Sampling & Production Timelines
“How long will it take to see a first sample? How long until we get to production?”
We’d be asking these same two questions as a brand. And these are the two questions we get asked most frequently on discovery calls.
Getting your product to market in the timeline you need REALLY matters. And we do draft a timeline - but some parts are clearer than others. While lots of things can slow the timeline down, there are also ways to speed things up.
During the front end concept & design phases, we can give a pretty solid answer - a lot of this is generally in our control.
For front end concept & design we basically do an equation that balances scope + complexity of the product(s) + our client's availability. We also build in milestones, deliverables, and feedback rounds.
Once we move into sampling and manufacturing, the answer gets a little more nuanced. Being honest around this really helps us stay transparent, collaborative, and build trust on both sides.
And of course, there are some great ways to optimize the timeline: perhaps you have the ability to visit the factory and approve live. Or you shift from nominating a fabric to sourcing locally. Or shift to in-stock hardware. There’s a lot of creativity to be had here!
And then there are the things no timeline can perfectly predict. Maybe a brand strategy shifts internally, which is a critical decision that creates a domino effect.
This doesn't mean there isn't a timeline.
It means the timeline becomes something we actively manage, week to week, rather than something we set once.
As a consulting studio, part of our job at Form Space is collaborating with clients on this - and we all have an understanding of which pieces we can control, which pieces we can anticipate, and where we need to build in a little flexibility.
Especially as a design gets closer to being locked, we spend a lot of time talking through sampling and production timing with our clients and factory partners so everyone understands the path ahead.
We really do understand that getting your product into the world matters 🧡
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