Pipeline Hygiene Scorecard

Most pipelines are not pipelines. They are wish lists with stages attached.

This scorecard evaluates your pipeline across 6 dimensions that determine whether your funnel produces reliable revenue or comfortable illusions. Score each criterion honestly. The total tells you where you stand — and what to fix first.

How to score

For each criterion, assign a score from 1 to 5:

• 1 — Not happening at all
• 2 — Happens inconsistently or informally
• 3 — Defined but not enforced
• 4 — Consistently practiced with occasional gaps
• 5 — Systematic, measured, and continuously improved

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Dimension 1: Stage Progression

Does pipeline movement reflect real buyer behavior, or are reps dragging deals forward on hope?

1. Every stage has documented exit criteria that map to a buyer action, not a seller activity.
2. Deals cannot advance without evidence (meeting held, proposal requested, decision maker identified).
3. Stage durations are tracked and deals that exceed average time-in-stage are flagged automatically.
4. Backward movement (deal regressing a stage) is captured and reviewed, not hidden.

Your score: ___ / 20

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Dimension 2: Data Completeness

Can you trust what is in the CRM, or are you making decisions on half-filled records?

1. Every opportunity has a defined close date that is updated when reality changes, not left at the original guess.
2. Contact roles (decision maker, champion, influencer) are documented on every deal above your average contract value.
3. Next steps are specific and dated — not "follow up" or "check in."
4. Closed-lost deals have a structured reason captured within 48 hours of loss.
5. Revenue fields (amount, recurring vs. one-time, product line) are complete on 90%+ of opportunities.

Your score: ___ / 25

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Dimension 3: Pipeline Velocity

Do you know how fast deals move, or do you just know how long the quarter is?

1. You can state your average sales cycle length by segment or product, and it is based on data from the last two quarters.
2. Conversion rates between stages are tracked and reviewed monthly.
3. You can identify which stage has the highest drop-off rate without running a custom report.
4. Time-to-first-response for new opportunities is measured and held to a standard.

Your score: ___ / 20

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Dimension 4: Win Rate Patterns

Do you know why you win and lose, or do you just know that you do?

1. Win rate is tracked by rep, segment, lead source, and deal size — not just as a single blended number.
2. You review losses as a team with the same rigor you review wins.
3. You can identify which competitor or objection pattern is most correlated with losses.
4. Win rate trends over time are visible in a standing report, not something you calculate ad hoc.

Your score: ___ / 20

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Dimension 5: Stale Deal Handling

Are dead deals identified and removed, or is your pipeline inflated with ghosts?

1. There is a defined threshold (days without activity) that triggers a stale deal review.
2. Stale deals are reviewed weekly and either re-engaged with a documented plan or moved to closed-lost.
3. Pipeline coverage ratios are calculated after removing stale deals, not before.
4. Reps are not penalized for closing out dead deals — the incentive is accuracy, not volume.
5. You can distinguish between "no response" stale deals and "slow procurement cycle" deals.

Your score: ___ / 25

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Dimension 6: Forecast Accuracy

Does your forecast predict revenue, or does it just describe optimism?

1. Your forecast methodology has defined categories (commit, best case, upside) with written criteria for each.
2. Forecasted amounts are compared to actual closed revenue each period, and the variance is reviewed.
3. Forecast calls are based on deal-level inspection, not rep self-reporting alone.
4. You can identify which reps or segments consistently over- or under-forecast.
5. Your forecast has been accurate to within 15% of actual results in at least 3 of the last 4 quarters.

Your score: ___ / 25

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Total Score: ___ / 135

Interpretation

110-135: Strong pipeline discipline. Your pipeline is a reliable operating tool. Focus on marginal improvements in velocity and win rate analysis. You are likely ready to scale without adding chaos.

80-109: Solid foundation with gaps. The structure exists but enforcement and consistency are uneven. You are probably making decent decisions but leaving accuracy and speed on the table. A focused advisory session can prioritize the 2-3 changes that will have the most impact.

50-79: Pipeline is a reporting tool, not an operating tool. You have a CRM and a process on paper, but the data does not drive decisions reliably. Forecasts are more art than science. Stale deals are inflating your coverage numbers. This is where most growth-stage teams land — and where operational improvements produce the fastest revenue impact.

Below 50: Operating on instinct. Your pipeline is not giving you the information you need to run the business. You are reacting instead of planning. The fix is not more tools — it is building the discipline layer underneath what you already have.

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What to do with your score

A low score is not a failure. It is a map. Every dimension where you scored below 75% of its maximum is a specific area where operational improvement will produce measurable revenue impact.

If you scored below 80: an advisory session will walk through your results, identify the root causes behind your weakest dimensions, and build a sequenced plan to fix them — starting with the changes that affect forecast accuracy and deal velocity first.

Book an advisory session to review your scorecard →