Process / 03
Every stage
ends with
a decision.
Development moves forward only when the current question is resolved and the next person knows exactly what they are receiving.
The five decisions
No stage advances with an unresolved decision.
-
Where the project starts
Brief / Intent lock
What enters — from you
- A sketch, or reference imagery
- Measurements, if they exist
- Fabric information
- The target product and market
- Commercial constraints
None of this has to be complete. Closing the gap is what this stage is for.
What gets resolved
Unclear design intent, missing information, open feasibility questions and development priorities are settled here, in writing, before anything is cut. Two people can describe the same garment and mean two different products; this stage removes that distance before it becomes expensive to correct.
Gate 01 / 05 · Decision required
Are we developing the same product?
What leaves / 01
Development direction
-
Structure before opinion
Technical build
What enters
- The agreed development direction
What gets resolved
Pattern architecture, construction logic, initial measurements and the seam and assembly implications of the design are built and tested against each other. Whether a product can be built is a separate question from whether it is wanted, and it gets answered before fit is discussed.
- Pattern architecture
- Construction logic
- Seam & assembly implication
Gate 02 / 05 · Decision required
Is the product technically buildable?
What leaves / 02
First technical build
Already in the file
- Development direction
-
Evaluated before it is locked
Fit / Validation
What enters
- The first technical build
- Physical fit information
What gets resolved
Proportion, balance, drape and construction corrections are worked through against physical fit information, with 3D simulation supporting that reading rather than standing in for it. Simulation is where proportion and drape can be examined and a correction tested before it goes back onto the stand; every correction is recorded against the build it changes, so nothing is carried forward on memory.
Gate 03 / 05 · Decision required
Is the product ready to be locked?
What leaves / 03
Validated fit direction
Already in the file
- Development direction
- First technical build
-
Repeatable, or not finished
Size / Specification lock
What enters
- The validated fit direction
- The required size range
What gets resolved
Grading, size relationships, points of measure, tolerances and construction specification are fixed into technical documentation. A garment that works in one size is not yet a product; this stage is where it becomes something a line can repeat.
What the specification fixes
- Grade rules and size relationships
- Points of measure
- Tolerances
- Construction specification
- Trim and material references
Gate 04 / 05 · Decision required
Can the approved product be repeated across the required range?
What leaves / 04
Production specification
Already in the file
- Development direction
- First technical build
- Validated fit direction
-
The line works from the reference
Pre-production / Handoff
What enters
- The production specification
- The approved reference
What gets resolved
Handoff, critical-risk clarification and first-piece and pre-production verification happen against the specification rather than against an interpretation of it. Production questions and corrective decisions are resolved at the point they appear, not after the run.
What you get back
- The reference the line works from
- Complete technical documentation
- Verification at first piece and pre-production
- Named milestones, with visibility at each one
Gate 05 / 05 · Decision required
Is production working from the approved reference?
What leaves / 05
Controlled production handoff
Already in the file
- Development direction
- First technical build
- Validated fit direction
- Production specification
Next / Experience
A process is only
as strong as the person
making the decisions.
Six positions shaped how those decisions are made.
See the experience