Pipeline Flow
Container handle for the additive / subtractive pipeline-flow bridge — reconciles opening pipeline to closing pipeline through the period's adds, wins, and losses (opening + new_opps − closed_won − closed_lost = closing) with dual count + value columns. Renders via the FlowSubform widget. The audit trail of the pipeline motion — without this, period-over-period pipeline changes are unexplained. Common pitfall: a "scrub" line (deals reclassified from open to lost mid-period) is needed to keep the math reconciling when CRM hygiene happens; without it the flow appears not to balance and trust in the underlying numbers erodes. — 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_flow
Type: Text
Domain: Sales
Definition
Container handle for the additive / subtractive pipeline-flow bridge — reconciles opening pipeline to closing pipeline through the period's adds, wins, and losses (opening + new_opps − closed_won − closed_lost = closing) with dual count + value columns. Renders via the FlowSubform widget. The audit trail of the pipeline motion — without this, period-over-period pipeline changes are unexplained. Common pitfall: a "scrub" line (deals reclassified from open to lost mid-period) is needed to keep the math reconciling when CRM hygiene happens; without it the flow appears not to balance and trust in the underlying numbers erodes.
Formula
Container — start/end slots with dual (count + value) columns. Identity that must hold: opening_pipeline_value + new_opps_added_value − closed_won_value − closed_lost_value − scrubs = closing pipeline_value. Same identity holds on the count side using deal counts. Any gap surfaces a data-quality issue worth root-causing before next period.Why it matters
Makes the period's pipeline changes auditable line-by-line — boards can immediately see whether closing pipeline shrank because deals closed (good) or because deals were lost / scrubbed (bad). Without the flow, only the net change is visible and the underlying motion is opaque.
How to interpret
A healthy flow shows new_opps_added ≈ (closed_won + closed_lost) at steady state (top-of-funnel replacing what closes). When new_opps_added consistently lags closes, the closing pipeline shrinks period-over-period — future quarters will run into coverage stress. Disproportionate scrubs (large negative reclassifications) signal a CRM hygiene problem that's been suppressed.
Related KPIs
sales.opening_pipeline_valuesales.new_opps_added_valuesales.closed_won_valuesales.closed_lost_valuesales.pipeline_valuesales.pipeline_deal_count
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 | Core |
| Series B | Core |
| Series C+ | Core |
| Public | Core |
Suggested for stages: Series A, Series B, Series C+, Public.
Default owning functions
- Sales
Machine-readable
- This KPI as JSON:
/api/ontology/sales/pipeline_flow.json - All Sales KPIs:
/api/ontology/sales.json - Full catalog:
/api/ontology/index.json
Pipeline Deal Count
Total number of active opportunities in the pipeline (open stages only — excludes closed-won and closed-lost). The volume side of pipeline coverage; paired with pipeline_value gives the average deal size and the deal-count vs deal-size ratio that characterizes the motion shape. Common pitfall: counting non-bona-fide opportunities (orphaned trials, demo requests that never converted to a real evaluation) inflates the number — apply a stage-floor cutoff (e.g. SQL or higher) so the count reflects committed evaluation activity. — Sales KPI, I'mBoard-authored (editorial tier).
Pipeline Key Deals
Container handle for the field-array of key in-flight deals — each entry tracks deal name, current stage, dollar value, and confidence/commit status. Renders via the CollapsibleFormItemCardGallery widget (a reused gallery pattern shared with HR keyHires / keyOpenings). The "named deals the board should know about" surface — typically the top 5–10 deals by value or strategic importance. Common pitfall: a static list that doesn't reflect the current quarter — these should be refreshed each period to reflect actual top-of-mind deals, not carried forward from prior packs. — Sales KPI, I'mBoard-authored (editorial tier).