TIME AND ACTION CALENDAR Introduction It is the basis for all-merchandising planning.

It is designed to control the key events needed to get the right apparel products, in the right mix, at the right price to the right customer at the right time. Also called as Merchandising calendar, Key events calendar or Critical path calendar. A planning tool.

It is the central mechanism from which all marketing schedules and all merchandising and manufacturing plans evolve. It is the clock that drives merchandising product development schedules, manufacturing planning and shipping schedules. It sets forth the starting and completion dates for all critical events necessary to achieve a successful season. The calendar includes information about the name of the buyer, season, style, wash and quantity. The calendar includes the target dates for each event such as pre production garment approval, lab dip approval, pattern approvals and when graded sates of pattern should be sent out. The person who is responsible for an event must sign it off in the system when the system has been completed so that everyone can monitor the status of the line development.

Key Elements of a merchandising calendarLine preview dates by season. Line release dates by season. Start ship date End ship date Weekly sales plan Weekly shipping plans Line Preview Date It is the merchandisers deadline for having all prototypes and pricing for a new product line completed. Merchandisers work back from this date to create their product development plans. It is the date of seasonal sales meeting where the merchandising team presents the line to the sales force. The final line adoption committee meets prior to the line preview date to select those styles that will make up the final seasonal line. Line Release Date

It is the merchandisers deadline for having all sales samples ready for the sales team to begin presenting the new line to the customers. This deadline is crucial to the success of the sales effort, since most sales representative schedule their earliest appointments with their most important customers. If a sales appointment with a retailer is cancelled due to late delivery of samples, the retailer will most likely reschedule the sales appointment at the end of the buying season when there will be minimal if any open to buy available.

Weekly Sales Plan It measures the effectiveness of a product line for the merchandising department. A graphic analysis of this plan can project increase or decrease in overall sales for a season. Weekly Shipping Plan

It shows season to date as well as shipping statistics for a specific week or monthly time period. It helps to determine whether or not the product mixes being delivered to distribution meet the shippability

Determination of Lead Time

Determination of lead-time is important as merchandisers work on these planned dates for completing a particular activity. The time duration for each activity is mentioned in the time and action calendar. The merchandisers need to finish a particular activity within the planned time span, otherwise it may result in late delivery of products to the customer. Critical Path Method (CPM) is used for determination of lead time. CPM is the key to a successful merchandising calendar. It determines the critical functions necessary to perform an activity or series of activities required to achieve an overall objective. The activities involved in the development, execution and delivery of an apparel product line must be analyzed to determine the critical functions necessary to achieve a successful season. What determines a critical function is whether an activity that follows a particular

function can successfully take place without the critical function being accomplished. For example, a prototype cannot be made without a pattern being created or fabric being ordered. Fabric cannot be ordered without researching suppliers. A pattern cannot be created without a silhouette. Each of these functions is critical to the succeeding activity and to the final objective of development of a product line. After the critical functions are selected, each one must be analyzed to determine the time required to accomplish it. A typical merchandising calendar may have 25 to 50 functions for a product line. Types of Time and Action Calendar For buyers For manufacturers

The basic difference between a buyers T n A and a manufacturers T n A is that a manufacturers T n A will have all minor details, involving the time duration for all the pre production activities and the production activities for a particular order. Whereas, a buyers T n A will have information regarding when the goods are being exported and when they will be reaching his warehouse and the retail store. Buyers Calendar-

TIME 'n' ACTION CHART

BACKWARD PLANNING ACTIVITY BUYER RETAIL NEED STOCK ON ACTION INCOLOR WAREHOUSE OF IMPORTER OFFICE INcolor satndards received from buyer NEW YORK 1st lab dip submit to buyer comments from NEW YORK PORT buyer 2nd lab dip submit to buyer comments from buyer GOODS EXPORTED LEAD TIME 1st week FEB DAYS PRIOR TO DELIVERY

15th J AN 65 days 60 days 55 days 15th DEC 50 days 45 days 15th NOV 30th SEP 60 days 60 days 60 days 35 days 15th AUG

TRIMS PRE PRODUCTION SAMPLES care labels approved by Buttons approved by threads approved by ORDER CONFIRMATION - Lead ti me for Prod others 90 days lead Time ALL TRIMS APPROVED BY SALES MAN SAMPLES ALL TRIMS EX SUPPLIERS (Wi th Actual Fab / Tri ms ) ALL TRIMS IN FTY

60 days 15th J uly 40 days 30 days

FIT SAMPLE APPROVAL 30th J une SAMPLES fit sample submit 65 days fit sample approval 58 13th J une FINALIZATION ON PRICE OF SAMPLES GIVEN BY BUYER days 2nd fit sample submit 51 days 2nd fit sample2nd PROTOTYPE SAMPLE approval 44 days APPROVAL OF 20th April size set submit 33 days size set approval 31 days APPROVAL OF 1st PROTOTYPE SAMPLE [ Style ref] 05th April green seal sample submit 30 days green seal sample approval 25 days SAMPLE PACKAGEsubmit 20th March gold seal sample RECEIVE FROM BUYER 10 days gold seal sample approval 5 days Manufactures

TESTING PROCESSES prod fabric submitted for testing test report available by prod garment submitted for testing test report available by PLANNED CUT DATE PRODUCTION fabric delivery local fabric in fty imported begin cutting begin sewing begin washing begin packing Final audit EX FACTORY DATE EX COUNTRY DATE

Calendar65 days 60days 35 days 30 days 30 days

35 days

26 days 24 days 15 days 8 days 4 days 0 days