Leads and opportunities are both deals you're working — but they sit at different points in the funnel and the forecast treats them very differently.
- A lead is a deal in qualification. You believe there's something here, but you haven't yet confirmed budget, timeline, decision-maker, or scope.
- An opportunity is a deal that has qualified through. The buyer is real, the need is real, and you're now working it toward close.
When does a lead become an opportunity?
Promote when all of the following are true:
- The right contact (or contacts) is engaged.
- There's a recognizable scope — what we'd be selling.
- There's a plausible budget and timeline.
- You'd put real effort into a proposal.
If any of those is missing, keep it a lead. Promoting too early pollutes the forecast; leaving it too long hides real pipeline.
Why this line matters
- Forecasts weight opportunities, not leads. Misclassified deals break revenue forecasts in both directions.
- Stage definitions differ. The stages on the leads kanban are qualification stages; the stages on the opportunities kanban are closing stages.
- Reporting counts conversion rates from lead → opportunity. If everything is an opportunity from day one, there's no funnel.