The operating question
Sourcing starts before the factory conversation. The brief, the commercial target and the acceptance criteria decide what a good quote even looks like.
What to decide, in order
- Brief Commercial target, product requirements, packaging and compliance in one document.
- Shortlist Evidence for each supplier: capability, sample behaviour, communication rhythm.
- Release The check that turns an approved sample into a production decision.
Quick reference
| Decision | What it settles |
|---|---|
| Brief | Commercial target, product requirements, packaging and compliance in one document. |
| Shortlist | Evidence for each supplier: capability, sample behaviour, communication rhythm. |
| Release | The check that turns an approved sample into a production decision. |
Where the handoff usually breaks
Briefs break when the requirement lives in a draft, the assumption lives in a chat and the purchase order is the first place both are written together.
What good looks like
One document answers what was approved, who approved it and what would stop a shipment.
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