Self-assessment scorecard for the 4+2 Pipeline Thrust Matrix

Part of the 4+2 Pipeline Thrust Matrix (formerly the 4+2 Growth Matrix). The canonical source is the white paper; the name change is explained in why the name moved.

Use this with sales in the room. Score each statement from 1 (not true) to 5 (clearly true). No external benchmarks and no league table: this is a mirror, consistent with white paper §6.

White paper §6 offered ten prompts. This page expands to 24 statements (four per component) and adds numeric bands. The bands are a cluster addition, not an empirical benchmark: they are operator tooling and must not be quoted as research findings.

How to score

1. Marketing and sales score separately first (five minutes).
2. Compare. Where you diverge by two points or more, that cell is your first workshop: not your first media brief.
3. Total the 24 scores (range 24–120). Read the band below. Then act on the weakest component, not on the average.

Statements (1 = not true … 5 = clearly true)

Line of sight and operating rhythm (shared)

1. Marketing's pipeline-contribution target is named and agreed with sales.
2. Every active initiative traces to an enterprise or sales objective.
3. Marketing and sales review the same portfolio monthly.
4. Sourced and influenced pipeline are reported separately.

01 Demand Creation

1. Demand Creation is funded and measured separately from Demand Capture.
2. We can name priority buying situations (category entry points) for our ICP roles.
3. Engaged target accounts or branded/direct search among priority roles is baselined.
4. References and proof from Retention & Expansion feed Creation this quarter.

02 Demand Capture

1. Marketing and sales share one written qualified-opportunity definition.
2. An operating lead-scoring model (if we have one) is owned as Capture run-state, not an endless tool project.
3. Enquiry-to-opportunity or scored-lead-to-opportunity rate is known versus a baseline.
4. Existing-account expansion opportunities are not counted as Capture.

03 Pipeline Acceleration

1. We can see which open deals stall for lack of buying-group consensus.
2. In-deal proof, briefings and playbooks in use are homed in Acceleration.
3. Stage-to-stage conversion or cycle length appears on the same review page as Capture volume.
4. "Lead accepted" is not treated as marketing's finish line.

04 Retention & Expansion

1. Retention and expansion have named initiatives, not only "customer marketing when we have time".
2. Renewals due this year have owners and dates.
3. Expansion pipeline is visible beside new-logo pipeline.
4. We know how many referenceable customers Creation and Acceleration can use.

+1 Revenue Operations

1. Most pipeline can be traced to a source; enquiry response times are known.
2. Stage definitions are shared by marketing and sales.
3. The 90-day buying-group influenced rule is written, sales-agreed and audited.
4. Live scoring recalibration (same design) is scheduled; rebuilds are not confused with hygiene.

+2 Revenue Enablement: replace the last core statement's pair when scoring Enablement explicitly

When you want a dedicated Enablement view, score these four instead of treating Enablement as invisible (keep 1–23, swap 24 for E1–E4 and note the swap):

• E1. We keep a prioritised backlog of capability builds.
• E2. Active builds have end dates and named run-state homes.
• E3. We capture a pre-build baseline before kickoff.
• E4. We review adoption ~90 days after launch and retire builds into run-state.

Practical note: the core statement set above keeps Enablement inside statements 10 and 14–16's build-vs-run logic so a team can score in one pass. Use E1–E4 when Enablement drag is the suspected leak.

To keep a clean statement set without optional swaps, use this Enablement quartet as statements 21–24 when foundations are the focus, and score RevOps with diagnostic questions on the Revenue Operations page in the same workshop. Prefer one coherent statement set for board simplicity:

Recommended board set (24): statements 1–20 as above, then:

1. Most pipeline can be traced to a source; enquiry response times are known. (+1)
2. The 90-day influenced rule is written, agreed and audited. (+1)
3. We keep a prioritised capability-build backlog with end dates. (+2)
4. Builds hand into run-state; adoption is checked after launch. (+2)

(That recommended set is the one used for bands below.)

Numeric bands (cluster addition, not an empirical benchmark)

These cut-points are a cluster addition, not an empirical benchmark. They are operator heuristics for this scorecard, not market norms. White paper §6 only advised reading low scores by theme (line of sight, Creation/Capture mix, run vs build, Acceleration/Retention gaps, foundation drag). The bands extend that advice into totals so teams can track movement after a quarter, still without invented external norms.

Theme guide (from white paper §6, unchanged in intent)

• Low on line-of-sight statements (1–4) to start with the cascade (white paper §3 / how-to guide).
• Low on Creation (5–8) to Creation/Capture mix-up; use Dawes and Binet & Field as diagnostics, not vanity metrics.
• Low on Capture (9–12) to definitions, SLA, scoring home.
• Low on Acceleration (13–16) to do not buy more Capture until consensus has owners.
• Low on Retention (17–20) to name renewals, expansion and references.
• Low on foundations (21–24) to fix drag before adding thrust.

After you score

1. Write the three lowest statements on the portfolio page.
2. Select at most three initiatives that move those statements, with correct homes.
3. Baseline the matching metrics before launch.
4. Re-score in 90 days with the same people.

Sources

Patel, P. (2026). The 4+2 Pipeline Thrust Matrix, §6 Short self-assessment. https://prinkit.com/white-paper/4-plus-2-pipeline-thrust-matrix

Addition marker: numeric bands and the expansion from 10 to 24 statements are SEO-cluster operator tooling beyond v1.0 §6; they do not add new empirical claims.

Related in the 4+2

• The 4+2 Pipeline Thrust Matrix hub
• The 4+2 Growth Matrix (original framework page)
• White paper v1.0
• Why the 4+2 Growth Matrix is now the 4+2 Pipeline Thrust Matrix
• How To Apply
• Demand Creation
• Demand Capture
• Pipeline Acceleration
• Retention & Expansion
• Revenue Operations
• Revenue Enablement
• FAQ