Creating a Pipeline & Its Stages

Step by step

Build a pipeline in five steps

This is a one-time setup job. Click through the steps.

1

Open the builder

Click Search at the top of your screen and type Pipelines, then open it. You will see a list of your pipelines with the number of stages and when each was last updated.

2

Create and name it

Click Create new pipeline at the top right and type a name. Names must be unique in your account. Your software adds Won and Lost stages for you.

3

Add your stages

Type a name in the Stage Name box and click Add stage. Repeat for each stage. Names must be unique inside the pipeline.

4

Put them in order

Use the up and down arrows next to a stage to move it. The top of the list is the left side of your board. Click Save when it looks right.

5

Set the icons or delete

The funnel and pie chart icons control whether a stage shows in those dashboard charts. The trash icon deletes a stage and asks where its deals should go.

Naming

Use the words you say out loud

Short, action-based names make the board easy to read.

🆕

New Inquiry

A first stage that says a deal just arrived.

📞

Discovery Call

Ask yourself: has the call happened?

📄

Proposal Sent

Ask yourself: has the proposal gone out?

⏸️

On Hold

A holding stage you might hide from the charts.

Key terms

Definitions

Tap any term to expand it.

The button at the top right of the Pipelines tab.

The button that adds the stage name you typed to the list.

Turns a stage on or off in your funnel charts.

Turns a stage on or off in your pie charts.

Help me do it

Things To Do

Finish these before moving to the next lesson. They only take a few minutes.

0 of 3 done

Create one new pipeline named for who is in it or what they buy.

Add at least three stages that match how you really talk about deals.

Reorder one stage with the arrows, then click Save.

⚡ Tips

Three to six stages is plenty to start. A board with fifteen columns is hard to read.
Pipeline names show in dropdowns all over your software, so keep them short.
Deleting a stage never deletes the deals. Pick a destination stage and they move over.
You can rename and reorder stages any time, so nothing here is permanent.

Check yourself

Quick Knowledge Check

Answer a few quick questions to lock in what you just learned. Miss one and we'll show you the right answer.

0 of 4 answered

Which two stages does your software create automatically?

What does the funnel icon on a stage control?

Pipeline names must be ____ in your account.

When you delete a stage, you pick a ____ stage for its deals.

Help me apply it

Try This With Your Favorite AI

Copy a prompt below and paste it into ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, or whatever AI tool you use. Fill in the bracketed details and it'll help you write your own version for your business.

🏗️ Name my pipeline stages

You are a software setup helper helping me name stages in a new pipeline. My context: - [what kind of deals this pipeline holds] - [the steps a deal goes through, in my own words] - [how many stages I want] Give me: - Three to six stage names under four words each - The order they should go from left to right - A one-line question for each stage that tells me when to move a card Use action-based names and no jargon. Finish by asking me: "Do these stage names sound like how I actually talk about my deals?"

📊 Choose chart icons

You are a dashboard setup helper helping me decide which stages show in charts. My context: - [my list of stages] - [which stages are only holding pens] - [which charts I look at most] Give me: - A yes or no for the funnel icon on each stage, with a reason - A yes or no for the pie chart icon on each stage, with a reason - A short note on which stage to check after saving Keep each reason to one sentence. Finish by asking me: "Which of my stages do you want to know more about?"