How to create your first pipeline on Pipedrive

beginner 8 min read Updated 2026-03-18

Quick Answer

Creating your first pipeline in Pipedrive involves navigating to Settings > Deal fields and pipelines, clicking Add pipeline, and defining your sales stages. You can customize stage names, probabilities, and automation settings to match your specific sales process.

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Prerequisites

Active Pipedrive account
Admin or user permissions to create pipelines
Basic understanding of your sales process
Clear idea of your deal stages

Step-by-Step Instructions

Access Pipeline Settings

Log into your Pipedrive account and click on the Settings gear icon in the top-right corner. From the dropdown menu, select Company settings, then navigate to Deal fields and pipelines in the left sidebar.

You can also access this quickly by typing 'pipelines' in the global search bar at the top of your screen.

Start Creating a New Pipeline

On the Deal fields and pipelines page, locate the Pipelines section. Click the + Add pipeline button to begin creating your new sales pipeline.

Configure Pipeline Basic Information

In the pipeline creation dialog, enter a descriptive Pipeline name (e.g., 'Sales Pipeline', 'Lead Qualification', or 'Enterprise Deals'). Optionally, add a brief description to help your team understand when to use this pipeline.

Choose a clear, descriptive name that reflects the type of deals this pipeline will track.

Define Your Deal Stages

Click Add stage to create your first deal stage. Enter the stage name (e.g., 'Prospecting', 'Qualified', 'Proposal', 'Negotiation'). Set the Win probability percentage for each stage, typically ranging from 10% for early stages to 90% for near-closing stages.

Most effective pipelines have 4-7 stages. Keep stage names simple and action-oriented.

Customize Stage Properties

For each stage, configure additional settings: set the stage color for visual identification, enable Required fields if certain information must be completed before advancing, and toggle Rottenness settings to automatically flag stale deals.

Use consistent color coding across your organization - for example, green tones for closing stages, red for early stages.

Set Up Stage Automation (Optional)

Click on the Automation tab for each stage to set up automatic actions. You can configure automatic email notifications, task creation, or field updates when deals enter or leave specific stages. Use the + Add automation button to create rules.

Start with simple automations like task creation for follow-ups, then expand as your team gets comfortable with the system.

Review and Save Your Pipeline

Review all your stages, probabilities, and settings in the pipeline overview. Ensure the logical flow makes sense for your sales process. Click Save pipeline to create your new pipeline and make it available to your sales team.

Test your pipeline with a sample deal to ensure all stages and automations work as expected before rolling it out to your team.

Set Pipeline as Default (Optional)

If this should be your primary pipeline, click the three-dot menu next to your new pipeline and select Set as default. This ensures all new deals automatically use this pipeline unless otherwise specified.

You can always change the default pipeline later as your sales process evolves.

Common Issues & Troubleshooting

Cannot find the Add pipeline button

Ensure you have admin permissions or contact your Pipedrive administrator. The Add pipeline option may be restricted based on your user role or subscription plan.

Stage probabilities don't add up correctly

Win probabilities should generally increase from stage to stage but don't need to equal 100%. Each percentage represents the likelihood of closing at that specific stage, not cumulative probability.

Automation rules not triggering

Check that automation is enabled in your account settings under Settings > Company settings > Features. Verify that trigger conditions are properly configured and test with a sample deal.

Team members cannot see the new pipeline

Ensure the pipeline is saved and published. Check user permissions under Settings > Users and permissions to verify team members have access to create and manage deals in the new pipeline.

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