Record types for picklists and business processes
Key Takeaway
Record types give different users different picklist values, page layouts, and business processes on one object. Opportunity Stage values can't be edited per record type, so give each team its own sales process and assign that process to the team's record type.
Record types let one object show different picklist values, page layouts, and business processes to different groups of users. Business processes control the values of lifecycle fields such as Opportunity Stage. Users get a business process through a record type. Admins combine record types and business processes to run separate sales, support, lead, or solution lifecycles on the same object.
What record types control
Record types let you offer different business processes, picklist values, and page layouts to different users on the same object.
A university stores both students and donors as contacts. A custom Relationship Status picklist on Contact has six values: Applicant, Enrolled, Graduate, Prospect, Active Donor, and Lapsed. The Student record type offers only Applicant, Enrolled, and Graduate. Its page layout shows course fields. The Donor record type offers only Prospect, Active Donor, and Lapsed. Its page layout shows giving fields. Admissions staff and fundraisers work in the same Contact object, but each group sees the values and fields that fit its work.