Step 1. Configure the Admin and Custom Fields
The first step to setting up Backbone the right way is to configure your Admin Panel! Once you've completed setting up your Company, Taxonomy, Users, Tech Pack Sections and Custom Fields, you'll be able to begin creating everything you need to generate your 1st Tech Pack.
Key Outcomes:
Taxonomy is defined and is the foundation of how all of your Products and Components are organized throughout the app.
Custom Fields are configured so you can begin to filter, report and track these attributes on Products & Components.
Create Products and Components using the Taxonomy and Custom Fields you created.
Helpful Tips:
Admin Icon on the Global Navigation is only accessible to Users with Admin permissions.
Custom Fields are dynamic data fields which will allow you to report, filter and navigate throughout Backbone. These are fields that you would typically like to view on a Tech Pack or at the Summary level, or fields that you often report on.
Use Custom Field Dividers to organize them according to roles or utilization.
Development Stages will be used in the Size Spec, Samples and Feedback & Revisions - think about what stages you use to manage your development process.
Image Sections will provide an easy way to keep your Images organized on a Product record and Tech Pack.
Any changes made in Admin & Custom Fields will update globally.
Step 2. Manage Images and Create Annotations
The next step is uploading Images and beginning to create Annotations. You may be a CAD software to create your annotations currently, but we highly recommend using Backbone and / or Adobe Illustrator (version 26 or newer) with our Plug-In. Our users who transition from a 3rd Party tool to Backbone find value through the efficiencies of being able to quickly update comments or annotations throughout their development process.
Key Outcomes:
Set the Default Image on your Product.
Your Product has Images with Annotations.
Manage Images throughout the Development Process using your Image Sections.
Helpful Tips:
Prior to Annotating using Marker Tools, we recommend building out your key Components, POM’s and Construction Details in the relevant Libraries. The Marker Tools links to different Libraries which will help you keep your nomenclature consistent.
Default Image will appear as the thumbnail throughout the app, on Product-level Line Sheets and as the Cover Page image on your Tech Packs.
Ideal Size of Images for Annotations is 600 x 600 pixels.
Ideal Artboard Dimensions are 8.5" x 8.5".
Use Copy Annotations to help manage changes between images.
Use the Backbone Plugin for Adobe Illustrator to upload to Backbone without leaving the application
Step 3. Create and Manage Swatches in Palettes
Now it’s time to create your Palettes to easily assign Swatches to Products and Components throughout the app.
Key Outcomes:
Easily create a new Swatch via sourcing from a Pantone Color Book.
Assign Swatches to Products & Components.
Groups of Swatches are clearly organized and easy to find.
Helpful Tips:
Create Swatches first. Once you create Swatches you can start assigning them to different Palettes that you have created.
Use Palettes to organize your Swatches (examples include a variety of colors from a Supplier, Mill, Division, Year, Category, etc.
Swatches have 4 key attributes, Name, Custom Code, Internal Code & External Code. Name & Custom Code are visible throughout the app.
Create new Custom Swatches via sourcing from Pantones.
Swatches are Dynamic. If you Edit or Delete a Swatch, this change will be made everywhere that Swatch is being used.
When adding Color Swatches to Products and Components you can bulk add color
More efficiency while creating Products / Components and without duplication of Swatches in your Palettes
Step 4. Create Components, build a BOM and utilize BOM Templates
Using Backbone to manage your Components can provide vital information for your company - whether you need to track Consumption, Utilization, Pricing, etc., you'll quickly find value after your first season. Utilize your Component Library to create your Product Bill of Materials. We recommend that you also create Bill of Materials Templates for specific Styles, Categories, or sections of your BOM like Trims or Packaging to make BOM creation more efficient.
Key Outcomes:
Core Component records and their Variants are created.
Bill of Materials is created for a Product and Variants have been defined for each Product Colorway.
BOM Templates can be created.
Helpful Tips:
Component Records
Create Component Variants to manage different Variations of the Component.
Color is the default / first Variant Type.
Other common Variant types include Size, Weight or Finish
There is a maximum of 3 Variant Types (including Color) per Component and limit of 500 options.
Bill of Materials
Add Components to the BOM by:
Choosing from the Component Library
Creating new Components "on the fly"
Creating a Factory Sourced one-off Component
Using the component Marker within the image annotator
You have the ability to Copy, Delete or Hide Components on the BOM using the corresponding icons.
Add Dividers to your BOM to separate and organize Components into sections, such as Materials, Trims, Packaging, etc.
Variants have to be added to the Component itself before you can select them on your BOM.
BOM Templates
You may not have these defined when you get started, but the goal is to create these over time to improve efficiency.
Step 5. Build a Size Specification
The next step to getting started in Backbone is creating a standardized Point of Measure Library and then building Blocks or Size Spec templates from those PoMs. Seems easy enough, right?
Key Outcomes:
Size range and Sample size has been defined.
Size Spec is built for a Product.
POM Library is populated with your standard POM’s.
Core Blocks are identified and built.
Helpful Tips:
We recommend as best practice that you first build out a Library of your consistent Points of Measure, before creating Blocks or Size Specs in Backbone.
Have a standard format to follow as you create POMs for your team. This enables you to keep it consistent among your team!
As you add POMs to the Library, you will not only standardize your communication and verbiage, but you can track POM Utilization.
You are also able to create one-off POMs that you do not have to add to the POM Library. However these POMs are not reusable and Utilization is not tracked.
Step 6. Generate and share a Tech Pack
Now that your Product is fully built out - it's time to create a Tech Pack, then send it to the relevant Supplier to begin Sampling.
Key Outcomes:
Generate a Tech Pack in your desired format.
Create a shared folder for your Tech Packs
Share a public link or folder with your Supplier so they can begin working on your request.
Helpful Tips:
Give your supplier a heads up that they’ll be receiving a Tech Pack in a new format.
Generate both a Condensed and Expanded version to see what format you like best.
Refer back to the Admin section to change which Custom Fields appear on the Tech Pack.
Step 7. Create Samples and Share Feedback
Once you've sent your Tech Pack, it's time to receive your Samples and share Feedback with your Supplier.
Key Outcomes:
Capture measurements of your 1st Sample in Backbone.
Log comments and changes for your 1st Sample within the Feedback & Revisions section of the Product.
Generate and send updated Tech Pack to Supplier.
Helpful Tips:
Create Sample Stage within Measure Mode of the Size Specification.
Summarize comments within the Feedback & Revisions modal and use the Image Annotator Tool for comments specifically related to your Images.
Quickly create a Tech Pack from Feedback & Revisions.
Use Development Stages to keep the Feedback & Revisions organized. Comments are organized from Most Recent to Oldest.
Step 8. Create an Item View Report, Line Sheet and Component Utilization Report
The last and final step is utilizing Backbone's reporting tools, which can be very powerful and save time you may spend creating different spreadsheets or sending information to cross-functional teams.
Key Outcomes:
Create Item View Reports for Product Assortment for WIP’s, Sample Tracking and other cross-functional reports.
Create Line Sheets for Line Reviews, Marketing Assets, etc.
Create Component Utilization Reports for increased visibility of where Components are being used across your Product Assortment.
Helpful Tips:
All reporting uses dynamic data which means, if you make an update on a Product or Component, it will update on all reports.
All reports can be exported to share with external stakeholders.
Item Views are dynamic, data-driven reports for Products & Components. They can be shared with different users in Backbone as well as exported to utilize outside of Backbone. Any updates or changes made, will update on the Product & Component Summary.
Line Sheets are dynamic, visual reports for Products.
Component Utilization Reports can be helpful for Production teams to plan consumption or to identify missing BOM Data.