What is Upside in Forecasting?
Upside is the answer to "how much better could this get." It is the winnable-but-uncertain pipeline above the commit floor.
Naming upside deal by deal turns a vague sense of possibility into a concrete list of opportunities that, if won, would lift the number.
Short answer
Upside in forecasting is the pool of deals that could close in the period beyond what a rep has committed, if things break favorably. It sits between commit and best case and represents the realistic room to exceed the number. Tracking upside separately shows leadership how much room there is to beat the commit and which specific deals would deliver it.
Key takeaways
- Deals that could close beyond the commit.
- Sits between commit and best case.
- Represents room to beat the number.
- Best tracked as specific deals.
Why it matters
Leaders need to know not just the floor but the realistic ceiling and what drives it. Tracking upside shows how much room exists to exceed plan and which deals to push to capture it.
How Ardovo handles it
Ardovo separates commit from upside and shows the specific deals that make up the gap to best case, so Rook can tell a manager exactly which bubble deals to work to beat the number.
Frequently asked questions
What is upside in forecasting?
It is the pipeline that could close in the period beyond the commit, if deals break favorably. It sits between the commit floor and the best case ceiling and represents the realistic room to exceed the number.
How is upside different from best case?
Upside is the pool of deals above commit that could close; best case is the resulting ceiling number if that upside comes in. Upside is the deals, best case is the total they would produce on top of commit.
How do I capture upside?
Identify the specific bubble deals that make up the upside and work them deliberately, addressing what each needs to close in the period. Turning upside from a category into a worklist is how a team beats its commit.