Even established companies struggle to operate efficiently and effectively without good process. You hear stories about this from the fashion world—usually around the time couture houses and leading designers are launching new lines and presenting their collections on a global stage. Consider two different scenarios with identical resources and time:

• First Scenario: the team prepares samples of the collection for the “big meeting” with the President a month before the launch. In the meeting, it is clear that the President is not satisfied with the workmanship or fit. Hardware has been altered or replaced incorrectly. A cheaper fabric has been substituted for a key design. The President’s standard of quality has not been met, and now there is an expensive scramble to repair six months of work.

• Second Scenario: the team holds weekly meetings in which the President is presented with tactile examples of hardware, fabric, and pattern construction—key concepts that are refined over months prior to the event. As the collection comes to life, numerous alterations are made, and are reviewed with the President during the weekly meeting. By the time the launch is a month out, there are no surprises. Additionally, the team has time left to iron out the small, precise details that make the difference between ready to wear and Haute Couture.

Same staff. Same event. Different results.