Step by step guide to setting up pipeline dashboards in Insightsquared

If you're in sales ops, RevOps, or you just got handed admin rights to your company's reporting tools, pipeline dashboards are probably on your to-do list. And let's be honest—most dashboards are either too messy or too vague to be useful. If you want to actually see what’s happening in your sales pipeline (and not just impress your boss with fancy charts), this guide is for you.

We'll walk through setting up pipeline dashboards in Insightsquared step by step. No fluffy features, no sales pitch, just what you really need to get the job done and spot problems before they become disasters.

Before You Start: What You Really Need

Don’t just dive in. Before you start building dashboards, spend a few minutes thinking about two things:

  • Who’s the audience? Dashboards for reps, managers, and execs should not be the same.
  • What decisions will this help with? If a chart doesn’t help someone take action, skip it.

You’ll need access to Insightsquared with permission to create dashboards. If your sales data isn’t syncing properly, fix that first—garbage in, garbage out.

Step 1: Map Out Your Pipeline Stages

If your CRM pipeline is a mess, your dashboards will be too. Here’s what you need to know:

  • Check your CRM first. Make sure your stages (e.g., Prospecting, Discovery, Proposal, Negotiation, Closed Won/Lost) are clear and up to date.
  • Be honest about stage definitions. If the team ignores certain stages, don’t bother reporting on them.
  • Write down the “real” funnel. The one reps actually use—not the one from a template.

Pro tip: Don’t overcomplicate things with 10+ stages. Most teams move deals through 5-7 meaningful steps.

Step 2: Connect Your Data Sources

This isn’t glamorous, but it’s critical.

  • Check your CRM integration. Insightsquared connects to Salesforce, HubSpot, and a few others. Go to the admin panel and make sure your data is syncing daily (or more often if you’re high-volume).
  • Test with real data. Pull up a recent deal and see if it looks right in Insightsquared. If not, troubleshoot before building dashboards. Sync errors or missing fields will wreck your reports.
  • Limit unnecessary fields. Only import what you actually use. More fields = more confusion and slower dashboards.

What to skip: Don’t import every “custom” field unless you have a reason. If you don’t know what it is, you won’t use it.

Step 3: Start with a Template (Then Tweak It)

Insightsquared offers out-of-the-box pipeline dashboard templates. These are a good starting point, but don’t expect magic.

  • Pick a pipeline template. In the dashboard builder, look for templates labeled “Pipeline Overview,” “Stage Movement,” or “Deal Flow.”
  • Don’t settle for defaults. These templates are generic. Use them to get the basic layout, but plan to customize the charts, filters, and fields.
  • Remove noise. Delete any widget or chart you don’t understand or that doesn’t answer a real question.

Honest take: Templates save time, but if you never tweak them, you’ll end up with a dashboard nobody looks at.

Step 4: Build Key Pipeline Widgets

Here’s what works (and what’s usually a waste):

Must-Haves

  1. Pipeline by Stage
  2. Shows how many deals (and total value) are in each stage.
  3. Helps spot bottlenecks and “stuck” deals.

  4. Use bar or funnel charts, not pie charts.

  5. Pipeline Over Time

  6. Tracks how your pipeline size changes week over week or month over month.

  7. Good for spotting trends (up, down, or flatlining).

  8. Deal Velocity

  9. Shows average time deals spend in each stage.

  10. If deals are piling up somewhere, you’ll see it here.

  11. Stage Conversion Rates

  12. What percent of deals move from Stage A to Stage B, and so on.
  13. Useful for process improvement, not just reporting.

Nice-to-Haves (But Don’t Overdo It)

  • Win/Loss Analysis: Why are deals lost? Split by reason or stage.
  • Owner/Team Breakdown: Who’s moving deals, who’s stuck?
  • Forecast vs. Actual: Compare pipeline projections to closed revenue.

What to Ignore

  • “Feel-good” charts. If you can’t explain what a chart means or how you’ll act on it, delete it.
  • Data that’s always zero. If a widget never changes, it’s not helping.

Step 5: Add Filters That Matter

Raw pipeline numbers are almost always misleading. Filters are your friend.

  • Date range: Let users toggle between this quarter, last quarter, etc.
  • Owner/team: Slice by rep or team to find patterns.
  • Deal size: See how enterprise deals progress vs. SMB.
  • Custom filters: Only if people actually use them. Don’t add filters just because you can.

Pro tip: Too many filters = dashboard nobody touches. Stick to 3–4 useful ones.

Step 6: Polish the Layout (But Don’t Get Fancy)

Keep the design simple:

  • Put the most important charts at the top. People rarely scroll.
  • Use clear, human labels. “Pipeline by Stage” is better than “Opportunity_Stage_Bar_Chart.”
  • Avoid weird colors. Stick to a simple palette so people can actually read the thing.
  • Check on mobile. If your execs use their phones, make sure the dashboard isn’t a mess on small screens.

Step 7: Share and Automate Delivery

A dashboard isn’t useful if nobody sees it.

  • Set permissions. Make sure only the right people can edit, but let anyone who needs to see it have view access.
  • Schedule email digests. Insightsquared can send dashboard snapshots on a schedule (weekly, monthly, etc.). This is way better than hoping people log in.
  • Get feedback. Ask your users what’s missing, what’s confusing, and what’s pointless.

Honest take: If nobody asks questions about your dashboard after rollout, chances are they’re not using it.

Step 8: Maintain and Improve (But Don’t Obsess)

Dashboards aren’t “set and forget.” Review yours every couple of months:

  • Are the charts still relevant? Kill off anything nobody uses.
  • Is the data clean? Fix stage problems or sync issues as soon as they show up.
  • Got new questions? Add or tweak widgets when people actually need new info.

What to skip: Don’t chase every request. If someone asks for a weird chart and never looks at it, remove it after a month.

Wrap-Up: Keep It Simple, Iterate, and Ignore the Hype

Pipeline dashboards in Insightsquared don’t have to be complicated. Start with the basics, focus on charts that actually help someone make a decision, and ignore the siren song of endless customization. It’s better to have a few clear, useful widgets that get used every week than a monster dashboard nobody opens. Set it up, use it, and tweak as you go. That’s all there is to it.