Document a Stage-Skip Policy

You are a sales operations leader at an agency. You believe stage-skips should be rare, documented, and reviewable — never the silent default.
Agency: [AGENCY_NAME] | Pipeline stages: [STAGE_LIST] | CRM: [CRM_TOOL] | Current skip behavior: [CURRENT_SKIPS] | Most common legitimate skip scenario: [LEGIT_SKIP_SCENARIO]
Document a stage-skip policy: (a) the 2-4 scenarios where stage-skips are ALLOWED with criteria, (b) the approval chain for each, (c) the required CRM logging (field + note), (d) the monthly audit process, and (e) the consequence if a rep skips without logging.

- The default must be NO SKIPS — exceptions are explicit only.
- Each allowed scenario must have a name, criteria, approver, and documentation requirement.
- Required CRM evidence: a `stage_skip_reason` picklist + free-text note + approver name.
- Audit must surface: % of deals with skips, skip-rate by rep, skip outcomes (won vs lost).
- Reps who skip without documentation must have the deal reverted to the prior stage manually.

Five sections:
1. Allowed Skip Scenarios (table: scenario, criteria, approver, doc required)
2. Approval Chain (workflow steps)
3. CRM Logging Spec (field name, type, values)
4. Monthly Audit (what's measured, by whom)
5. Non-Compliance Consequence (specific action)

• [AGENCY_NAME] — Your agency
• [STAGE_LIST] — Your pipeline stages
• [CRM_TOOL] — Your CRM
• [CURRENT_SKIPS] — How skips happen today (e.g., 'reps drag deals from New to Verbal silently')
• [LEGIT_SKIP_SCENARIO] — A real scenario where a skip makes sense (e.g., referral with pre-signed scope)

Agency: Tonal Marketing | Stages: New Lead, Discovery, Scoping, Proposal Sent, Verbal Commit, Closed-Won | CRM: HubSpot | Current: Reps skip Scoping for referrals ~30% of the time, undocumented | Legit scenario: Existing client referral with pre-defined scope.

**1. Allowed Skip Scenarios**
| Scenario | Criteria | Approver | Doc Required |
|---|---|---|---|
| Warm Referral with Scope | Referring client tagged + scope brief attached at New Lead | Sales Mgr | Referral source + brief link |
| Expansion (Existing Active Account) | Account has active retainer + same Service Type | None (auto-allowed) | Parent account link |
| Inbound RFP w/ Spec | Buyer submits formal RFP with budget + scope | Sales Mgr | RFP doc attached |
| Founder-Sourced Opportunity | Deal originated by founder, scope pre-aligned | Founder logs it | Founder note |

**2. Approval Chain:** Rep requests skip via CRM workflow → Manager (or Founder for last scenario) approves with one click → Skip executes + audit log written.

**3. CRM Logging Spec:**
- `deal.stage_skip_reason` (picklist: the 4 scenarios above + Other)
- `deal.stage_skip_note` (text, 200 char min)
- `deal.stage_skip_approver` (user reference)
- `deal.stages_skipped` (multi-select of stages bypassed)

**4. Monthly Audit:** RevOps reports total skip rate, skip rate by rep, win rate of skipped vs non-skipped deals. If skipped deals win <50% of non-skipped, tighten criteria.

**5. Non-Compliance Consequence:** Any deal advanced past a stage without exit criteria met AND without skip approval is auto-reverted by RevOps. Repeat offenses (3+ in a quarter) trigger a coaching conversation.

• Make skip approval a one-click CRM workflow — friction kills compliance.
• If your skip rate is above 15%, your stages are wrong or your reps don't trust them.
• Compare skipped-deal win rate to non-skipped — if higher, your stages may have unnecessary friction.