QBRs
• Keep Docs and Dashboards centralized and shareable
• Use retrospectives to refine future OKR structure

With ClickUp, QBRs become a part of your continuous operating rhythm—not just a quarterly scramble.

If you need further details on any specific benefit or on using ClickUp in your organization, please feel free to Schedule a no-obligation requirement gathering virtual meeting with our ClickUp Implementation Experts. Schedule Now

FAQs

How does ClickUp help with OKR tracking?

ClickUp’s Goals feature lets you define Objectives and Key Results, link them to real tasks, and automatically track progress in real-time.

Can multiple teams collaborate on a single goal?

Yes. You can assign different Targets within a Goal to different teams or individuals, creating cross-functional accountability.

Is it possible to visualize OKR progress during QBR meetings?

Absolutely. Use Dashboards to create visual summaries of goal progress, project metrics, and department updates for live QBR presentation.

Can I store QBR notes and action items in ClickUp?

Yes. ClickUp Docs can be used to capture meeting notes, outcomes, and follow-up actions—fully linked to tasks and goals.

How do I prepare for recurring QBRs in ClickUp?

Use recurring tasks for QBR prep, apply templates, and update linked Dashboards and Goals throughout the quarter for readiness.