# Pipeline Management and Forecasting: practice workbook
Talent Engineering Academy | An education initiative by Vitae
Edition 2026.09 | Updated 2026-09-24
Course: https://talentengineering.org/courses/pipeline-forecasting

Build evidence-based opportunity stages, separate revenue from cash and model uncertainty honestly.

## Your deliverable
A pipeline stage guide and three-scenario forecast.

Use fictional information. Keep your completed work in your own secure notes. Exercises and capstone work are self-directed, not independently assessed.

## 1. Stage and entry or exit evidence

Your notes:



## 2. Opportunity value and fee basis

Your notes:



## 3. Expected decision and payment dates

Your notes:



## 4. Buyer next step and owner

Your notes:



## 5. Base, upside and downside assumptions

Your notes:



## 6. Forecast error and stale-deal review

Your notes:



## Lesson exercises

### 1. Define stages by buyer evidence

Define six stages for a fictional recruitment practice with required evidence.

Your response:


Worked example: An account remains in discovery until budget, authority and service fit are confirmed. A friendly conversation does not move it to committed merely because the potential fee is attractive.

Self-review guidance: Include a rule for moving backwards or closing an opportunity. Every active stage should have a meaningful next action and a way to detect staleness.

### 2. Separate bookings, revenue and cash

Create a timeline from agreement through invoice and payment for three fictional engagements.

Your response:


Worked example: A fictional £10,000 fee is expected after a start next month, with payment later under the agreement. It cannot fund this week’s software bill simply because the opportunity is marked likely.

Self-review guidance: Show committed costs and possible delays. Keep forecast revenue and cash receipts distinct. Identify where an accountant should confirm recognition or tax treatment.

### 3. Use scenarios and probabilities carefully

Build three scenarios for five fictional opportunities and identify one correlated risk.

Your response:


Worked example: Five opportunities all depend on the same sector expansion. A downturn could affect them together, so adding independent weighted values understates the shared risk. The downside scenario models a sector-wide delay.

Self-review guidance: State probability assumptions and timing ranges. Explain why the weighted total is an expectation under assumptions, not a promised minimum. Include the effect of losing the largest client.

### 4. Review forecast error and pipeline hygiene

Write a monthly pipeline review agenda and a stale-opportunity rule.

Your response:


Worked example: A deal’s close date moves three times without buyer action. The review returns it to an earlier stage and asks what evidence would justify reactivation instead of leaving it in the committed forecast.

Self-review guidance: Include forecast error, next-step evidence, concentration and cash timing. A useful review changes assumptions or actions, not merely the colours on a dashboard.

## Portfolio review
Check that your work is internally consistent, distinguishes facts from assumptions, names decision owners and explains its limitations. Revise gaps before using the method in real work.

## Further reading
- [CIPD: Recruitment](https://www.cipd.org/uk/knowledge/factsheets/recruitment-factsheet/): Professional context for the recruitment lifecycle.
- [GOV.UK: Set up a business](https://www.gov.uk/set-up-business): UK starting point. Business structure and obligations depend on the circumstances.

Original educational scenarios. References provide further reading and do not imply endorsement. Check current official rules and appropriate professional advice for real legal, financial or regulated decisions.