These are suggested controls for changes requested after sample approval and before bulk cutting. The order quantities and revision numbers below are hypothetical; responsibilities and commercial terms should be agreed for the actual order.
Identify the instruction that is currently approved
Before sending a change, name the purchase order, style and approved document revision it affects. Keep the sample reference, specification and colour-by-size quantity sheet together. A supplier receiving a new spreadsheet needs to know whether it replaces an approved instruction or is still a proposal.
The sample review guide covers checking the garment itself. This step addresses what happens after that approval: record the old requirement, the requested replacement and any details that should remain unchanged. Add a date and one contact responsible for collecting the buyer's decisions.
Check a quantity change beyond the order total
Consider a hypothetical order for 600 pajama sets: 300 navy and 300 pink. Fabric is prepared and cutting instructions have been issued, but cutting has not started. The buyer asks for 400 navy and 200 pink instead. Although the total remains 600, the existing material allocation and cutting plan need review.
Provide the revised size split within each colour. Ask the supplier to check navy fabric availability, the treatment of unused pink fabric and any affected colour codes on labels or packing instructions. Do not assume that a colour substitution leaves the price or shipment date unchanged. Record the supplier's assessment before approving revised commercial terms.
Assign the decisions to named contacts
Agree who can approve the buyer's quantity, cost and delivery changes, and who coordinates the supplier's response. Ask the supplier to identify the person who confirms material status and the person who issues instructions to cutting. One person may cover several roles in a small team; each decision still needs an identifiable owner.
- The buyer confirms the requested colour and size quantities.
- The supplier checks materials, work already committed and any cost or timing effect.
- The buyer accepts or revises those terms.
- The agreed production contact confirms which documents the cutting team will use.
A forwarded message from someone without approval authority should remain a request until the designated contact confirms it.
Specify the work that should wait
While the change is unresolved, ask for a written hold on the affected cutting work. Identify the order, style, colour, sizes and batch, and state what decision is outstanding. Agree whether any unaffected work can continue; avoid an ambiguous instruction to stop everything or keep everything moving.
Request a status check when the hold is received. Sending the message does not establish that nothing has been cut. If part of the order is already cut, record completed and uncut quantities separately and assess the remaining options. The revised spreadsheet should not hide work that has already happened.
Release a specific revision for cutting
In the example, the order pack might move from R03 to R04, with a change note stating that only the colour and size allocation has changed. Update the order confirmation, material allocation, cutting instructions and any affected packing records. List unchanged technical documents by their existing revision so the team does not have to guess which files remain valid.
Before releasing the affected work, confirm that the quantities and commercial terms are accepted, the required material is available and open questions are resolved. The designated contact can then issue a written release naming the applicable batch and document revisions. Ask the production recipient to acknowledge that superseded working instructions have been withdrawn. Keep the older versions in the order history, separate from the current working pack.
Revisit affected approvals when the change goes further
A fabric substitution needs its own impact review. Identify which previous approvals remain usable and which require another check, such as the material reference, garment measurements or care instructions. The fabric specification guide helps define the material details; the change record should identify who must review them before release.
Finally, record whether the accepted change applies only to this order or is intended for future repeats. Keep the approval date, decision makers and final revision with the completed order. A repeat purchase should state its own quantities and approved references rather than inherit a late adjustment by accident.