How to schedule sample approvals during staff leave
Before leave starts, name an authorised deputy, arrange access to the correct physical samples and agree approval cut-offs with the factory. Record what happens if a decision is unanswered, including whether the reserved slot is released. Ask Cambridge China Bridge to coordinate the handover with its staff in China.
Build the approval calendar around availability
List each pending sample decision against the people needed to make it, their leave dates and the production activity it releases. Work backwards from the factory's proposed start to sample delivery, examination, feedback and any corrected sample. Include courier delays, office closures and the deputy's availability rather than assuming a delivered parcel can be reviewed immediately.
Separate the sample arrival date, buyer decision deadline and factory slot expiry. Ask the factory which materials, printing, cutting or assembly activities depend on approval. Our guide to making bulk production match the sample explains the sample controls; this calendar should identify who can apply them during leave.
Give the deputy a bounded written authority
Name the deputy and an escalation contact in a handover shared with the factory and sourcing team. Specify the products and sample versions covered, when the authority starts and ends, and what the deputy may approve. Distinguish accepting a sample against the existing specification from accepting a deviation, changing materials or authorising extra spending.
Ask the deputy to confirm that they accept the role and can access the decision records. Tell the factory whose written instructions to follow during the absence. If a decision falls outside the deputy's authority and the escalation contact is unavailable, agree that the affected activity remains on hold. Do not rely on an out-of-office message as the approval plan.
Make physical samples accessible before leave
Arrange delivery to a staffed address and identify who will receive, locate and pass the parcel to the deputy. Hand over the current sample, the approved comparison sample and the matching specification. Label their status clearly so an earlier rejected version cannot be mistaken for the version awaiting approval.
Decide which checks need physical examination, such as feel, fit, operation or colour comparison. Photographs and video can support the review, but should not replace those checks merely because the usual approver is away. If the deputy cannot examine the sample, arrange a suitable reviewer or move the decision date and ask the factory to reconfirm the slot.
Agree cut-offs and unanswered-decision instructions
Put the decision deadline in a shared record with the calendar date, local time and named time zone. Agree where approvals must be sent and who acknowledges receipt. Require the decision to identify the sample version and state approved, rejected or awaiting specified evidence. Acknowledging delivery of a sample should not release production.
Before reserving capacity, ask the factory to confirm whether the slot is provisional, what keeps it reserved and when it can be released. Agree an escalation before expiry and an explicit instruction for no answer: hold the affected work and confirm whether capacity remains available. Include these arrangements in the production purchase order.
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Reconfirm the slot after a missed approval
If the cut-off passes without an authorised decision, record the sample as pending and request the slot's current status. Depending on the agreed reservation terms, the factory may allocate the capacity elsewhere. A later approval should trigger confirmation of a revised production start and delivery plan, rather than an assumption that the original dates still stand.
If approval needs a correction, identify the changed feature and whether a revised physical sample is needed. Use our guide to stopping endless sample revisions to keep that feedback focused. On the approver's return, hand back the decisions made, open issues and confirmed schedule. Cambridge China Bridge's staff in China can coordinate factory updates while buyer approval remains with the named decision-maker.
Frequently asked questions
Can a colleague approve samples while I am on holiday?
Yes, if you give them clear written authority, the current specification and access to the samples. Define which deviations or spending decisions need escalation.
Can we approve a sample from photographs?
Use photographs for checks they can show reliably. Arrange physical examination for agreed checks such as feel, fit or operation, or reschedule approval and reconfirm factory capacity.
Does no reply mean the factory can start production?
Set an explicit no-answer instruction before leave: the affected work stays on hold pending authorised written approval. Ask the factory to acknowledge that instruction.
Will the factory keep our slot if approval is late?
Ask for written reservation terms. Capacity may be released under those terms if the deadline passes. After late approval, obtain a confirmed production start and revised delivery plan.