How is a programme run?
Eight stages, each with an owner and a gate.
Who owns what, and when it moves.
Each stage sits in the lane of the role that owns it. The line is the chain of handoffs: it changes lane where ownership changes hands, and it passes an approval and a quality gate on the way out of every stage. Select a stage for its detail.
- Stage, in its owner's lane
- Approval point
- Quality gate
Stage 01 of 08
Order
OwnerMerchandiser, named for the programme
- Starts from
- Enquiry with tech pack, sketch or reference
- Target quantity and delivery window
- Labelling, packing and documentation requirements
- Your NDA, where you send one
- Approval point
- Quotation agreed, with the sampling schedule set against it.
- Quality gate
- Brief checked for completeness: every open question listed and put to you before development starts.
- Hands over
- A programme brief, passed to design and development.Next: Development
Stage 02 of 08
Development
OwnerDesign and development, led by the Creative Director, with the pattern master
- Starts from
- Programme brief
- Tech pack or reference
- Fabric and trim options
- Approval point
- Fabric, trims and colour direction chosen from the options proposed.
- Quality gate
- No sample goes out unmeasured.
- Hands over
- Proto and fit samples, sent to you through the merchandiser.Next: Approval
A designer at Donear checking a fabric swatch against a weave design sheet. Partner photograph.
Stage 03 of 08
Approval
OwnerMerchandiser, with you
- Starts from
- Fit comments
- Revised samples
- Counter sample in bulk fabric and trims
- Approval point
- Fit, fabric and finish signed off on the counter sample.
- Quality gate
- The counter sample checked against every approved comment before it is signed off.
- Hands over
- The approved sample and the graded pattern, released to production as the reference.Next: Fabric
A colourist at Donear studying a wall of fabric shade cards. Partner photograph.
Stage 04 of 08
Fabric
OwnerMerchandiser
- Starts from
- Approved fabric quality and shade
- Trim card
- Bulk quantities from the cut plan
- Approval point
- Bulk fabric and trims approved against the sample, the fabric dyed to the approved shade before cutting.
- Quality gate
- Bulk fabric and trims checked against the approved sample for shade, hand and width before release.
- Hands over
- Bulk fabric and trims, released to cutting.Next: Production
A power loom at Donear, one of our fabric mills, weaving fabric onto the cloth beam. Partner photograph.
Stage 05 of 08
Production
OwnerProduction floor; technical questions to the Technical Head
- Starts from
- Approved sample and graded pattern
- Released fabric and trims
- Cut plan by size and colour
- Approval point
- Line set up against the approved sample, pattern and trims before stitching starts.
- Quality gate
- In-line and end-line inspection.
- Hands over
- Finished garments, passed to final inspection.Next: Quality
Our own stitching floor: rows of industrial sewing machines with thread cones.
Stage 06 of 08
Quality
OwnerQA department, led by the QA Head
- Starts from
- Finished lot
- Agreed AQL and specification
- Approved sample
- Approval point
- Lot accepted against the agreed AQL; your own or a third-party inspection where the programme requires one.
- Quality gate
- Final random inspection before dispatch.
- Hands over
- The passed lot, released to packing with its inspection result.Next: Packing
A hand holding a tape measure at the shoulder seam of a pale blue woven shirt, measuring down the sleeve. Representative photograph.
Stage 07 of 08
Packing
OwnerFinishing and packing
- Starts from
- Passed garments
- Packing and labelling specification
- Size ratio per carton
- Approval point
- Labels, tags and carton marks match your specification.
- Quality gate
- Packing check passed.
- Hands over
- Marked cartons and a packing list, passed to dispatch.Next: Dispatch
Taped corrugated cartons stacked on a shelf. Representative photograph.
Stage 08 of 08
Dispatch
OwnerMerchandiser
- Starts from
- Packed cartons and packing list
- Shipping terms
- Document requirements
- Approval point
- Shipment details and documents confirmed with you as agreed for the programme.
- Quality gate
- Documents checked against the cartons and the packing list before handover.
- Hands over
- Goods delivered within India, or the export shipment handed over with its documents.
Operating maturity
Not just machines. A system.
The disciplines that hold the stages together from order to dispatch, each set beside the fact on this site that shows it.
- 01
Programme management
Parallel capacityEach order is run as a programme: one brief, one approved reference, one schedule, and capacity allocated to it before bulk starts.
Shown byCapacity confirmed per programme.
- 02
Quality gates
The checkpointsWork does not move to the next stage until it has passed the check at the end of the current one.
Shown byMeasurement and fit audits.
- 03
Approvals
The sampling journeyFit, fabric, colour, trims and value addition are each approved on a physical sample before bulk, and the approved sample is the reference from then on.
Shown byCounter-sample approval cycle.
- 04
Documentation
Each programme carries its own paper trail: the specification, the approvals, the inspection results, the packing list and the shipping documents. Compliance paperwork is prepared for your onboarding.
Shown byShared, not published.
- 05
Buyer communication
What happens after you contact usQuestions, comments and revisions run through one person, so nothing is lost between your team and the floor.
Shown byOne named point of contact.
- 06
Production tracking
Because the route does not change, progress is reported as the stage each style has reached, and a delay shows at the stage where it starts.
Shown byTen stages, in order: Enquiry, Sampling, Fabric, Dyeing, Cutting, Value addition, Stitching, Quality control, Packing, Dispatch.
- 07
Packing
Packing & dispatchPacking follows your instruction to the carton: fold, labels, ratios and marks, checked against the packing list.
Shown byCarton marking and packing lists.
- 08
Dispatch
ExportNothing leaves the floor without its packing list and the documents agreed for the shipment.
Shown byDomestic dispatch and export documentation.
Send us a tech pack. We will come back with a sampling plan.
Share styles, fabrics and target quantities. We reply to most enquiries within one working day.