How to run a forecast review
A forecast review keeps the number honest between now and close. Done well it is a tight inspection of risk; done badly it becomes a status meeting where reps read their commits aloud.
The discipline is to interrogate the commit, not celebrate it. Every deal in commit should survive a few hard questions, or it should not be in commit.
Short answer
Run a forecast review by opening with the committed number versus goal, then pressure-testing every commit deal for a named economic buyer, a real close date, and a clear paper path. Compare this week's forecast to last week to catch slippage, focus on what changed, and end with specific actions to close the gap. Keep it about risk, not narration.
Step by step
Open with the number and the gap
Start with committed forecast versus goal and coverage versus target. This frames whether the problem is a few deals or a thin pipeline before you touch a single opportunity.
Compare to last week
Look at what moved since the last review: deals that slipped, commits that appeared or vanished, dates that changed. Week-over-week movement is where hidden risk lives.
Pressure-test every commit
For each deal in commit, confirm the economic buyer, the champion, and the paper path. A commit without a named economic buyer is a hope, not a commit.
- Economic buyer identified and engaged
- Close date the buyer confirmed
- Paper path mapped through signature
Reconcile the methods
Compare the weighted forecast to the rep-commit roll-up. Investigate the gap rather than averaging it; the difference is a list of deals to scrutinize.
End with actions and owners
Every at-risk deal leaves with an owner, an action, and a date. Capture them in the CRM and check them next week. A review without follow-through changes nothing.
Forecast review vs pipeline review
A pipeline review inspects all open deals for coverage and movement. A forecast review focuses on what will close this period and how confident each commit is. They are complementary: pipeline review manages the future, forecast review defends the current number.
Keep the forecast review about change and risk. If it turns into a full deal-by-deal narration, you are wasting the time that should go to the deals that could move the number.
How Ardovo helps
Ardovo shows week-over-week forecast movement, reconciles weighted against commit automatically, and lets you drill from the number to any deal, while Rook pre-builds the risk list of commits missing an economic buyer or supporting activity.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a forecast review and a pipeline review?
A pipeline review inspects all open deals for coverage, movement, and hygiene. A forecast review focuses specifically on what will close this period and pressure-tests each commit. Use pipeline reviews to manage the future and forecast reviews to defend the current number.
What should I ask about each commit deal?
Is there a named, engaged economic buyer; is the close date one the buyer confirmed; and is the paper path mapped through signature. A commit that cannot answer all three is optimism, not a commitment you can bank.
How often should I run a forecast review?
Weekly for most teams, tightening near period end. The value comes from catching slippage week over week, so a fixed weekly cadence beats an intense review only at month or quarter close.