Splitting one opportunity object into two, so a two-stage revenue model could be measured

The problem

The play

1. 1
   Named the two closed-won events and separated them

   Proposed splitting the pipeline into two record types: the first covering identification through signed agreement, ending at an unambiguous revenue event; the second covering everything after that through final close. Each got its own stages, its own page layout and its own exit criteria, so a 'won' record means one thing on each.

2. 2
   Made the internal handoff a system event

   Completion of the first opportunity is the trigger to create the second, so the moment ownership passes between teams is recorded rather than assumed, and the sales team is measured on delivering a well-qualified deal through the gate, which is what it actually controls, rather than on an outcome it does not.

3. 3
   Wrote down the friction instead of glossing it
4. 4
   Extended the model to the rest of the revenue base

   The object ended up carrying eight record types with distinct page layouts, the two core paths, additional types for the other deal shapes the business ran, and a legacy type retained for history, with deal types separating new business, existing business and renewal, and a weighted-amount calculation on top.

5. 5
   Built the lead layer underneath it

   A defined lead status lifecycle with a written definition for each status, a flow stamping status-change timestamps, required fields enforced at lead creation, automatic promotion on conversion, and a plain-language guide so the team could operate it without asking.

6. 6
   Ran the reporting pack as a standing deliverable

   An executive dashboard, a weekly dashboard, a sales-cycle-timing dashboard and a rep leaderboard in the CRM, feeding a standing deck set produced month after month for well over a year, filed alongside lead-source, historical closed-won refresh, CAC and payback, and runway and revenue-mix artifacts.

7. 7
   Left the system documented

   A how-it-works document covering lead statuses and their definitions, the lead automations, required fields, every opportunity record type, deal types, the dashboard inventory and the tool stack, plus an offboarding plan and checklist.

What it moved

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