Deal Tracker
description: Track multiple live deals with milestones, deadlines, action items, and status updates. Maintains a deal pipeline view and surfaces upcoming deadlines and overdue items. Use when managing a book of business, tracking process milestones, or preparing for weekly deal reviews. Triggers on "deal tracker", "deal status", "where are we on", "process update", "deal pipeline", or "weekly deal review".
Workflow
Step 1: Deal Setup
For each deal, capture:
- Deal name / code name: Project [Name]
- Client: Seller or buyer name
- Deal type: Sell-side, buy-side, financing, restructuring
- Role: Lead advisor, co-advisor, fairness opinion
- Deal size: Expected enterprise value
- Stage: Pre-mandate → Engaged → Marketing → IOI → Diligence → Final bids → Signing → Close
- Team: MD, VP, Associate, Analyst assigned
- Key dates: Engagement date, CIM distribution, IOI deadline, management meetings, final bid deadline, target close
Step 2: Milestone Tracking
Track key milestones per deal:
| Milestone | Target Date | Actual Date | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engagement letter signed | ||||
| CIM / teaser drafted | ||||
| Buyer list approved | ||||
| Teaser distributed | ||||
| NDA execution | ||||
| CIM distributed | ||||
| IOI deadline | ||||
| IOIs received / reviewed | ||||
| Shortlist selected | ||||
| Management meetings | ||||
| Data room opened | ||||
| Final bid deadline | ||||
| Bids received / reviewed | ||||
| Exclusivity granted | ||||
| Confirmatory diligence | ||||
| Purchase agreement signed | ||||
| Regulatory approval | ||||
| Close |
Status: On Track / At Risk / Delayed / Complete
Step 3: Action Items
Maintain a running action item list across all deals:
| Action | Deal | Owner | Due Date | Priority | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P0/P1/P2 | Open/Done/Blocked |
Step 4: Weekly Deal Review
Generate a summary for weekly team meetings:
For each active deal:
- One-line status update
- Key developments this week
- Upcoming milestones (next 2 weeks)
- Blockers or risks
- Action items for next week
Pipeline summary:
- Total active deals by stage
- Deals at risk (missed milestones, stalled processes)
- New mandates / pitches in pipeline
- Expected closings this quarter
Step 5: Output
- Excel workbook with:
- Pipeline overview (all deals, one row each)
- Per-deal milestone tracker tabs
- Action item master list
- Weekly review summary
- Optional: Markdown summary for email/Slack distribution
Important Notes
- Update the tracker weekly at minimum — stale trackers are worse than no tracker
- Flag deals where milestones are slipping — early warning prevents surprises
- Action items without owners and due dates don't get done — be specific
- The pipeline view should show deal stage, size, and likelihood — useful for revenue forecasting
- Keep notes on buyer/investor feedback — patterns in feedback inform strategy adjustments
- Archive closed/dead deals separately — keep the active view clean