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Appendix E1 — Pipeline Review Templates

Purpose of This Appendix

This appendix defines how pipeline reviews are conducted inside SalesOps.

Pipeline reviews are not status meetings.
They are system diagnostics.

SalesOps uses pipeline reviews to:

  • surface truth
  • identify friction
  • guide coaching
  • protect forecast integrity

If pipeline reviews feel stressful or performative, the system is broken.

Pipeline Reviews Diagnose the System, Not the Rep

SalesOps treats pipeline reviews as:

An examination of system behavior through individual deals.

Pipeline reviews do not exist to:

  • interrogate reps
  • demand explanations
  • pressure outcomes
  • create fear

When reviews become personal, honesty disappears.

The Only Valid Pipeline Review Questions

SalesOps limits pipeline reviews to questions that reveal system health.

Every deal review must answer:

  1. Where is the deal now?
  2. Why is it in this stage?
  3. What must happen next?
  4. What could stop it?
  5. When will truth be known?

Anything beyond this is noise.

Deal-Level Review Template

For each active deal, SalesOps requires:

  • Stage:
    Is the deal in the correct stage based on definitions?
  • Problem Clarity:
    Can the rep clearly articulate the buyer’s problem?
  • Value Definition:
    Is value quantified or clearly understood?
  • Decision Authority:
    Who decides and who influences?
  • Next Step:
    Is there a scheduled, buyer-committed next action?
  • Risk Factors:
    What could realistically stop this deal?

If any answer is vague, the deal is unstable.

Stage Health Review (System-Level)

SalesOps reviews pipeline health by stage:

  • Are deals entering stages too early?
  • Are deals lingering beyond thresholds?
  • Are exits happening cleanly?
  • Are conversion rates consistent?

Stage problems indicate structural issues, not rep failure.

Momentum Assessment

SalesOps evaluates momentum by asking:

  • Has the deal moved forward since last review?
  • Was movement buyer-driven or rep-driven?
  • Is time in stage appropriate?

Momentum without buyer commitment is false momentum.

Forecast Integrity Check

SalesOps uses pipeline reviews to validate forecasts:

  • Do close dates align with reality?
  • Are probabilities honest?
  • Are deals inflated for optimism?

Forecast confidence is earned through pipeline discipline.

Exit Decisions (Mandatory)

SalesOps requires explicit exit decisions when:

  • deals stall repeatedly
  • authority is missing
  • urgency disappears
  • engagement drops

Exits are logged, not avoided.

A clean exit is a successful outcome.

B2B vs B2C Pipeline Review Emphasis

In B2B:

  • deeper deal reviews
  • stakeholder focus
  • risk assessment

In B2C:

  • volume patterns
  • conversion flow
  • speed-to-decision

Same template. Different depth.

What Pipeline Reviews Enable

With disciplined pipeline reviews:

  • truth surfaces early
  • coaching becomes targeted
  • forecasts stabilize
  • pressure decreases

Without them:

  • pipelines rot
  • leaders guess
  • reps hide problems

 

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