T&A calendar and critical path: planning an order backwards from ship date

Most late shipments were late long before production started - a lab dip approved a week late, fabric booked after the deadline, trims arriving on the day of cutting. The Time and Action (T&A) calendar makes these dates visible from the first day.

T&A calendar with the critical path

Build it backwards

Start from the ex-factory date and subtract the lead time of each step:

Step	Typical lead time (example)	Due day
Ex-factory	-	D70
Final inspection	2 days	D67-68
Finishing & packing	9 days	D58-66
Sewing	14 days	D51-64
Cutting	6 days	D48-53
PP meeting	before cutting	D46
Fabric dyeing, finishing, inspection	16 days	D29-44
Fabric knitting / weaving	28 days	D1-28
Lab dip approval	needed before dyeing	by D13

Lead times depend on your suppliers, fabric type and capacity - use your own history.

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