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This page maps how information moves through MSPortal, so you know which module to open next. It is for MSP staff planning a client workflow. The map shows possible flows. One record does not automatically create every downstream record, so you choose each next step.

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The diagram

MSPortal proactive data flow architecture
The diagram shows the proactive side of MSPortal. PSA tickets and projects take a separate path to reporting, shown on the right.

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Read the diagram by stage

Onboarding

Kickoff intake and client setup. The Onboarding Portal links to a project and pulls survey responses in for the first engagement.

Stage 0: Integrations

Microsoft 365, RMM, backup and security, and your PSA connect once and keep feeding the pipeline.

Stage 1: Collect

Surveys, Microsoft 365, backup and security, Devices, and Standards bring data in. Each is its own module with its own views and filters.

Stage 2: Refine

Goals capture what the client wants to achieve. Compliance scores controls against frameworks. Both feed the Planner.

Stage 3: Plan

The Planner holds the roadmap. Each item has a title, status, priority, dates, estimated hours and cost, linked devices, a linked source, an assignee, and a company.

Stage 4: Budget

Budgets roll labor up from Planner hours and projects and products up from Planner cost estimates. A forecast projects the budget forward.

Stage 5: Present

Meetings are the live client-facing output. Reports and Dashboards is the single reporting surface, in three formats: block-based reports, dashboards, and narrative reports.

Reactive rail

PSA projects and tickets flow to Reports and Dashboards without passing through the Planner. Ticket Trends and Financial Reporting roll up into Client Health.

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Plan a client workflow from evidence to presentation

1

Collect the evidence

Complete a survey, connect Microsoft 365, and import devices from your RMM. See Surveys, Microsoft 365, and Devices.
2

Turn findings into goals

Create goals from survey responses, or add them by hand. Review compliance failures and Secure Score recommendations. See Goals and Compliance.
3

Add Planner items

Create Planner items from goals, compliance findings, and standards gaps. Attach devices, then set hours and costs. See Planner.
4

Roll costs into a budget

Add the Planner items you intend to pursue to a budget and review the forecast. See Budgets.
5

Present to the client

Build a QBR agenda from goals, Planner items, compliance, and budgets. Present it live, then send a report. See Meetings and Presenting meetings.
6

Repeat each quarter

Send a follow-up survey, close finished Planner items, and open new goals.
Before you present, check the company and provider instance, the latest sync result, the report filters and date range, and who can see the result. An MSP preview does not prove a company user sees the same thing.

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What the Planner is for

The Planner is your roadmap for each client. A vCIO or account manager lays out the next several years of IT work in plain, estimated form, so the client can react to it before anyone writes a formal quote.
  • Estimates, not quotes. Hours and costs on Planner items are directional. They feed Budgets and the forecast. A Planner estimate does not issue a quote, approve spending, or create a PSA project.
  • Years in advance. Add work well ahead of time, such as a firewall refresh or a server upgrade.
  • Owned by the account owner. Technicians work in the PSA. The Planner is the account strategy layer above it.
  • Traceable. A linked source on each item shows which goal, control, standard, or survey put it on the roadmap.
PSA tickets and projects are not Planner items. They show up in reports without passing through the Planner.

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The unified reporting surface

Reports and Dashboards pulls from the proactive pipeline and from PSA data. It offers three formats.

Block-based reports

A widget grid. Build it once as a template and reuse it across clients.

Dashboards

Live metrics. Use them in a meeting or the client portal.

Narrative reports

Long-form QBRs and executive summaries built from the same data.
See Reporting.

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Writebacks to your source systems

Some actions create or update something in a connected system. They appear as dashed teal arrows in the diagram.
  • Onboarding to projects. An onboarding portal links to a project. Depending on your setup, that is an MSPortal project or a project in your PSA.
  • Devices to your PSA and documentation tool. Warranty dates can write back to Autotask, ConnectWise, and Halo assets and to IT Glue configurations.
Writeback depends on the provider and the action. Do not assume every integration writes back, or that every device field updates your PSA. Check the provider’s guide and verify the result in the external system.

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MSP Tools: your cross-client view

Everything in the MSP Tools column is for your staff, not your clients. It is how you look across every client at once.

Ticket Trends

Weekly, per-company, and per-category ticket analytics from your PSA.

Financial Reporting

Revenue efficiency, seat pricing, and support cost per client.

Client Health

A portfolio view that scores every client from trend and financial signals.

Standards

Your reference catalog of standard products and how each client’s stack compares.

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Troubleshooting

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Frequently asked questions

No. Review the finding, then use the supported create or link action.
No. Quoting, budget approval, and PSA project creation are separate workflows.
No. Writeback depends on the provider and the action.
No. Tickets and projects flow to reporting without becoming Planner items.