How to add more stages to my pipeline
Adding stages to the sales pipeline in Dynamics 365 requires accessing the Power Apps portal to customize the Opportunity Business Process Flow or modify the stage field's option set. It is a system administration task requiring System Administrator or System Customizer permissions and takes about 45 minutes. In Teeo, you describe the changes in a message and they are applied instantly.
How to do it in Teeo
“Add the stages Negotiation and Contract Signing to my main sales pipeline”
The stages are added to the pipeline in the order and position you specified.
How to add more stages to my pipeline in Microsoft Dynamics 365: step by step
Requirements
- ·Pipeline stages in Dynamics 365 are primarily managed through Business Process Flows (BPF), which require access to the Power Apps portal (make.powerapps.com) with System Administrator or System Customizer permissions.
- ·Modifying a Business Process Flow in use may affect all active Opportunities. It is recommended to test changes in a sandbox environment before publishing to production.
- ·Alternative: you can also add stages by editing the option set of the 'Sales Stage' field directly from Settings > Advanced Settings > Customizations, but this requires additional technical knowledge.
- ·Changes to the BPF are published immediately in the organization once you click 'Publish'. There is no automatic rollback; you should document the previous state.
Access the Power Apps portal
Open a browser and go to make.powerapps.com. Log in with the same credentials as your Dynamics 365 account. Make sure you are in the correct environment (Production, not Sandbox) by checking the environment selector in the upper right corner.
Go to the Solutions or Business Process Flows section
In the Power Apps portal left navigation menu, click 'Flows' and then select 'Business Process Flows'. You will see the list of all active BPFs in your organization.
Locate the Opportunity Sales Process BPF
In the Business Process Flows list, search for 'Opportunity Sales Process' or the name of the BPF that corresponds to your sales pipeline. Hover over it to see the available options.
Edit the Business Process Flow
Click the three dots (⋯) next to your pipeline BPF and select 'Edit'. The visual BPF designer will open, showing the current stages as connected blocks in sequence.
Deactivate the BPF before editing
In the designer toolbar, check if the BPF is in 'Active' status. To edit it, you may need to deactivate it first by clicking 'Deactivate'. Confirm the deactivation in the popup dialog.
Add a new stage to the flow
In the BPF designer, click the 'Add Stage' button (or the '+' between existing stages) at the point where you want to insert the new stage. An empty stage block will be created at that position.
Configure the stage name and properties
Click the new stage to select it. In the properties panel on the right, type the stage name in the 'Display Name' field (e.g., 'Negotiation'). You can also configure the stage category and the data fields required to advance to the next stage.
Repeat the process for the second stage
Click '+ Add Stage' again at the correct position in the flow and configure the second new stage (e.g., 'Contract Signing') following the same steps. Make sure the order of stages in the designer reflects your sales process.
Validate the flow and save changes
Click the 'Validate' button in the designer toolbar to check for any configuration errors. If validation is successful, click 'Save' to save the changes without publishing them yet.
Activate and publish the Business Process Flow
Click 'Activate' to activate the BPF and then 'Publish' to publish the changes to the entire organization. The new stages will appear in the sales pipeline for all users immediately. Go to Sales Hub > Opportunities to verify the stages display correctly.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need special permissions to add stages to the pipeline in Dynamics 365?
Yes. To edit a Business Process Flow you need the System Administrator or System Customizer role in Dynamics 365. Users with standard Sales roles (Salesperson, Sales Manager) do not have access to modify pipeline configuration.
How long does it take to add a stage to the Dynamics 365 pipeline?
The full process takes approximately 45 minutes: accessing the Power Apps portal, locating the correct Business Process Flow, adding and configuring the stages, validating, and publishing the changes. If you have no prior experience with the BPF designer, it may take longer.
Does adding new stages to the pipeline in Dynamics 365 affect existing deals?
Adding new stages does not move or delete existing deals. Active Opportunities retain their current stage. However, if you deactivate the BPF to edit it, active users cannot advance stages during that period. It is recommended to make changes outside working hours.