Diagram 5: Department Swimlane — Who Does What

Diagram 5

Department Swimlane — Who Does What

Six teams, one chain. This shows exactly who is responsible at each stage and where the handoff happens. The most common failure point in exhibition operations is not a bad product — it's a dropped handoff. This diagram exists to make that impossible to miss.

flowchart TD subgraph MERCH["Merchandising"] M1[Season Brief Approved] --> M2[Piece List Finalised] M2 --> M3[Export Docs Prepared] M3 --> M4[Post-Show Reconciliation] M4 --> M5[Returns to India Initiated] end subgraph DESIGN["Design & Studio — India"] D1[Designs Shortlisted for Season] --> D2[Samples & Photography Done] D2 --> D3[Catalogue Issued] D3 --> D4[Custom Briefs Received from US] D4 --> D5[Production & Quality Check] end subgraph EXIM["Export & Logistics"] X1[India Export: Shipping Bill Filed] --> X2[US Customs Clearance] X2 --> X3[Delivery to US Venue] X3 --> X4[Return Shipment to India if needed] end subgraph EX["Exhibition Team — US"] E1[Venue Setup & Security] --> E2[Registration & Welcome] E2 --> E3[Sales Floor Managed] E3 --> E4[Stock Secured End of Day] end subgraph ORD["Order Management — US"] O1[Order Captured & Documented] --> O2[Custom Brief Sent to India] O2 --> O3[Balance Collected Before Dispatch] O3 --> O4[US Delivery Coordinated] end subgraph CRM["CRM — US"] C1[Invitations Sent to Clients] --> C2[Profiles Updated During Show] C2 --> C3[Post-Show Follow-Up] C3 --> C4[Ongoing Relationship] end M2 --> D1 D3 --> M2 M3 --> X1 D5 --> X1 X3 --> E1 C1 --> E2 E3 --> O1 O2 --> D4 O4 --> C3 X4 --> M5 style M1 fill:#1B2A4A,color:#C9A84C,stroke:#1B2A4A style C4 fill:#2C5F2E,color:#fff,stroke:#2C5F2E

Notes

Stage by Stage

What each step means in practice

1

Merchandising drives the whole chain The season brief from merchandising is what kicks everything else off. If this is late or vague, every downstream team — design, export, exhibition — is working with incomplete information. This document needs to be specific: how many pieces, which categories, what price range, which exhibition cities.

2

Export & Logistics is the invisible glue Most exhibition teams underestimate how much time customs, freight, and insurance takes. The EXIM team needs the piece list and valuations at least 10 working days before the shipping date. If you hand them a packing list 3 days before departure, expect problems.

3

Exhibition Team and CRM must share the same data If CRM has invited 40 clients but the exhibition team's registration list only has 30 names, six people will arrive and feel unknown. The client list, RSVP status, and personal notes must be in a shared document that both teams see — not separate spreadsheets.

4

Custom brief → India studio is time-critical Once Order Management captures a custom brief at the exhibition, it goes to Design in India the same night. The studio in Chennai or Hyderabad is 10.5 hours ahead. A brief sent by midnight US time gets read the next morning in India. A brief sent 3 days later is a week's delay.

5

Returns loop closes the circle The returns to India — unsold pieces coming back — must feed back into the merchandising reconciliation. If 8 of 45 pieces come back, merchandising needs to know which ones and why. That data shapes the next season's selection.

Checklist

Department Swimlane — Who Does What

Stage by Stage

Operational Checklist