Forecasting Setup

Predict future revenue based on your pipeline data and historical close rates. This guide walks you through setting stage probabilities, configuring forecast reports, and building weighted revenue projections.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, ensure you have:

• At least one pipeline with defined stages
• Opportunities with monetary values assigned (even rough estimates work)
• Historical win/loss data (if available) or industry benchmark probabilities
• Admin or sales manager access to view and export reports

Assign Opportunity Values

Ensure every opportunity has a dollar amount for accurate forecasting.

1. Navigate to Opportunities
2. Review all open opportunities on the board
3. For any opportunity missing a value, click the opportunity card
4. Click Edit
5. Enter the Opportunity Value field (estimated revenue if this deal closes)
6. Click Save
7. Repeat for all opportunities in your pipeline

Without values, the system cannot calculate revenue forecasts. Even rough estimates are better than blank fields.

Create Stage Probability Custom Field

Track the close likelihood for each pipeline stage.

1. Navigate to Settings in the left sidebar
2. Click Custom Fields
3. Select Opportunities from the dropdown
4. Click Add Custom Field
5. Enter Field Name: “Stage Probability”
6. Select Field Type: Number
7. Set Default Value: 0
8. Click Save
9. Go to Opportunities and open an opportunity
10. Update the Stage Probability field based on the current stage:
    • New Lead: 10
    • Qualified Lead: 25
    • Proposal Sent: 50
    • Negotiation: 75
    • Closed Won: 100
11. Click Save

Repeat for all opportunities. Better yet, automate this in the next step.

Set Up Automated Probability Updates

Update probability values automatically when opportunities move between stages.

1. Go to Automation → Workflows
2. Click Create Workflow → Start from Scratch
3. Add trigger: Pipeline Stage Changed
4. Select your pipeline from the dropdown
5. Select a stage (example: “Qualified Lead”)
6. Click Save Trigger
7. Add action: Custom Field → Update Custom Field
8. Select Stage Probability from the field dropdown
9. Enter the probability value for this stage (example: 25)
10. Click Save Action
11. Toggle Draft → Publish

Repeat this workflow for every stage in your pipeline with the appropriate probability values:

• New Lead: 10%
• Qualified Lead: 25%
• Proposal Sent: 50%
• Negotiation: 75%
• Closed Won: 100%

Calculate Weighted Revenue

Export opportunity data and build a weighted forecast spreadsheet.

1. Navigate to Opportunities
2. Click Export in the top-right corner
3. Select Export to CSV
4. Open the CSV file in Excel or Google Sheets
5. Create a new column called Weighted Value
6. Enter formula: =Opportunity Value * (Stage Probability / 100)
7. Copy the formula down for all rows
8. Sum the Weighted Value column to get your total forecasted revenue
9. Group by Expected Close Date (if available) to see revenue by month or quarter

This weighted forecast accounts for the reality that not all opportunities will close.

Set Up Dashboard Forecast Widget

Monitor forecasted revenue directly in your dashboard.

1. Navigate to Dashboards
2. Click + Add Widget
3. Select Opportunities
4. Choose Pipeline Value from the widget types
5. Select your pipeline from the dropdown
6. Set date range: Current Month or Current Quarter
7. Toggle Show Weighted Value if your platform version supports it
8. Click Save Widget
9. Position the widget on your dashboard

The widget now displays total pipeline value and updates in real-time as opportunities move through stages.

Configure Win Rate Tracking

Measure historical close rates to refine probability assumptions.

1. Navigate to Reports in the left sidebar
2. Click Opportunities
3. Set date range to the past 90 days
4. Group results by Pipeline Stage
5. Filter by Status: Won and Lost only
6. Count opportunities won vs. lost per stage
7. Calculate win rate: (Won / (Won + Lost)) * 100
8. Compare actual win rates to your stage probability assumptions
9. Adjust stage probabilities if actual data differs significantly

Example calculation:

• Proposal Stage: 20 won, 10 lost
• Win rate: (20 / 30) * 100 = 67%
• If you assumed 50%, increase to 65-70% for more accurate forecasts

Create Monthly Forecast Reports

Generate recurring reports to track forecast accuracy over time.

1. Navigate to Reports → Opportunities
2. Set date range to This Month
3. Filter by Status: Open
4. Group by Pipeline Stage
5. Export the report to CSV
6. Add columns for:
   • Total Opportunity Value (sum per stage)
   • Stage Probability (your assigned percentages)
   • Weighted Revenue (value * probability)
7. Sum weighted revenue for your total monthly forecast
8. At month-end, compare forecasted revenue to actual closed revenue
9. Calculate variance: ((Actual - Forecast) / Forecast) * 100
10. Adjust stage probabilities if variance exceeds ±15%

Schedule this report to run on the 1st of every month and review with your team.

Test Your Setup

Verify forecasts calculate correctly before relying on them for planning.

1. Navigate to Opportunities
2. Create a test opportunity with a $10,000 value
3. Place it in the “Proposal Sent” stage (50% probability)
4. Expected weighted value: $5,000
5. Export opportunities to CSV
6. Verify the weighted calculation shows $5,000 for this opportunity
7. Move the opportunity to “Negotiation” stage (75% probability)
8. Verify the weighted value updates to $7,500
9. Check your dashboard widget to confirm it reflects updated totals

If weighted values don’t calculate correctly, verify the custom field formula and stage probability values.

Next Steps

With forecasting configured, refine your revenue predictions:

• Review the Forecasting guide for advanced velocity analysis and multi-period projections
• Set up Pipeline Builder automation to move stale opportunities automatically
• Create quarterly forecast reports to track accuracy and adjust probability models
• Build separate forecasts for each pipeline if you run multiple workflows
• Add close date fields to opportunities for time-based revenue projections
• Schedule weekly pipeline reviews to validate opportunity values and stage placement