Pipeline coverage calculator: The ratio you need from your own win rate and slippage
Pipeline coverage is open pipeline divided by the revenue still to close. The ratio you need is not a rule of thumb: it is 1 divided by your win rate after slippage. Enter your target, what is already closed, your trailing win rate and the share of pipeline that slips out of the period, and the calculator returns the coverage ratio and the pipeline it implies.
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Pipeline coverage calculator
Worked example, with the default inputs
To close the remaining $1M at a 25% win rate, with 15% of pipeline slipping, you need $4.71M of open pipeline: 4.7x coverage.
coverage = 1 ÷ (win rate × (1 − slippage))
pipeline needed = (target − closed) × coverage
How it is worked out
coverage = 1 ÷ (win rate × (1 − slippage))pipeline needed = (target − closed) × coverage
- win rate
- won opportunities ÷ opportunities that closed won or lost, by value
- slippage
- the share of pipeline due in the period that moves to a later one
| Remaining | $1,200,000 − $200,000 = $1,000,000 |
|---|---|
| Yield on pipeline | 25% × (1 − 15%) = 21.25% |
| Coverage | 1 ÷ 0.2125 = 4.7x |
| Pipeline needed | $1,000,000 ÷ 0.2125 = $4,705,882, which is $1,000,000 × the unrounded coverage |
To close the remaining $1M at a 25% win rate, with 15% of pipeline slipping, you need $4.71M of open pipeline: 4.7x coverage.
Where the defaults come from
No default on this calculator is a published benchmark. Each is an example input chosen so the arithmetic is easy to follow; type your own.
| Input | Default, an example input |
|---|---|
| New revenue target for the period | $1,200,000 |
| Already closed this period | $200,000 |
| Win rate on opportunities | 25% |
| Pipeline that slips out of the period | 15% |
Why the ratio comes from your win rate
A coverage target such as three times is a win rate in disguise: three times coverage is enough only if a third of open pipeline closes in the period. Work the ratio from your own win rate and it stops being a convention and becomes a check you can defend.
Slippage matters as much as the win rate. Pipeline that moves to next quarter is neither won nor lost this quarter, so the calculator removes it before applying the win rate. The coverage ratio is shown to one decimal; the pipeline figure uses the unrounded ratio.
Which win rate to use
Use value, not count, if deal sizes vary, and use a trailing four quarters so one good or bad quarter does not set the target. Separate new business from expansion: they close at different rates, and one blended rate will understate the coverage new business needs.
The defaults are example inputs, not benchmarks. Replace them with your own CRM figures.
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