Why Pipeline Hygiene Matters

Clean pipeline data drives three critical outcomes: accurate forecasting, better resource allocation, and faster sales cycles. When reps let opportunities rot in the CRM with outdated close dates and missing information, leadership loses visibility into real business health.

The Pipeline Hygiene Framework

Core Data Fields to Monitor

Track these five critical fields to establish baseline hygiene standards:

Close Date Compliance Set progressive requirements by stage. Stage 1 opportunities need close dates at least 30 days out. Stage 2 and beyond require close dates at least 15 days from today. Never allow close dates in the past.

Amount Validation Any opportunity in Stage 2 or later must have an amount greater than zero. No exceptions. If your rep can't estimate deal size, the opportunity isn't qualified.

Close Date Change Tracking Count how many times close dates shift. 0-5 changes signals normal deal progression. 6+ changes indicates a stalled opportunity or poor qualification. Create a custom field in your CRM to automatically track this metric.

Next Steps Recency Next steps must be updated within the last 7 calendar days. This field forces reps to document concrete actions, not vague aspirations. Stale next steps mean stale deals.

Activity Recency Last activity date should fall within the last 7 days. No activity means no progress. Deals without recent touchpoints either need immediate attention or should be disqualified.

Building Your Hygiene Scorecard

Weight Your Criteria

Assign percentage weights based on impact to forecast accuracy:

• Close Date: 25%

• Amount: 20%

• Close Date Changes: 5%

• Next Steps: 25%

• Last Activity: 25%

Calculate each rep's overall hygiene score. Set 85% as your compliance threshold.

Take Action on Scores

95%+: No action required 85-94%: Monitor next week Below 85%: Immediate attention required.

Meet with reps scoring below 85% within 48 hours. Review their pipeline together and clean data in real-time.

Common Pitfalls to Avoid

Over-Engineering: Don't track 20 fields. These five drive 80% of hygiene value.

Lack of Consequences: Hygiene scores without accountability become ignored metrics. Tie compliance to performance reviews.

Neglecting Automation: Manual hygiene checks don't scale. Build validation rules and workflow automations in your CRM.

Ignoring Context: Enterprise deals naturally move slower than SMB. Segment your thresholds or risk false positives.

Measuring Success

Track three metrics monthly:

1. Average Hygiene Score: Target 90%+ across all reps

2. Forecast Accuracy: Hygiene improvements should correlate with tighter forecast variance

3. Pipeline Velocity: Clean data enables faster deal progression

Pipeline hygiene transforms from checkbox activity to competitive advantage when executed systematically. Start with these five fields, establish your baseline, and maintain weekly discipline. Your forecast accuracy will reflect the investment.