MSP Practice Playbook
Module 3 · Build to deliver · 20% of readiness score
MSP Operational Readiness
Stand up the NOC, service desk, platforms, processes, and billing to deliver consistently, then prove it in a structured pilot.
AMP UP! workshops: Operational readiness planning and technical certifications · AMP UP! Managed Services Optimization Workshop
NOC and Service Desk Strategy
Define your NOC and service desk requirements, then compare building, buying, or partnering to deliver them. The weighted score points to the best-fit strategy.
How to use
- Document requirements (coverage, tiers, volumes, tools).
- Review the trade-offs, then score each option 1–5.
- Record the decision and timeline; revisit as volumes grow.
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Requirements
| Requirement | NOC | Service desk | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coverage hours (e.g., 24x7, business hours) | |||
| Support tiers (L1 / L2 / L3) | |||
| Expected devices or endpoints monitored | |||
| Expected tickets per month | |||
| Languages and regions | |||
| Required certifications | |||
| Tools and platforms | |||
| Staffing (FTEs) |
Build, buy, or partner trade-offs
| Strategy | Pros | Cons |
|---|---|---|
| Build | Most control; own the IP; ability to differentiate; most profit potential | Longest time to market; risk in market shifts; high development costs; highest switching costs |
| Buy | Shorter time to market; own the IP | Acquisition costs; integration costs |
| Partner | Shortest time to market; conserves resources; try before you buy; lowest switching costs; credibility and access | Least control; integration costs; shared gross margins; limited ability to differentiate; least profitable option |
Strategy scoring
| Option | Time to market (×3) | Upfront investment (5 = low) (×2) | Control and differentiation (×2) | Long-term margin (×2) | Risk (5 = low) (×1) | Fit score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Build | auto | |||||
| Buy | auto | |||||
| Partner | auto |
Platform and Tools Requirements
List the platforms needed to deliver and manage your services, what you have today, and the integrations with your OSS/BSS/PSA systems.
How to use
- Confirm the requirement for each platform category.
- Record current state and the gap.
- Plan procurement, configuration, and integration with owners and dates.
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Platform inventory and gaps
| Platform category | Requirement | Current tool | Gap / action | Integration needed | Owner | Target date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| e.g. Ticketing / ITSM | Auto-create tickets from alerts | ConnectWise | Configure alert integration | Extreme platform to PSA | Delivery leader | Q2 |
| Extreme management platform and dashboard | ||||||
| Monitoring and alerting | ||||||
| Ticketing / ITSM | ||||||
| Professional services automation (PSA) | ||||||
| Configuration management database (CMDB) | ||||||
| Remote access and automation | ||||||
| Customer portal and reporting | ||||||
| Billing and quoting | ||||||
| Security tools | ||||||
| Knowledge base |
Service Management Process Catalog
The core ITIL-aligned processes a managed service needs, with typical SLA metrics, platforms, and roles. Mark your readiness and owner for each.
How to use
- Review each process and its example metrics.
- Set your readiness status and owner.
- Close gaps before your pilot.
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Service management processes
| Process | Typical SLA metrics | Required platform | Required roles | Readiness | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Incident management | |||||
| Problem management | |||||
| Change management | |||||
| Release management | |||||
| Configuration management | |||||
| Availability management | |||||
| Performance management |
Calculated columns update automatically in the Excel file.
Rules of Engagement and Handoffs (RACI)
Make every handoff explicit, from sales to onboarding to operations to customer success, so customers never fall between teams.
How to use
- Review each activity and assign R (responsible), A (accountable), C (consulted), or I (informed).
- Exactly one A per row.
- Share with all teams and include in new-hire onboarding.
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RACI
| Activity | Sales | Pre-sales / SE | Onboarding | NOC / service desk | Customer success | Finance / billing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| e.g. Contract and order entry | R | C | I | A | ||
| Qualify opportunity and scope | ||||||
| Solution design and pricing | ||||||
| Contract and order entry | ||||||
| Kickoff and onboarding plan | ||||||
| Configuration and deployment | ||||||
| Go-live acceptance | ||||||
| Monitoring and incident response | ||||||
| Change requests | ||||||
| Monthly reporting | ||||||
| Quarterly business review | ||||||
| Renewal and expansion | ||||||
| Invoicing and collections |
Handoff criteria
| Item | Criteria to hand off |
|---|---|
| Sales to onboardingSigned contract, scope, contacts, kickoff scheduled. | |
| Onboarding to operationsGo-live checklist complete and customer acceptance signed. | |
| Operations to customer successFirst 30 days stable; success plan agreed. |
Recurring Billing Readiness
Confirm the systems and processes to quote, order, bill, and collect recurring revenue accurately before your first managed services customer.
How to use
- Work through the checklist with finance and operations.
- Assign owners for every open item.
- Run a test invoice end to end before the pilot.
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Billing readiness checklist
- Service SKUs and price books are set up in quoting and billing systems.
- Billing frequency (monthly, quarterly, annual) and terms are defined.
- Usage or device-count billing is automated from the management platform where applicable.
- Contract start, co-terming, and renewal dates are tracked.
- Proration and mid-term changes (adds, moves, cancellations) are handled.
- Revenue recognition treatment is confirmed with finance.
- Extreme subscription and license costs are mapped to customer contracts.
- Invoices show service, tier, quantities, and term clearly.
- Collections and dunning process is defined.
- Monthly recurring revenue (MRR) and churn reporting is available.
- A test invoice has been run end to end.
Ecosystem Partner Plan
Identify the partners that fill gaps in your delivery or offer (NOC, security, connectivity, applications) and define how you will work together.
How to use
- List the capability gaps a partner could fill.
- Evaluate candidate partners against the criteria.
- Agree commercial terms, SLAs, and escalation paths with each selected partner.
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Partner candidates
| Capability gap | Candidate partner | Commercial model | SLA alignment | Integration needs | Decision |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| e.g. 24x7 NOC (L1–L2) | Wholesale NOC provider | Per device per month | Matches Standard tier | PSA ticket sync | Shortlist |
Partner agreement checklist
- Scope of services and responsibilities documented.
- SLAs back-to-back with your customer SLAs.
- Escalation paths and contacts agreed.
- Data security and access controls agreed.
- Pricing, billing, and payment terms agreed.
- Joint review cadence scheduled.
KPI Scorecard: Customer Outcomes and Business Performance
Track the KPIs that prove value to customers and show how your practice is performing. Status updates automatically as you enter actuals.
How to use
- Confirm the KPIs and set targets.
- Enter actuals monthly or quarterly.
- Share customer KPIs in QBRs and business KPIs with leadership.
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KPI scorecard
| KPI | Better when | Target | Actual | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Customer outcomes: availability, mean time to restore, incidents, proactive resolution, CSAT, NPS | ||||
| Business performance: MRR, customers, gross margin, churn, net revenue retention, SLA attainment, pipeline coverage, tickets per device |
Calculated columns update automatically in the Excel file.
Customer Success Plan and QBR
Agree on the outcomes each customer expects, track progress, and run quarterly business reviews that drive renewal and expansion.
How to use
- Complete the success plan with the customer within 30 days of go-live.
- Review it in every QBR using the agenda below.
- Log expansion opportunities and risks after each review.
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Customer success plan
| Item | Your entry |
|---|---|
| Customer and services | |
| Business outcomes the customer expects | |
| Success measures and targets | |
| Key stakeholders (customer / your team) | |
| Risks to success | |
| Expansion opportunities |
Quarterly business review agenda
| Section | Content |
|---|---|
| 1. Outcomes review | Progress against the success measures. |
| 2. Service performance | SLA attainment, incidents, changes, trends. |
| 3. Insights | Network health, usage, and security insights from the Extreme platform. |
| 4. Roadmap | Customer plans and your service roadmap. |
| 5. Recommendations | Optimization and expansion opportunities. |
| 6. Actions | Owners and dates. |
Managed Service Piloting Checklist
Structure a pilot with friendly customers to prove your service, processes, and customer experience before general availability.
How to use
- Confirm every item before the pilot starts; record owners for open items.
- Run the pilot against the defined entry and exit criteria.
- Use close-out interviews to fix gaps and capture testimonials.
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Piloting checklist
- Are clear market-testing or pilot objectives defined?
- Are clear entry and exit requirements established?
- Has a process been defined to map and evaluate the entire customer experience?
- Are target pilot-customer profiles aligned to those targeted at launch?
- Are your target customers ready, willing, able, and friendly?
- Have your new managed services support processes been established?
- Is your overall approach in place and ready for market testing?
- Are contracting language and terms for the new service defined and ready?
- Are your deployment and onboarding teams and processes ready?
- Are customer-success processes defined and in place?
- Can your teams quantify customer value realization?
- Are pilot close-out interview questions standardized?
- Is your new service ready for general availability?