Define Opportunity Stages

The Acme account executive says the new-business deal feels likely and moves it from Discovery in progress to Solution review complete. There's no documented buyer-and-seller solution review behind the move. The stage report now says a meaningful event happened. It didn't.

One transaction, its own evidence

An Opportunity stage describes one potential purchase, so keep it separate from work status, forecast category, probability, sales methodology, and seller confidence. GTM Lab uses five worked stages: Discovery in progress, Solution review complete, Commercial review, Closed won, and Closed lost. Before any label goes on a picklist, write the contract behind it: meaning, observable entry evidence, milestone date, owner, valid exits, closed reason, and exception path.

Evidence changes the deal; confidence doesn't

The new-business Opportunity is created once the accepted-pursuit fixture has a documented problem, buying group, and next conversation on file. Creation writes opportunity_created_at without touching Priya's or Acme's lifecycle. Only a recorded buyer-and-seller solution review, meaning attendees, gaps, and the next decision, moves the deal to Solution review complete, recording solution_reviewed_at. A late-stage deal still doesn't change Acme from Prospect to Customer.

Carry this into your business

Pick one stage people argue about, and ask for the buyer or seller event that proves entry, then the date the report should use for it. If nobody can name either one, the stage is an opinion wearing a picklist value.