Moving an opportunity
One step forward is free; a skip or a step back needs a note. An unfinished playbook and an unsent document never block a move.
What is free and what needs a note
| Move | Allowed? | Note required? |
|---|---|---|
| One stage forward | ||
| Skipping several stages forward | ||
| Back, on the selling side | ||
| Back, after the contract | ||
| Out of archived | — |
Why only one step forward is free
One step forward is ordinary work, and asking for a reason would only add friction. Jumping from stage two to stage five is a claim, and a claim should carry a sentence.
A step back always needs a note, on either side. Going back means something we thought had happened did not — and that is precisely what somebody will be looking for an explanation of three months later.
You see it before it is sent
Tapping the next stage sends nothing immediately. The move sits as pending and you get two buttons: accept or discard. Discard resets everything to the real stage.
If the move requires a note, the accept button stays disabled until you write one.
If the server refuses the move, the reason is reported on the control itself and the stage resets.
What does not block a move
A playbook step that is not ticked, and a document that has not been sent, do not refuse the move. The server writes them on the stage and on the card and shows the red left-behind count; going is your decision.
Delivery has two exceptions, and only where the firm itself marked a checklist line with the “contract” or “deliverable” kind: read the guide on delivery stage evidence.
Who can move a deal
Moving a stage is the engagement lead's job, or a workspace admin's.
Archiving is admin-only, and only once the outcome is no longer open — you close it first, then archive.
Read this next
- Pipeline & opportunitiesClosing an opportunityThe close options depend on where you are — and "won" is never one of them.
- Pipeline & opportunitiesThe stage historyEvery move is one row. It is never edited or deleted — which is what makes it worth having.
- Pipeline & opportunitiesThe stage playbookEvery sales stage carries an ordered list of things to do. Written once; every open opportunity reads the same list.
- Contacts & engagementsDelivery stage evidenceEvery delivery stage says what evidence it owes and the document checklist answers. Two kinds of line can close a door, and only if you marked them.
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