MSP Practice Playbook
Module 1 · Discover and plan · 30% of readiness score
MSP Organization Readiness
Secure executive commitment, choose your business model, and build the plan and financial objectives everything else depends on.
AMP UP! workshops: AMP UP! Business Discovery Workshop · AMP UP! Business Planning Workshop
Qualification and Readiness Assessment
Score your firm's starting point across business planning, existing managed service offers, and service desk maturity. The workbook totals your weighted score and gives a readiness verdict to discuss with your Extreme partner team.
How to use
- Rate each statement 1–5 (1 = strongly disagree, 5 = strongly agree).
- Set a weight of 1–3 for how important the statement is to your strategy.
- Review the readiness verdict, then bring the result to your Business Discovery Workshop.
Preview what's inside
Qualification and readiness
| Statement | Score (1–5) | Weight (1–3) | Weighted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Managed service practice business plan | |||
| This initiative is one of your firm's top 3 business priorities. | auto | ||
| Your firm has allocated an executive sponsor to this initiative. | auto | ||
| Your firm has allocated sales, delivery, support, and marketing resources to this initiative. | auto | ||
| Your firm has allocated budget to this initiative. | auto | ||
| New managed service capabilities would be consumed by more than 25% of your installed base over time. | auto | ||
| New managed service capabilities would enable your firm to reach new customers and expand markets. | auto | ||
| Your firm's current services mix is greater than 20% of overall revenues. | auto | ||
| Managed service offers | |||
| Your firm has established managed services capabilities. | auto | ||
| Your firm has existing, defined, and differentiated managed service offers. | auto | ||
| Your firm has a management platform to support your managed service offers. | auto | ||
| Your firm has existing managed services customers. | auto | ||
| Your firm has dedicated resources supporting your managed services. | auto | ||
| Service desk | |||
| Your firm has a service desk in place. | auto | ||
| Your firm has defined service desk processes. | auto | ||
| Your firm currently manages moves, adds, and changes (MACs) for end customers. | auto | ||
| Your firm offers helpdesk services for end customers. | auto | ||
| Your firm maintains ITIL Foundation certification. | auto | ||
| Your firm has dedicated resources supporting service desk functions. | auto |
Totals, readiness percentage, and verdict calculate automatically.
Executive Commitment and Team Roster
Name the executive sponsor and the leaders who will build and run the practice, confirm what each is accountable for, and record the commitments your leadership team makes.
How to use
- Assign an executive sponsor with budget or P&L authority.
- Name an owner for every role below; one person can hold more than one role early on.
- Review the role descriptions together and confirm the commitments section in a leadership meeting.
Preview what's inside
Practice development team roster
| Item | Name / owner | Time committed |
|---|---|---|
| Executive Sponsor | ||
| Managed Services Leader or Product Manager | ||
| Project Manager | ||
| Marketing Leader | ||
| Sales Leader | ||
| Delivery Leader | ||
| Support Leader | ||
| Business Operations Leader | ||
| Extreme Partner Account Manager | ||
| Extreme Alliance Leader |
Leadership and stakeholder roles
| Role | Accountable for |
|---|---|
| Managed Services Leader (or Product Manager) | Oversees the practice development initiative: the managed service business plan and financial objectives, commitment from functional leaders, new offer development, delivery and operational readiness, and business development for the new offers. |
| Project Manager | Keeps the initiative on track: resources assigned, tasks managed against a committed timeline, and risks mitigated. Accountable to the executive sponsor. |
| Marketing Leader | Analyzes the installed base to size demand, develops value propositions and positioning, the marketing and business development strategy, and the collateral and awareness that support the offers. |
| Sales Leader | Develops opportunities for the new offers and evolves sales skills, engagement methodology, and compensation to sell managed services. |
| Delivery Leader | Defines the skills, roles, and capacity the managed service model needs and the plan to evolve delivery, including resources for the NOC and service desk. |
| Support Leader | Evolves maintenance and helpdesk support models to align to the new managed services portfolio. |
| Business Operations Leader | Ensures the processes to order, deliver, manage, and bill for the offers are in place, including order management, billing, NOC, and service management platforms, and manages third-party relationships. |
Leadership commitments
- Managed services is confirmed as a top-three business priority.
- The executive sponsor has budget and/or P&L accountability.
- Functional leaders (sales, marketing, delivery, support, operations) have committed resources.
- A working team and project manager are assigned with a regular meeting cadence.
- An initial budget for people, platforms, and marketing is approved.
- Success measures for the first 12 months are agreed.
Managed Services Business Model Selector
Compare the managed services business models open to you and choose the one that best fits your existing capabilities, investment appetite, and time to market. Table 3 was referenced but missing from the source, so this selector is newly drafted for your review.
How to use
- Score each model 1–5 against every criterion (5 = strong fit for your firm today).
- Adjust the criterion weights to reflect your priorities.
- The highest weighted score is your starting model; revisit it as capabilities grow.
Preview what's inside
Business models
| Model | What it looks like | Best when |
|---|---|---|
| Resell / referral | Resell or refer Extreme cloud-managed services and subscriptions; Extreme or a partner delivers operations. | You want recurring revenue fast with minimal investment. |
| Co-managed | You own the customer relationship and Tier 1 service desk; a partner NOC or Extreme services handle monitoring and Tier 2–3. | You have a service desk but not a 24x7 NOC. |
| Partner-powered (white label) | You sell and brand the service; a wholesale partner delivers NOC operations under your brand. | Speed to market and your brand both matter, with limited capital. |
| Fully managed (own NOC) | You build and run the NOC, service desk, platforms, and processes end to end. | You have scale, skills, and capital and want the highest margins and differentiation. |
Model fit scoring
| Option | Fit with existing capabilities (×3) | Investment required (5 = low) (×2) | Time to market (5 = fast) (×2) | Margin potential (×2) | Control of customer experience (×2) | Ability to differentiate (×1) | Fit score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Resell / referral | auto | ||||||
| Co-managed | auto | ||||||
| Partner-powered (white label) | auto | ||||||
| Fully managed (own NOC) | auto |
Vision, Mission, and Business Priority
Capture why managed services matter to your firm and where they rank among your priorities, so leaders, teams, and Extreme share the same intent.
How to use
- Draft your company vision and mission if they are not already written.
- Write managed services statements that support them.
- Rank managed services against your other strategic initiatives and note what it will take to keep it in the top three.
Preview what's inside
Vision and mission statements
| Item | Your entry |
|---|---|
| Company visionWhere your firm is going in 3–5 years. | |
| Managed services visionHow managed services move the firm toward that vision. | |
| Company missionWhat you do, for whom, and how. | |
| Managed services missionWhat your managed services deliver for customers. |
Strategic priority ranking
| Rank | Initiative | Executive owner | Investment this year | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| e.g. 1 | Launch Extreme-powered managed network services | COO | $350,000 | Board-approved Q1 |
SWOT and Competitive Differentiation
Identify where your firm can win: the strengths to build on, the gaps to close, and the competitors and alternatives customers compare you to.
How to use
- Complete the SWOT with sales, delivery, and marketing leaders in the room.
- List the top competitors and alternatives in your target segments.
- Summarize two or three differentiators to carry into your unique value proposition.
Preview what's inside
SWOT analysis
| Item | Your entries |
|---|---|
| StrengthsSkills, certifications, customer relationships, vertical expertise. | |
| WeaknessesGaps in coverage, tools, staffing, or brand. | |
| OpportunitiesInstalled base demand, segments, refresh cycles, Extreme programs. | |
| ThreatsCompetitors, pricing pressure, in-house IT, talent market. |
Competitive landscape
| Competitor or alternative | Where they win | Where they are weak | How we differentiate |
|---|---|---|---|
| e.g. Regional MSP A | Price, local presence | No 24x7 NOC, limited Wi-Fi expertise | AI-driven Extreme platform with 24x7 monitoring and vertical apps |
Differentiators to carry forward
| Item | Statement |
|---|---|
| Differentiator 1 | |
| Differentiator 2 | |
| Differentiator 3 |
Financial Objectives and Investment Model
Set 12-, 24-, and 36-month objectives for customers, revenue, and profit, size your average deals, and budget the investments required. Gross margin and total investment calculate automatically.
How to use
- Enter objectives for each horizon in the tinted cells.
- Estimate average deal sizes for small, medium, and large customers.
- Budget each investment line; the totals feed your business plan.
Preview what's inside
Financial objectives
| Objective | 12-month | 24-month | 36-month |
|---|---|---|---|
| Active managed services customers | |||
| Managed services revenue | |||
| Cost of delivery | |||
| Gross profit (auto) | |||
| Gross margin % (auto) | |||
| Net profit / EBIT | |||
| Renewal rate | |||
| Average deal size: small, medium, large | |||
| Investments: NOC, service desk, platforms, enablement, marketing, people, other | |||
| Total investment (auto) |
Calculated columns update automatically in the Excel file.
Managed Services Business Plan Outline
A ready-made outline for a managed services business plan: a financial roadmap plus the activities and objectives to reach it, built from the practice development action plan.
How to use
- Work through each section; keep the first version short (5–10 pages).
- Pull numbers from the Financial Objectives workbook.
- Review with your executive sponsor and Extreme partner team, then refresh quarterly.
Preview what's inside
Business plan sections
| Item | Your content |
|---|---|
| 1. Executive summaryThe opportunity, chosen business model, and headline objectives. | |
| 2. Vision, mission, and priorityFrom the Vision, Mission, and Business Priority worksheet. | |
| 3. Market and installed base opportunitySegments, demand, and customer analysis. | |
| 4. Business modelFrom the Business Model Selector. | |
| 5. Managed service portfolioInitial services, roadmap, and value proposition. | |
| 6. Financial objectivesRevenue, gross margin, operating expenses, profit/loss at 12, 24, and 36 months (to 60 if helpful). | |
| 7. InvestmentsPeople, platforms, tools, marketing, and third-party partnerships. | |
| 8. Delivery modelNOC and service desk strategy and readiness milestones. | |
| 9. Go-to-marketRoutes to market, marketing, and sales enablement. | |
| 10. Leading prioritiesHiring, platform readiness, NOC and service desk readiness, marketing and business development, sales enablement. | |
| 11. Intermediate prioritiesSales quotas, customer engagement, pipeline. | |
| 12. Lagging prioritiesBookings, revenue and profit, gross margin, break-even, ROI, quote-to-cash, SLA attainment, renewals. | |
| 13. Risks and mitigations | |
| 14. Milestones and governanceTimeline, owners, and review cadence. |
MBO / OKR Scorecard
Cascade practice objectives to leaders, teams, and individuals so everyone knows what success looks like and progress is visible every quarter.
How to use
- Write practice-level objectives first, then leader and team objectives that support them.
- Give each key result a baseline, a target, and an owner.
- Update the Current column quarterly; % to target calculates automatically.
Preview what's inside
Objectives and key results
| Level | Objective | Key result | Owner | Baseline | Target | Current | % to target | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Calculated columns update automatically in the Excel file.