Your Experienced Product Design Outsource Partner

Our job is to create a clear project brief for our clients so we can understand their needs, the rationale and their passion for it. Our onboarding process as your design outsource partner takes all of this into consideration before the project kicks off.

Our process is always face-to-face with our team as this allows us to really get into the nitty-gritty. We will ask you about everything, from design aesthetics and functionality through to speed to market, what territories you want to sell in, target cost prices and budgets. As your experienced product design outsource partner, we want to understand the full scope of the project which is why we go into so much detail at the start.

The process

Our process picks up wherever you are within your product development journey. We apply our strategic principles to the research and development stages, and support you through testing and compliance, before helping match you with the right factory partner.

01. The Proof-of-concept

We start with our proof-of-concept phase, using your research to scope out the market opportunity. We check for competitors operating in the same industry and will give clients honest feedback on potential project success and challenges. In our role as your product design outsource partner, we want to build an honest and transparent relationship with you and your team from the start.

Our designers then begin pre-design work, recommending materials for the project and building options into the initial design sketches and development boards for your feedback and adaptation. Our sourcing team also begin the search for the best possible manufacturing partner to help bring your products to life.

Once they’ve found the manufacturing partner, our team will work to establish the critical details:

A realistic time frame for the project;
Estimated production costs;
The tooling options and costs;
Checking compliance requirements for markets you want to sell in and confirm third-party testing options and costs.

You’ll then have a substantial proof of concept deck to progress with, whether you take it to your in-house team, take it to another design & development company, or develop it further with us at Plan A.

02. The Development Plan

Our team is extremely process-driven and covers everything from factory audits to process improvement and production quality control. Ethical and sustainable sourcing is at the forefront of everything we do, so you feel great about your product launch from the offset.

In phase 2, our team will discuss the most workable eco-friendly materials available, the processes, and the manufacturing locations for your development. Our designers will present mood boards that suggest directions for the project and will start work on technical drawings. At the same time, our sourcing team will begin sampling some suitable materials for your development.

We provide initial swatches within a mood board and gain direction from your team before agreeing on a specific path forward. We’ll then sample larger material swatches as we look to visualise what the final product will look like, dressed. Once the technical drawings are complete, we’ll present options for feedback as we look to lock down the final design before moving on to tooling.

Our process as a outsource design partner is thorough; the development plan will be supported by deliverables and a robust critical path document, highlighting responsibilities and timings.

03. Pre-Production and Compliance

We organise lab dips and ensure any fabrics are toxicity and chemical-free, and compliant with the markets that your product will be sold into. We manage the tooling and off tool sampling process for any plastics and metals, checking finishing meets the product specification detail before submitting the product to a compliance house for testing.

Phase 3 focuses on securing a robust approach from the chosen partner factory, to ensure your product is brought to market without any hiccups. It provides the assurance that products are compliant, safe, and designed to a high standard before we move into production.