Pipeline Stage Definition Lock (Onboarding)

Pipeline Stage Definition Lock (Onboarding)

1. 01

   Map the client's real hiring motion before touching any pipeline configuration

   Interview the hiring manager or staffing lead for the actual sequence from requisition to offer, including who approves at each gate and where candidates stall today.

2. 02

   Name every stage in the client's own vocabulary, not the ATS default labels

   A healthcare staffing client thinks in credentialing and shift availability, while a recruitment agency thinks in job orders and placements; default stage names force staff to translate on every screen.

3. 03

   Cap the pipeline at seven active stages and merge anything that shares a decision owner

   Pipelines past seven stages hide drop-off because candidates sit in ambiguous buckets; combine stages where the same person makes the same call.

4. 04

   Define exit reasons as a closed list before the first candidate enters the system

   Free-text rejection reasons make quarterly funnel reporting impossible; lock a list of eight to twelve reasons and require selection at every disposition.

5. 05

   Set required fields per stage and test them against a live candidate record

   Walk one real candidate from application to offer and confirm the system blocks advancement when a required field is empty, rather than warning after the fact.

6. 06

   Assign a named owner for stage changes and freeze the configuration for 30 days

   Configuration churn in the first month destroys funnel baselines; route change requests through one owner and batch them into a single review.

7. 07

   Export the stage definitions into the client-facing onboarding document

   The client signs off on the same definitions the delivery team works from, which prevents disputes about what 'screened' meant when the first report arrives.