Most tech review meetings are terrible. Someone shares a spreadsheet. People debate their favorite tools. Nothing changes. Everyone goes back to work frustrated.

Here’s how to run one that actually works.

Why Bother?

Tech stack reviews catch problems early. Unused subscriptions. Tools that overlap. Gaps that create workarounds. Staff frustration that’s simmering beneath the surface.

Done well, these meetings save money, improve productivity, and surface issues before they become crises. Done poorly, they’re a waste of time.

The difference is structure.

Before the Meeting

The meeting itself is the easy part. Preparation is what makes it work.

Two Weeks Before: Gather the Data

Pull together:

1. Complete software inventory. Every tool, every subscription, every user count.
2. Usage data. Login activity, active users, last access dates.
3. Spend data. Monthly and annual costs for each tool.
4. Upcoming renewals. What’s renewing in the next 90 days?
5. Known pain points. What complaints have you heard from staff?

If you don’t have this data, that’s your first problem to solve.

One Week Before: Send Pre-Read

Share the inventory with meeting participants. Ask them to come prepared with:

• Tools they use that aren’t on the list
• Tools on the list they don’t use
• Pain points they want to discuss
• Requests for new tools

This prevents the meeting from being people’s first time seeing the data.

Invite the Right People

You need:

• Someone with spending authority (decisions require budget ownership)
• Representatives from each major department (they know what’s actually used)
• IT or the person who manages tools (they know what’s possible)
• Optional: finance (they can pull spending data on the spot)

Keep it small. Five to seven people is ideal. More than that and nothing gets decided.

The Meeting Structure

Block 90 minutes. Run it quarterly.

Part 1: Data Review (20 minutes)

Walk through the current state. No discussion yet, just facts.

• Total monthly/annual SaaS spend
• Number of tools in use
• Biggest line items
• Upcoming renewals
• Any obvious issues (unused tools, duplicate functions)

Present the data visually. A chart of spend by category. A list of tools sorted by cost. Visual patterns are easier to discuss than spreadsheet rows.

Part 2: Pain Points Discussion (25 minutes)

Go around the room. What’s not working?

• “Our project management tool is too complicated.”
• “Marketing and Sales can’t share information easily.”
• “Nobody uses the knowledge base, so we duplicate answers constantly.”

Capture these without solving them yet. You’re collecting problems, not debating solutions.

Part 3: Tool-by-Tool Decisions (30 minutes)

Work through the renewal calendar. For each tool renewing in the next 90 days:

• Is it used enough to justify the cost?
• Should we reduce seats?
• Should we look for alternatives?
• Should we let it renew?

Make actual decisions. “Keep as is.” “Reduce to 10 seats.” “Sarah will evaluate alternatives before renewal.”

For tools without imminent renewals, focus on the obvious issues: duplicates, completely unused subscriptions, things people are complaining about.

Part 4: New Requests (10 minutes)

What new tools are people asking for?

Don’t evaluate them in the meeting. Capture the requests and assign someone to investigate. “Marcus wants a diagramming tool. Jana will evaluate options and report at the next review.”

Part 5: Actions and Owners (5 minutes)

Summarize what was decided. Assign owners and deadlines. Every action needs a name and a date.

• Cancel subscription X by March 30 (Owner: Tom)
• Evaluate alternative CRMs by April 15 (Owner: Sarah)
• Reduce seat count on Y from 20 to 12 before renewal (Owner: IT)

Common Mistakes

No preparation. Without pre-work, the meeting becomes data discovery instead of decision-making.

No decision authority. If the people in the room can’t commit to changes, it’s a discussion, not a review.

Solving problems in the meeting. You can’t properly evaluate a new tool in 10 minutes. Capture requests, investigate later.

Skipping the pain points. Usage data doesn’t capture user frustration. Something might be “used” but hated.

No follow-through. Actions without owners and deadlines don’t happen.

The Output

End every meeting with a written summary:

• Tools to keep unchanged
• Tools to cancel or reduce
• Evaluations to conduct
• New requests to investigate
• Savings identified
• Date of next review

Share this with attendees and anyone affected by decisions. Transparency prevents surprises.

Making It Stick

Quarterly reviews only work if they happen. Put all four in the calendar at the start of each year. Treat them like any other important recurring meeting.

Track your savings over time. If you’re not finding at least 10-15% optimization opportunities each year, you’re either extremely disciplined or not looking hard enough.

A Lighter Alternative

Full quarterly reviews work for companies with 50+ employees and significant tech spend. Smaller companies might find them overkill.

For smaller teams, try a monthly 30-minute check-in:

• Any renewals this month?
• Any complaints about current tools?
• Any new requests?

Less formal, but maintains the discipline of regular review.

The First Meeting

Your first review will be rough. You won’t have complete data. Some people won’t prepare. You’ll find unexpected subscriptions.

That’s fine. The first meeting surfaces the chaos. Subsequent meetings manage it.

Start with what you have. Improve the process each quarter. By the fourth meeting, you’ll have a system that genuinely keeps your tech stack right-sized.