Move deals and read the forecast

Once your pipeline is built, the daily job is simple: keep deals moving and keep the data honest. KudosCRM gives you a kanban board to drag deals across stages, a list view to work them in bulk, and a forecast view that turns the live pipeline into a number you can defend in a review.

This guide covers advancing a deal (and what the stage gates do), closing it with a reason, and reading the weighted forecast and quota attainment — so the number leadership sees is built from real activity, not a hopeful spreadsheet.

Who this is for

Reps working their deals day to day, and managers who run the pipeline review and forecast call.

Before you start

• A pipeline with stages set up (see 'How to build a sales pipeline').
• Deals in the pipeline to work.
• Quotas set for your reps if you want attainment to show.

What's live vs. coming soon
Weighted forecasting (value × stage probability), the committed/likely/pipeline categories, and quota attainment are live. Switching the forecast calculation method (commit / best-case) and AI win-probability/health scoring are on the roadmap (shown with a 'Soon' pill) — today the forecast is a transparent, weighted roll-up you can audit.

Move deals and read the number

1. Drag a deal to the next stage
   On the kanban board, drag a deal's card to the next stage. The board shows a verdict before you drop — OK, a warning, or blocked — so you know if a required field or rule will stop the move.
2. Fill what the gate asks for
   If the target stage requires fields, a prompt collects them before the move completes. This is by design — it keeps the forecast honest by ensuring deals only advance when they truly qualify.
3. Override probability when a deal is unusual
   Most deals inherit their stage's win probability. When one is an exception, set a per-deal probability override on the deal — the forecast uses it instead of the stage default.
4. Close it won or lost
   Move the deal to your Won or Lost stage. Winning promotes the linked contact to customer automatically; losing requires a reason (and optionally a competitor) so the loss is captured for win/loss analysis.
5. Open the forecast view
   Switch the pipeline to the forecast view. Open deals are weighted by stage probability and bucketed into committed, likely, and pipeline — with won-to-date and a projected end-of-period number.
6. Read attainment against quota
   If quotas are set, the forecast shows each rep's attainment — target vs. attained, with a progress bar and period-over-period delta — so you can see who's on track and where the gap is.
7. Act on the gaps
   Use the gap analysis and filters (stalled deals, high-value at-risk) to decide where to spend the rest of the period. Every change you make on the board updates the forecast in real time.

What you get

• Deals that only advance when they genuinely qualify, thanks to stage gates.
• A weighted forecast — committed, likely, pipeline — built from real activity.
• Quota attainment per rep, with the gap to target visible.
• Every loss captured with a reason, feeding win/loss analysis.

Frequently asked questions

How does KudosCRM calculate the forecast?

It's a weighted roll-up: each open deal counts at its value times its stage's win probability (or a per-deal override), bucketed into committed, likely, and pipeline. The number is transparent and auditable — you can click into any bucket to see the deals behind it. Alternative methods like commit and best-case are on the roadmap.

Why is a deal blocked from moving stage?

Because a rule or required field is stopping it. The board shows the verdict before you drop the card — it may be a required field on the target stage, a rule that prevents skipping or backtracking, or a stage locked to admins. Fill what's asked for, or have an admin move it.

What's the difference between the stage probability and the forecast category?

The stage probability is the percentage each stage carries, used to weight the forecast. The forecast category (committed / likely / pipeline) is the bucket a deal falls into based on that probability. Probability drives the math; the category is the at-a-glance grouping.

How is quota attainment calculated?

Attainment combines closed-won to date plus the weighted open pipeline, measured against the rep's quota for the period, shown as a percentage with a progress bar and a period-over-period delta. Quotas can be set per rep and per period.

Does the forecast update as I work?

Yes. The forecast is computed live from your deals, so every stage move, value change, or close updates the number immediately — and changes broadcast in real time, so a manager watching the board sees them without a refresh.

Learn more

• Sales forecasting (feature) — Everything the weighted forecast and quota tracking do, on the feature page.
• Deals (feature) — Managing each opportunity, closing with reasons, and win/loss analysis.
• Sales & Pipeline overview — The full journey stage — see the customer, move the deal, trust the number.