Free tool · Sales planning Pipeline coverage calculator: how much pipeline do you need?
Pipeline coverage is open pipeline divided by the quota you still have to close. "3x" is the number everyone quotes; the number you need is one divided by your own win rate. Enter the target, what is already won, your win rate and the pipeline by stage.
- Coverage you have vs need
- Gap in money and deals
- Runs locally
Coverage, required coverage and the gap
Target and stage amounts are enough for the coverage ratio. Win rate adds the required coverage and the gap. Stage probabilities are optional and give a weighted pipeline as a second view.
Target and history
Quota or bookings target for the quarter (or month).
Won so far in the same period. Remaining target = target − closed.
Share of pipeline that closed won in past periods, by amount: won ÷ (won + lost), counted from the same stage your pipeline starts at.
Turns the pipeline gap into a number of deals.
Pipeline coverage
2.61×
Open pipeline ÷ remaining target.
Coverage you need
4.00×
1 ÷ win rate. At 25% you need 4×.
Open pipeline is 65.3% of the pipeline your win rate requires.
Open pipeline by stage
| Stage | Amount | Probability % | Weighted | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $90,000 | 38.3% | ||||
| $175,000 | 29.8% | ||||
| $250,000 | 21.3% | ||||
| $187,500 | 10.6% |
Only open opportunities expected to close in this period. Leave the probability blank unless your CRM has stage probabilities you trust; the weighted view is an alternative to the win-rate view, not something to multiply on top of it.
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https://tapcub.com/tools/pipeline-coverage-calculator
Version v1.0Updated Update history
Two ratios and a gap
Coverage compares what is in the pipeline with what is left to win. Required coverage says how much your win rate needs.
Pipeline coverage
$2.35M open against $900K still to close is 2.61×. On its own the ratio says little; 2.61× is plenty at a 50% win rate and short at 20%.
Coverage you need
One divided by win rate. A 25% win rate needs 4×; 33% needs 3×, which is where the 3× rule of thumb comes from. Use your own trailing win rate for the same kind of deal.
Pipeline still needed
At 4× the team needs $3.6M of pipeline and has $2.35M, so $1.25M is missing: about 32 more deals of $40K. That is a pipeline generation target, not a closing target.
Weighted coverage
A second view from stage probabilities: $702,500 weighted against $900K is 0.78×. If both views say short, believe them.
Coverage assumes the pipeline will convert at your historical win rate. A pipeline full of early-stage deals, or deals pushed from last quarter, converts lower than the average.
Three steps
Pull the numbers from your CRM for one period and one team.
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1
Enter the target and what is closed
The quota for the quarter and bookings already won. Coverage is measured against what is left.
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2
Enter your win rate
Won ÷ (won + lost) by amount over the last few quarters, starting from the stage where you begin counting pipeline.
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3
List open pipeline by stage
Only opportunities with a close date inside the period. Add stage probabilities if you want the weighted view.
Coverage = open pipeline ÷ remaining target
Remaining target is the target minus what has already closed. Required coverage is the inverse of the win rate: if one dollar in four closes, you need four dollars of pipeline for each dollar of target.
- Required coverage = 1 ÷ win rate
- Pipeline still needed = remaining target × required coverage − open pipeline
- Expected to close = open pipeline × win rate
- Weighted pipeline = Σ (stage amount × stage probability); weighted coverage = weighted pipeline ÷ remaining target
- The 3× rule of thumb matches a win rate of about 33%. Tae Hea Nahm of Storm Ventures shows how coverage depends on close rate and sales cycle and that the rule does not apply everywhere (Storm Ventures, 2016)
| Win rate | Coverage you need | Pipeline for $1M left to close |
|---|---|---|
| 50% | 2.0× | $2.0M |
| 33% | 3.0× | $3.0M |
| 25% | 4.0× | $4.0M |
| 20% | 5.0× | $5.0M |
| 15% | 6.7× | $6.7M |
A $1.2M quarter, week five
A sales team has a $1.2M quarterly target, has closed $300K and wins 25% of pipeline by amount. These are the calculator's default numbers.
| Step | Calculation | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Remaining target | $1,200,000 − $300,000 | $900,000 |
| Open pipeline | $900K + $700K + $500K + $250K | $2,350,000 |
| Coverage | $2,350,000 ÷ $900,000 | 2.61× |
| Coverage needed | 1 ÷ 25% | 4.00× |
| Pipeline needed | $900,000 × 4 | $3,600,000 |
| Pipeline still needed | $3,600,000 − $2,350,000 | $1,250,000 (32 deals of $40K) |
| Expected to close | $2,350,000 × 25% | $587,500 (short $312,500) |
| Weighted pipeline | $90K + $175K + $250K + $187.5K | $702,500 (0.78×) |
Sample figures. Both views say the quarter will miss without new pipeline or a higher win rate on what is there.
Where coverage misleads
The ratio is only as good as the pipeline in the numerator and the win rate behind the target.
Using 3× for every team
3× fits a win rate near 33%. A team that wins 20% needs 5×; one that wins 50% can plan on 2×. Work out your own.
Counting deals outside the period
Opportunities closing next quarter, or with no close date, inflate coverage for this one. Filter by close date.
Win rate on a different base
A win rate measured from qualified opportunities does not fit a pipeline that includes discovery calls. Measure both from the same stage.
Multiplying probabilities and win rate
Weighted pipeline already discounts each deal. Applying the win rate again double-counts the risk.
The top of the pipeline, measured
TapCub is not a CRM and does not track opportunities. It measures where pipeline comes from: leads by channel, how many qualify, how many close and for how much, with deals sent back from your CRM.
Lead-to-deal funnel
Form view, lead, callback, appointment and deal over 30 days, broken down by first-touch channel or sales rep.
Learn moreDeal value from the CRM
deal_closed with an amount puts deal value and average deal size on the lead pipeline board.
Learn moreGoals with projections
A monthly or quarterly target on any metric, with the projection at the current pace and the gap.
Learn morePipeline coverage questions
Still have a question?
Chat with the team behind TapCub — we usually reply within a few hours on business days.
How do you calculate pipeline coverage?
Divide the open pipeline expected to close in the period by the target still to close. $2.35M of pipeline against $900K remaining is 2.61×. Use remaining target (target minus closed won), not the full target, once the period has started.
What is a good pipeline coverage ratio?
One divided by your win rate. At a 25% win rate you need 4×, at 33% you need 3×. 3× is a rule of thumb that matches a win rate of about one in three; it is not a benchmark for every team.
Where does the 3× pipeline rule come from?
If roughly a third of pipeline closes, three times the target in pipeline is enough. Storm Ventures' Tae Hea Nahm showed in 2016 that the coverage you need depends on close rate, sales cycle length and growth, and ranges well below and above 3×.
Should I use weighted or unweighted pipeline?
Either, but not both at once. Unweighted coverage compared with 1 ÷ win rate is simple and uses your history. Weighted pipeline uses stage probabilities; compare it with the remaining target directly (1× = on plan).
How do I calculate win rate for coverage?
Won ÷ (won + lost) by amount over the last few periods, for opportunities that entered the same stage your pipeline starts at. Open deals are left out of the win rate.
How is pipeline coverage related to cost per lead?
Pipeline still needed ÷ average deal size gives the deals to add; divided by your lead-to-deal rate it gives the leads to generate, and the cost per lead calculator turns that into budget.
Update history
New features, fixes and data refreshes for this tool, newest first.
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· v1.0
LaunchedFirst release.
Missing something or found an error? Tell us — requests that come up often go into the next update. All tool updates
Measure the leads that fill the pipeline
The lead-gen template follows each lead from the form to the deal, so the win rate and lead-to-deal rate behind this calculation come from your own data.