Opportunities in the Forecast and Pipeline

NetSuite includes an opportunity in the sales forecast and pipeline if it meets the following requirements:

• The opportunity has not been converted to a sales order, cash sale, or invoice.

• The opportunity does not have an associated estimate marked to be included in the forecast.

• The opportunity's expected close date is within the reporting period.

• The estimate's probability of close exceeds the minimum forecast probability set at Setup > Sales > Preferences > Sales Preferences > Forecasts.

  Note:

  This preference is not available if you use the Advanced Forecasting feature.

If the expected close date of an opportunity differs from its estimate, the estimate's close date determines whether it appears on a pipeline or forecast report.

If you use Advanced Forecasting, sales reps choose to assign opportunities to one of three forecast types: low, middle, and high.

The opportunity totals in the forecast depend on whether you have set the Multiple Projected Amounts preference. Go to Setup > Sales > Preferences > Sales Preferences > Forecasts. Check the box next to Multiple Projected Amounts.

Advanced Forecasting With Multiple Projected Amounts

If your company uses the Multiple Projected Amounts preference, you can designate a range of projected values for each opportunity. Set this preference at Setup > Sales > Preferences > Sales Preferences.

The lower amount in the projected amount range represents the low, or worst case, forecast amount. The higher amount represents the high, or upside, forecast amount. The amount in the Projected Total field represents the middle, or most likely, forecast amount.

The forecast type you choose for an opportunity determines the amount NetSuite includes in the forecast according to the following:

• NetSuite includes Worst Case opportunities and estimates in each forecast category.

• NetSuite includes opportunities in the Most Likely category in the Most Likely and the Upside forecasts.

• NetSuite includes opportunities in the Upside category in the Upside forecast.

With the Multiple Projected Amount preference enabled, NetSuite includes the projected amount in each category in the corresponding forecast category.

The following example explains how an opportunity's total is calculated based on the forecast type you select.

Example

A Wolfe Electronics sales rep enters an opportunity record for a customer. After selecting the items the customer is interested in, the projected total for the opportunity is calculated to $2000.

The rep believes the deal could be worth half that amount or potentially worth more. In the Range fields the rep enters a lower amount of $1000 and a higher amount of $3000.

The forecast amounts for this opportunity are:

• Worst case – $1000

• Most likely – $2000

• Upside – $3000

The amount that NetSuite uses to calculate the forecast amount of this opportunity depends on the forecast type the rep assigns to the opportunity.

If you track weighted forecasts, NetSuite includes the weighted amount of opportunities and estimates in each category in the forecast.

Advanced Forecasting Without Multiple Projected Amounts

If your company does not use the Multiple Projected Amounts preference, each opportunity has a single projected amount. NetSuite applies the projected amount of the opportunity to each forecast category based on the following rules.

The forecast type on an opportunity determines the forecast categories it is included in according to the following:

• NetSuite includes Worst Case opportunities and estimates in each forecast category.

• NetSuite includes opportunities in the Most Likely category in the Most Likely and the Upside forecasts.

• NetSuite includes opportunities in the Upside category in the Upside forecast.

The following example explains how NetSuite calculates an opportunity's total based on the forecast type.

Example

A Wolfe Electronics sales rep enters an opportunity record for a customer. After selecting the items the customer is interested in, the projected total for the opportunity is calculated to $2000.

The forecast category this opportunity appears in is determined by the forecast type selected on the record.

If you track weighted forecasts, NetSuite includes the weighted amount of opportunities and estimates in the forecast.

General Notices