Pipeline by stage
How much is in play, and is the shape healthy?
Watch forA fat top with a pinched middle means you qualify too late. A bulge in one stage is where deals go to die.
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The Sales Ops Cheat Sheet
The reports to build, the KPIs that matter for your business model, and the meetings that keep pipeline honest. One page, no login. Built from the same playbook we run inside client CRMs.
Reports · KPIs by business type · The operating rhythm
Seven reports answer almost every question a revenue team asks: how much is in play, whether it is enough, where it leaks, and whether you can trust the number. The charts below are illustrative shapes, not client data.
Pipeline coverage vs target
Do we have enough pipeline to hit the number?
Watch forCoverage under the line early in the quarter is the warning. A common rule of thumb is three to four times the gap, but your own win rate sets the real multiple.
Stage conversion
Where do deals actually die?
Watch forFind the single worst step. That is where a play changes the number, not a pep talk.
Forecast vs actual
Can we trust the number we commit?
Watch forA forecast that is optimistic by the same margin every month is a bias you can correct, not bad luck.
Sales cycle by segment
How long does a deal really take?
Watch forBlended averages hide two populations. Median by segment beats a single mean every time.
Speed to lead
How fast do we touch a new lead?
Watch forAnything measured in days is a leak. For inbound, minutes decide who gets the meeting.
Pipeline created vs closed
Is the top of the funnel refilling?
Watch forA quarter carried entirely by deals that already existed is borrowed time. Created pipeline leads, closed lags.
One honourable mention: a stalled-and-aging view of every deal with no next step or a close date in the past. It is the graveyard report, and it is usually the fastest cleanup you will ever run. More in why your forecast is always wrong.
The wrong KPI is worse than none, because people optimise for it. Pick the set that matches how you actually sell. Choose a model to see its short list.
Pipeline coverage
Open pipeline against the target for the period. Tells you if the quarter is fundable before it is over.
Win rate
Won over all closed. Trend it by segment and source, not as one blended figure.
Average deal size (ACV)
The typical contract value. Rising size usually means longer cycles, so read it next to cycle length.
Sales cycle length
Median days from created to closed, by segment. The planning input everyone forgets.
Stage conversion
The step-by-step drop-off. Your map of where to intervene.
Forecast accuracy
Committed versus landed. The number that earns leadership's trust, or loses it.
Activation rate
Share of signups that reach the first real value moment. The gate everything else sits behind.
PQL to paid
Product-qualified leads that convert to paying. Your equivalent of a win rate.
Time to value
How long until a new user gets the outcome they came for. Shorter compounds into retention.
Free to paid conversion
Trial or free users that upgrade. Small percentage moves swing revenue hard at volume.
Net revenue retention
Expansion minus churn on the existing base. Above one hundred percent means you grow without new logos.
Expansion rate
Revenue added inside existing accounts. Often cheaper than net-new and easy to under-instrument.
Speed to lead
Minutes from inbound to first human touch. The single biggest lever at this tempo.
Activity to opportunity
Touches it takes to create one real opportunity. Your efficiency ratio.
Conversion per rep
Leads to closed, per rep. Surfaces coaching gaps a team average hides.
Deals per rep per month
Throughput. The volume engine you plan capacity around.
Cycle time
Days from first touch to close. Short by design, so drift shows up fast.
New MRR added
Recurring revenue booked in the period. The heartbeat metric.
Proposal win rate
Proposals sent that convert. Low rates usually mean qualifying too late, not pricing.
Average project value
Typical engagement size. Watch the mix of one-off versus retainer.
Utilization
Billable time against capacity. The margin metric hiding inside delivery.
Sales cycle
Days from scoping to signature. Long, relationship-led, and easy to misforecast.
Repeat and referral rate
Revenue from existing and referred clients. The cheapest pipeline you have.
Pipeline coverage
Weighted pipeline against the target. Even bespoke work needs a coverage view.
Most companies are a blend. Start with the model that carries the most revenue, instrument those six well, and resist the urge to track everything at once. Related: the metrics that actually change behaviour.
Reports and KPIs only work if someone looks at them on a schedule. These are the recurring meetings that turn a dashboard into a decision. Each one has a cadence, a room, and a single output.
Pipeline review
Keep the board honest, deal by deal.
Lead routing & SLA check
Make sure nothing sits unassigned or past its SLA.
Forecast call
Commit a number the whole company can plan on.
Deal desk
Pressure-test large or non-standard deals before they go out.
Win / loss review
Learn why deals actually close or die.
CRM hygiene review
Keep the data trustworthy enough to run on.
Business review (QBR)
Step back from the week to the quarter.
Territory & quota planning
Point effort at the right targets.
The point is not more meetings. It is fewer, with an owner and an output each, so the week has a rhythm instead of a scramble. More in the RevOps operating cadence.
From cheat sheet to system
Want this built into your CRM, not just bookmarked?
We build these reports, wire the KPIs to your model and set the operating rhythm, inside HubSpot or Salesforce. Book thirty minutes and we will tell you what to fix first.