Configuring Pipelines

What Are Pipelines?

Pipelines are automated workflows that orchestrate sequential stages of work. Each pipeline consists of ordered stages (such as "Lead," "Qualified," "Proposal," "Closed Won"), and each stage contains discrete items or jobs. Pipelines transform manual, multi-step processes into repeatable, organized structures that you can monitor, visualize, and manage consistently.

Why Use Multiple Pipelines?

Instead of mixing all your work into one pipeline, you can create separate pipelines for different business processes:

• Sales Pipeline — manage deals from lead to close

• Hiring Pipeline — track candidates through interview stages

• Customer Onboarding — guide new customers through setup

• Support Escalation — organize tickets by severity and resolution status

Each pipeline has its own visual identity (color, icon), custom entity labels, and stages tailored to that specific workflow.

Getting Started: Viewing and Navigating Pipelines

Accessing Your Pipelines

1. Navigate to the Pipeline section (Sales & Marketing > Pipelines) from the main navigation.

2. A Pipeline Selector appears in the filter bar, next to the Deal Properties and Company Properties buttons.

3. Click the selector to see all available pipelines with their color dots.

4. Select a pipeline to view its kanban board with all stages and items.

Note: The pipeline selector is always visible when pipelines exist, even if you only have one pipeline.

Understanding the Kanban View

Once you select a pipeline, you'll see:

• Stages as columns — each column represents a stage in your workflow (e.g., "Lead," "Qualified," "Proposal," "Closed Won")

• Items as cards — each card represents an item in that stage (a deal, candidate, customer, or ticket)

• Color coding — the pipeline and stages are visually identified by color for quick recognition

• Entity labels — items are called by the label you've defined for that pipeline (e.g., "Deals" in a sales pipeline, "Candidates" in a hiring pipeline)

Creating and Managing Pipelines

Accessing Pipeline Settings

To create, edit, or manage pipelines:

1. Go to Customize → Pipelines

2. You'll see the Pipeline Settings Page with a list of all your pipelines

Creating a New Pipeline

1. Click Create Pipeline (or the create button on the Pipelines settings page)

2. Fill in the following details:

   • Pipeline Name — e.g., "Hiring Pipeline," "Customer Onboarding"

   • Entity Label (Singular) — what you call a single item, e.g., "Candidate," "Customer," "Ticket"

   • Entity Label (Plural) — the plural form, e.g., "Candidates," "Customers," "Tickets"

   • Color — use the color picker to choose a visual identifier for this pipeline

   • Icon — optionally select a Lucide icon for visual identification

3. Click Create

Your new pipeline is now ready. You'll be taken to the pipeline detail page to add stages.

Setting a Default Pipeline

One pipeline per tenant is designated as the default pipeline. When you navigate to /pipeline without specifying a pipeline ID, you'll see your default pipeline.

To set a pipeline as default:

1. Go to Settings → Pipelines

2. Click the star icon next to the pipeline you want to set as default

3. The previous default is automatically unset

Reordering Pipelines

Pipelines appear in the Pipeline Selector in the order you set them. To reorder:

1. Go to Settings → Pipelines

2. Drag and drop pipelines to reorder them

3. The order is saved automatically

Editing Pipeline Metadata

To edit a pipeline's name, entity labels, color, or icon:

1. Go to Settings → Pipelines

2. Click Edit next to the pipeline

3. Update the fields you want to change

4. Click Save

Deleting a Pipeline

To delete a pipeline:

1. Go to Settings → Pipelines

2. Click Delete next to the pipeline

3. Important: A pipeline can only be deleted if:

   • It is not the default pipeline

   • It contains zero items (all items must be moved to another pipeline first)

Configuring Stages

Understanding Stages

Stages are the columns in your kanban board. They represent the sequential steps in your workflow. For example, a sales pipeline might have stages like "Lead," "Qualified," "Proposal," and "Closed Won."

Adding Stages to a Pipeline

1. Go to Settings → Pipelines

2. Click Edit next to the pipeline you want to configure

3. Scroll to the Stage Management section

4. Click Add Stage

5. Enter the stage name (e.g., "Lead," "Qualified")

6. Optionally choose a color for the stage

7. Click Create Stage

Editing a Stage

1. Go to Settings → Pipelines → Edit [Pipeline Name]

2. In the Stage Management section, click on the stage you want to edit

3. Update the stage name or color

4. Click Save

Reordering Stages

Stages run in the order you define them. To reorder:

1. Go to Settings → Pipelines → Edit [Pipeline Name]

2. In the Stage Management section, drag and drop stages to reorder them

3. The order is saved automatically

Note: Ordering is immutable once committed. Reordering requires dragging stages to their new positions; you cannot change the order of stages that have already been used in your workflow without recreating them.

Deleting a Stage

To delete a stage:

1. Go to Settings → Pipelines → Edit [Pipeline Name]

2. In the Stage Management section, click Delete next to the stage

3. Important: A stage can only be deleted if it contains zero items

Custom Fields and Pipeline-Scoped Properties

Understanding Custom Fields

Custom fields allow you to attach additional data to items in your pipeline. For example, you might add a "Deal Value" field to your sales pipeline or a "Candidate Level" field to your hiring pipeline.

Scoping Custom Fields to a Pipeline

Custom fields can be:

• Shared across all pipelines — the field appears in every pipeline (e.g., "Company Name")

• Scoped to a specific pipeline — the field appears only in that pipeline (e.g., "Interview Round" only in the hiring pipeline)

When you create or edit a custom field, you can choose whether it applies to all pipelines or just one.

Creating Pipeline-Scoped Custom Fields

1. Go to Settings → Pipelines → Edit [Pipeline Name]

2. Scroll to the Custom Fields section

3. Click Add Custom Field

4. Enter the field name and field type (text, number, date, dropdown, etc.)

5. Choose Scope: "This Pipeline Only" or "All Pipelines"

6. Click Create

Moving Items Between Pipelines

Changing an Item's Pipeline

Items belong to exactly one pipeline, but you can move them to a different pipeline if needed.

To move an item to a different pipeline:

1. Open the item (deal, candidate, customer, etc.)

2. Click Move to Pipeline or use the pipeline selector in the item details

3. Select the destination pipeline

4. Select the stage in that pipeline where the item should land

5. Click Move

The item is now in the new pipeline and stage.

Best Practices for Pipeline Configuration

Name Stages Idiomatically

Use clear, verb-noun pairs for stage names so intent is obvious at a glance:

• Sales Pipeline: "Lead," "Qualified," "Proposal," "Closed Won"

• Hiring Pipeline: "Application," "Phone Screen," "Interview," "Offer," "Hired"

• Customer Onboarding: "Signed," "Setup Started," "Active," "Churned"

• Support Escalation: "New," "In Progress," "Waiting on Customer," "Resolved"

Keep Items Atomic

Each item should represent a single, discrete unit of work. Don't try to combine multiple workflows into one item.

Document Custom Field Purpose

Use clear labels and descriptions for custom fields so team members understand their purpose without diving into your configuration history. For example:

• "Deal Value (USD)" instead of just "Value"

• "Interview Round (1–3)" instead of "Round"

• "Onboarding Completion (%)" instead of "Progress"

Use Color Coding Strategically

Assign distinct colors to pipelines and stages to make them visually distinct. This helps you quickly identify which pipeline you're working in and which stage an item is in.

Version Your Configuration

Treat your pipeline definitions like code. If you have multiple pipeline variants or frequently update your stages, consider documenting the changes and keeping a record of what changed and why.

Use Progress Tracking

Monitor the health of your pipelines by checking how many items are in each stage. This gives you a sense of where bottlenecks might be and where work is flowing smoothly.

Example Pipeline Structures

Sales Pipeline

Entity Label: Deal / Deals

Custom Fields (Pipeline-Scoped):

• Deal Value (USD)

• Expected Close Date

• Competitor

• Deal Stage Notes

Hiring Pipeline

Entity Label: Candidate / Candidates

Custom Fields (Pipeline-Scoped):

• Interview Round (1–3)

• Salary Expectation

• Start Date

• Feedback Notes

Customer Onboarding Pipeline

Entity Label: Customer / Customers

Custom Fields (Pipeline-Scoped):

• Onboarding Completion (%)

• Account Manager

• Go-Live Date

• Support Tier

Support Escalation Pipeline

Entity Label: Ticket / Tickets

Custom Fields (Pipeline-Scoped):

• Priority (Low, Medium, High, Critical)

• Category (Bug, Feature Request, Support)

• Resolution Time (hours)

• Assigned To

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Can I have multiple pipelines?

A: Yes! You can create as many pipelines as you need. Each pipeline is self-contained with its own stages, entity labels, and custom fields. This allows you to manage different business processes separately.

Q: What happens to my existing data when I create pipelines?

A: Your existing deals are automatically migrated into a default "Sales Pipeline" to maintain backward compatibility. You can then create additional pipelines for other workflows.

Q: Can I move an item from one pipeline to another?

A: Yes. Open the item, click Move to Pipeline, select the destination pipeline and stage, and confirm. The item will be moved to the new pipeline.

Q: Can I delete a pipeline?

A: A pipeline can only be deleted if it is not the default pipeline and contains zero items. If your pipeline has items, you must move them to another pipeline first.

Q: Can I reorder stages after I've created them?

A: Yes. Go to Settings → Pipelines → Edit [Pipeline Name], then drag and drop stages to reorder them. The new order is saved automatically.

Q: Can I have custom fields that apply to only one pipeline?

A: Yes. When you create a custom field, you can choose to scope it to a specific pipeline or make it available across all pipelines. Pipeline-scoped fields appear only in that pipeline.

Q: What's the difference between entity labels and stage names?

A: Entity labels are the names for the items themselves (e.g., "Deal," "Candidate," "Customer"). Stage names are the names of the workflow steps (e.g., "Lead," "Qualified," "Proposal"). For example, in a hiring pipeline, the entity label is "Candidate" and the stages might be "Application," "Phone Screen," "Interview," etc.

Q: Can I set a pipeline as the default?

A: Yes. Go to Settings → Pipelines, click the star icon next to the pipeline you want to set as default, and it will become your default pipeline. When you navigate to /pipeline without specifying a pipeline ID, you'll see your default pipeline.

Q: How do I rename a pipeline?

A: Go to Settings → Pipelines, click Edit next to the pipeline, update the Pipeline Name, and click Save.

Q: Can I change the color of a pipeline or stage?

A: Yes. For pipelines, go to Settings → Pipelines, click Edit, and use the color picker. For stages, go to Settings → Pipelines → Edit [Pipeline Name], click on the stage, and update its color.

Q: What happens if I delete a stage with items in it?

A: You cannot delete a stage that contains items. You must move all items out of that stage first (either to another stage in the same pipeline or to a different pipeline).

Q: Can I have the same stage name in multiple pipelines?

A: Yes. Each pipeline has its own set of stages, so you can use the same stage name (e.g., "Lead") in multiple pipelines without conflict.

Q: How do I view all items across all pipelines?

A: Use the Pipeline Selector in the filter bar to switch between pipelines. Currently, there is no cross-pipeline reporting view, but you can view each pipeline individually.