TAP TAP GO
Use observable stage definitions
Define what moves an opportunity from enquiry to qualified evaluation, proposal, committed order and fulfilled sale. Require an observable customer action for each transition. Internal optimism or a salesperson’s confidence should not be the only reason a large opportunity advances.
Track dependencies explicitly
A customer commitment may still depend on delivery dates, product readiness, financing or approval. Record these conditions and who owns them. The more important the order is to a forecast, the more important it becomes to understand what could prevent or delay completion.
Keep the forecast explainable
Show the unweighted pipeline and a separately labelled forecast based on explicit assumptions. Do not add them together. Review opportunities that remain in the same stage too long, and record the reason for changes so the team learns from forecast errors. Ask who can verify the customer commitment independently of the salesperson. Appropriate order records and customer correspondence help maintain stage discipline, especially when a large opportunity has attracted internal attention and there is pressure to treat it as nearly complete. Record the expected decision date alongside its source, distinguishing a customer-confirmed milestone from an internal estimate made for planning purposes.
Illustrative operating example
A hypothetical pipeline contains $200,000 of proposals and $50,000 of confirmed orders. Calling the combined $250,000 booked sales would obscure the different commitment levels. Report each stage and the relevant completion conditions instead.
Make it practical.
Use this checklist as you read. Checks are not stored.Published by Tap Tap Go. Product availability and eligibility vary by programme and market. About our stories.
