Configuring Forecast Categories means editing each Opportunity Stage record and picking the right category. The work is quick (5 to 10 stages, one minute each) but consequential. The mapping decision shapes how leadership reads the pipeline for the rest of the year.
- Open Opportunity Stages
Setup, Object Manager, Opportunity, Fields & Relationships, Stage. Click the Stage field to see the list of picklist values, each with its Forecast Category.
- Review the current mapping
For each stage, note the current Forecast Category. Identify the gaps: Prospecting on Best Case, Negotiation on Pipeline, late-stage on Omitted. Wrong mappings distort the forecast.
- Decide the target mapping
Pick stages for each category. Standard pattern: early stages on Pipeline, middle stages on Best Case, late stages on Commit, closed stages on Closed, lost stages on Omitted.
- Update each stage's category
Edit each stage picklist value, pick the new Forecast Category, save. The change applies immediately to new and existing opportunities.
- Confirm the Forecast UI reflects the change
Open the Forecast tab as a user with active opportunities. Confirm the deal counts in each category match expectations. Cross-check against a manual SOQL query if needed.
- Document the mapping for the sales team
Publish the Stage-to-Category mapping in a Knowledge Article or Trailhead-internal training. Reps need to know how their stage selection affects the forecast their manager sees.
Excludes the opportunity from forecast aggregations. Used for Closed Lost or dead deals that should not influence the number.
Counts the deal as in flight but not committed. Aggregated as the broadest signal of potential.
Counts the deal as an optimistic estimate. Typically late-mid-stage deals likely to close.
Counts the deal as part of the promised number. Leadership-facing confidence level.
Counts already-won deals against quota attainment. The Won stage maps here.
Stage-level percentage that drives Expected Revenue. Related to but distinct from Forecast Category.
- Forecast Category mapping changes apply prospectively, not retroactively. Historical Forecast snapshots are not recategorized. Plan mapping changes at quarterly boundaries.
- Closed Lost should map to Omitted, not Pipeline. The most common mapping mistake is leaving Closed Lost in Pipeline, which inflates the pipeline number and confuses leadership.
- Forecast Category labels (Omitted, Pipeline, Best Case, Commit, Closed) are not customizable. The five standard names are hard-coded into the platform.
- Manager-initiated adjustments propagate up the forecast hierarchy. A change at the regional manager level flows to the VP and CRO view. The audit trail tracks the chain.
- Opportunity Splits inherit Forecast Category from the parent opportunity. Each split rep's forecast column reflects their split percentage, not the full deal Amount.