For your pipeline management in DealRoom, consider the following best practices shared by the DealRoom team and fellow users. Remember, the pipeline is highly customizable to cater to your unique needs and team dynamics.

Disclosure: The provided insights are not exhaustive; rather, they offer a starting point for your customization based on your team's specific requirements.

How to Set up Your Pipeline Phases

Select Settings from the left menu.
Scroll down until you see the Phases section.
Click New Phase + to start creating the phases in your pipeline.

Pipeline Phases Organization

Here are some ideas on how to organize your pipeline phases, used by some of our customers.

Buy-Side Examples

1. Chronologically

This option is recommended, as it allows you to track from the beginning of the M&A lifecycle to the end. DealRoom also tracks how long each deal lives in each phase, allowing you to spot bottlenecks and improve your processes for future deals. Here are some examples of chronological phases:

Target Listing
Initial Discussions
Indication of Interest
Preliminary Due Diligence
Letter of Intent
Confirmatory Due Diligence
Negotiations
Close
First 100 Days
Integration



Tip: Adjust the number of phases based on your preferences, and utilize color coding for easier identification.

Note: An alternative is to use the pipeline exclusively for diligence, incorporating only relevant diligence phases.

2. By Progress Status

This option is for creating your pipeline phases by status of the deal, which can be simple or complex depending on the different statuses you prefer.

Example:
Pending
In Process
Completed

3. Other Ideas

Here are some other ideas for setting up your pipeline.

Preliminary Discussion
Teaser
NDA
CIM Evaluation
Commercial Structure
Closed
On Hold
Go / No Go

Note: Phases don't have to be used chronologically, and can be used instead to simply categorize deals in a way you find helpful.

4. Risk and Complexity

This structure categorizes deals based on their complexity and associated risks, providing a nuanced understanding of your pipeline.

Low Complexity
Standard Transactions
Routine Due Diligence
Medium Complexity
Customized Deal Structures
Moderate Due Diligence
High Complexity
Complex Negotiations
Intensive Due Diligence
On Hold
Pending Regulatory Approvals
External Factors
Closed Deals

Note: This structure provides clarity on the complexity and associated risks of each deal in the pipeline.

Sell-side Examples

Prospecting
Prelim Discussions
Preliminary Due Diligence
Engagement Negotiation
Pre-Marketing Due Diligence
Financial Databook
Buyer List Prep
Marketing Collateral Drafting
In Market - Pre IOI
In Market - LOI Negotiation
Buyer Due Diligence
Closing Phase
Completed
Lost

Feel free to customize these examples based on your team's preferences and specific deal characteristics!

If you have any questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to reach out to our support team.

Relevant Articles:

How do I set up custom phases and fields in the Pipeline?
How do I set pipeline permissions?
How do I import and export deals in the pipeline?

Updated on: 24/01/2024