Definition
Quota attainment is booked revenue divided by quota for a period. It's used to track progress toward targets and to manage pacing.
Formula
Attainment = booked / quota
How to use it
- Use pacing to project end-of-period, but cross-check with pipeline and win rate.
- Segment by rep and region to identify risks early.
- Track on-track bookings and pace delta to avoid false confidence.
Common mistakes
- Overreacting to pacing without pipeline context.
- Mixing bookings/ARR/ACV definitions across reports.
- Using early-period pace as a forecast without seasonality context.
Why this matters
This term matters because small changes compound in SaaS metrics. Use consistent definitions by cohort and segment so you can diagnose retention, payback, and growth quality.
Practical checklist
- Write a 1-line definition for "Quota Attainment" that your team will use consistently.
- Keep the time window consistent (weekly/monthly/quarterly) when comparing trends.
- Segment results (channel/plan/cohort) before drawing big conclusions from blended averages.
- Use a calculator that references this term (e.g., Quota Attainment Calculator) to sanity-check assumptions.
- Read the related guide (e.g., Quota attainment: formulas, pacing, and how to forecast safely) for context and common pitfalls.
Where to use this on MetricKit
Calculators
- Quota Attainment Calculator: Calculate quota attainment and pacing from booked revenue to date, quota, and days elapsed in the period.
- Sales Capacity Calculator (with Ramp): Estimate period bookings capacity from team size, quota per rep, expected attainment, and ramped vs ramping mix.
- OTE & Commission Rate Calculator: Compute on-target earnings (OTE), commission rate, and compensation split from base salary, variable pay, and quota.
Guides
- Quota attainment: formulas, pacing, and how to forecast safely: Learn how to calculate quota attainment and pacing, how to interpret projections, and what to pair it with (pipeline coverage, win rate).
- Sales capacity planning: quota, attainment, ramp, and what to watch: A practical guide to sales capacity: estimate bookings capacity using headcount, quota, expected attainment, and ramped vs ramping mix.
- Sales quota setting: a practical framework (capacity, pipeline, and ramp): Learn how to set sales quota using capacity math, pipeline coverage, and ramp assumptions, plus a sales quota calculator to sanity-check targets.
- OTE (on-target earnings): definition, commission rate, and pitfalls: Understand OTE, how to compute commission rate from variable pay and quota, and how to avoid common comp modeling mistakes.
- Sales ops metrics hub: quota, pipeline, win rate, and capacity planning: A practical hub for sales ops planning: quota attainment, pipeline coverage, required pipeline, sales capacity with ramp, and OTE math.