). By default, each Forecast Category correlates to one or more stages.

However, the rep can set the Forecast Category separately from the stage. Essentially, this provides a way to add personal judgment to the likelihood of an opportunity closing beyond the sales stage.

Example 1: I may have an opportunity at an early stage as defined in our process, but maybe the decision maker has told me that we're his preferred option and it's ours to lose. In that case, I may choose to set this at "Commit," even though the default would show it as "Pipeline."

Example 2: I might have a late-stage Opportunity in "Negotiation," but the entire sale rests on a vote by the board of directors, and we don't know which way they will vote. In that case, I may choose to set the Forecast Category to "Best Case" rather than "Commit."