PE-301e · Module 3

Next-Quarter Pipeline Planning

3 min read

Coverage planning for next quarter starts in the current quarter. By week 6 of Q1, you should know: how much pipeline currently exists for Q2, how much additional pipeline needs to be generated, and whether the generation rate is on track to fill the gap by the start of Q2. Waiting until Q2 to realize you do not have enough pipeline means the gap is unrecoverable.

Do This

  • Begin next-quarter pipeline tracking at the midpoint of the current quarter — week 6 or 7 of a 13-week quarter
  • Calculate the generation rate needed: (Required Pipeline - Current Next-Quarter Pipeline) / Weeks Remaining
  • Report next-quarter coverage in every pipeline review to create accountability for forward-looking generation

Avoid This

  • Wait until the new quarter starts to assess coverage — by then, the gap is baked in
  • Assume deals from the current quarter that slip will fill next quarter's pipeline — slippage helps, but it is not a strategy
  • Focus exclusively on the current quarter and let next quarter take care of itself — revenue problems compound across quarters

The next-quarter pipeline planning model has three inputs: the next-quarter revenue target, the current pipeline for next quarter (deals with close dates in Q2), and the expected additional pipeline from current-quarter slippage (historically, X% of current-quarter pipeline pushes to next quarter). The gap between available pipeline plus expected slippage and the required coverage is the generation target that marketing and sales must fill during the remaining weeks of the current quarter.