My manager asks for the number and I basically make one up, because my pipeline is a graveyard of stale deals and half-filled fields. I don't really know what's real in there. Every forecast I turn in is a wish dressed up as a commitment, and I'm bracing for the quarter it finally catches up with me.
More people experience this than they realize.
Your pipeline is a mess and your forecast is just a hopeful guess.
If this sounds familiar, the Library can help you find the bigger picture.