Pipeline Assumptions
Narrative documenting the key assumptions underlying the pipeline forecast — conversion rates by stage, expected sales-cycle length, segment-mix expectations, and any deal-specific dependencies (e.g. "we assume Acme renews their POC by end of month and signs the upgrade in Q3"). Common pitfall: leaving assumptions implicit makes the forecast non-falsifiable — if you don't list the assumptions, you can't identify which one broke when the forecast misses. Renders side-by-side with sales.pipeline_risk_factors in the TwoColumnTextarea widget (sales.pipeline_context_notes container). — Sales KPI, I'mBoard-authored (editorial tier).
I'mBoard-authored (editorial tier)
No public third-party standard anchors this KPI yet, so I'mBoard authors and maintains the definition — transparently labeled as editorial tier. See the ontology methodology for the published vs editorial tier system and the back-attribution workstream.
Rogue ID: sales.pipeline_assumptions
Type: Text
Domain: Sales
Definition
Narrative documenting the key assumptions underlying the pipeline forecast — conversion rates by stage, expected sales-cycle length, segment-mix expectations, and any deal-specific dependencies (e.g. "we assume Acme renews their POC by end of month and signs the upgrade in Q3"). Common pitfall: leaving assumptions implicit makes the forecast non-falsifiable — if you don't list the assumptions, you can't identify which one broke when the forecast misses. Renders side-by-side with sales.pipeline_risk_factors in the TwoColumnTextarea widget (sales.pipeline_context_notes container).
Formula
Free-text narrative — no calculation. Convention: 3–6 bullet assumptions, each one stating the assumed value/rate and the implication if it diverges (e.g. "Assumed Q3 win-rate of 28%; each 5pp miss = $X off forecast").Why it matters
Makes the forecast falsifiable and post-mortem-able — without an assumptions list, missed quarters get attributed to vague "execution" rather than specific assumption failures the next plan should correct.
How to interpret
After-the-fact review: which assumptions held and which broke? An assumption that consistently breaks (e.g. "Q4 always slips") is a planning-process problem, not an execution problem. Strong commentary names 1–2 assumptions explicitly and provides the sensitivity ("if conversion holds at 32%, forecast holds; below 28% we are $X short").
Related KPIs
sales.pipeline_risk_factorssales.pipeline_context_notessales.weighted_forecastsales.quarterly_forecastsales.win_rate
Source
I'mBoard editorial — authored and maintained by I'mBoard, first published 2026-04-01. No third-party standard is cited for this KPI; when one emerges, the definition is back-attributed and promoted to the published tier (a minor version bump). Read the ontology methodology for the published vs editorial tier system, attribution rules, and dispute process.
Stage relevance
| Company stage | Priority |
|---|---|
| Series A | Recommended |
| Series B | Recommended |
| Series C+ | Recommended |
| Public | Recommended |
Suggested for stages: Series A, Series B, Series C+, Public.
Default owning functions
- Sales
Machine-readable
- This KPI as JSON:
/api/ontology/sales/pipeline_assumptions.json - All Sales KPIs:
/api/ontology/sales.json - Full catalog:
/api/ontology/index.json
Opening Pipeline Value
Total pipeline value at the start of the period — the baseline against which the period's pipeline flow (+ new opportunities − won − lost = closing) reconciles. Equal to the prior period's closing pipeline by construction. Surfaces in sales.pipeline_flow as the `start` slot. Common pitfall: restating opening pipeline to retroactively "clean up" stale deals masks the hygiene problem rather than addressing it; cleanup should happen via explicit "old-deal scrub" lines in the flow, not by editing the opening baseline. — Sales KPI, I'mBoard-authored (editorial tier).
Pipeline Context Notes
Container handle for the side-by-side contextual notes — pairs sales.pipeline_assumptions (left slot) with sales.pipeline_risk_factors (right slot) in the TwoColumnTextarea widget. Visually positions the "what we're assuming" narrative directly next to the "what could break those assumptions" narrative, forcing the team to write them in concert (rather than as two independent surfaces that drift apart over quarters). Common pitfall: writing assumptions without their corresponding risks (or vice versa) means the forecast is incomplete — every assumption should pair to a risk factor that captures the failure mode. — Sales KPI, I'mBoard-authored (editorial tier).