Four outputs of planning for production
Once a design is developed it must become the information needed to MAKE it. Planning gives four outputs: a working drawing — dimensioned, to a stated scale, showing every size, joint and construction detail; a production plan — a numbered sequence of the stages of manufacture; a materials (cutting) list — each component with its material, size and quantity; and the fittings and finishes the product needs.
Working drawing carries full making detail
A working drawing is only useful if it carries FULL manufacturing detail: every dimension shown, the scale stated, and the construction — joints, fixings and how parts fit — drawn or noted. The standard is whether a skilled third party could make the product from the drawing alone. Use recognised conventions — third-angle projection, dimension lines, dashed hidden-detail and centre lines. A neat pictorial with no sizes is not a working drawing.
Production plan = numbered stages, not a diary
A production plan sets out the stages of manufacture as a logical, numbered sequence, in the order the work will be done: mark out, cut to size, shape and drill, assemble and join, finish, then fit fittings and test. A good plan also notes the tools, an estimated time per stage, and quality-control checks. Crucially it is written BEFORE making so it guides the work — a photographic diary only records the past. Sequencing must be sensible: no finish before the joints are cut.
Drawn from real examiner reports.
Working drawing with no dimensions
The most-cited AC5 fault: neat working drawings with no dimensions, and often no scale. Without sizes the drawing cannot do its job — parts cannot be cut accurately, the right material cannot be ordered, and a third party cannot make it. Treat the drawing as a manufacturing document: add every dimension, state the scale, and show the construction.
s23 P02 AC5; w23 P02 AC5
Photo diary is not a production plan
A production plan and a making diary are not the same. A plan is written in advance and lists the intended stages of manufacture as a numbered sequence that guides the work. A photographic diary is taken during and after making and only shows what happened — no forward planning, the point of the criterion. Test: if every 'stage' is in the past tense, it is a diary.
w23 P02 AC5
Vague stages like "make the box"
Stages such as 'make the box' or 'finish it off' tell a maker nothing about tool, method or order. A usable stage names the process and equipment — 'cut the four sides to length with a tenon saw', 'drill 4 mm pilot holes for the hooks'. Vague planning cannot guide making. Name the specific process and tool for each stage so the product can be made accurately and repeatably.
No materials or cutting list
A production plan needs a materials (cutting) list, and candidates often omit it. Each component should be listed with its material, finished size and quantity, so the right amount of material can be ordered before making starts. Without the list the maker guesses at quantities. The list is part of the planning evidence, not an optional extra.
Fittings and finish left unnamed
Candidates name no specific fittings and no named finish. A usable plan states which fitting — which hinge, which KD fitting, which screw — and names the finish (wax, oil, lacquer, primer-and-paint) with the reason it suits the material and use. 'Screw it together and finish it' is not planning; the exact fittings and finish must be named.
Stages in an impossible order
Stages must be in a workable order. Candidates apply the finish before the joints are cut, or fit hinges before the panels exist. You cannot finish before assembly, or fit fittings to parts not yet made. Sequence sensibly: mark out, cut, shape and drill, assemble, finish, then fit fittings and test. An impossible order shows the plan was not thought through.
Photos of the build count as a plan
A specific wrong belief: that a photographic diary of the build IS the production plan, so taking plenty of photos satisfies the criterion. It does not — a plan is written before making and sets out the stages as a numbered sequence, while photos only record what happened. The related error is calling a neat pictorial with no sizes a 'working drawing'.
w23 P02 AC5
Four moves for the planning marks
Make the working drawing a manufacturing document — scale stated, every dimension shown. Write the plan as a numbered sequence of stages, backed by a materials list, named fittings and a named finish. For a method of manufacture, give ordered stages with named tools.
Judge the drawing by the third-party test
Judge your drawing by the third-party test: could a skilled person make the product from it without asking one question? If not, the making detail is incomplete — usually a missing dimension, an unstated scale, or hidden construction not shown in a section or exploded view.
Add a tool, time and check to each stage
Lift a plan above a bare list by adding to each stage the tool used, an estimated time, and a quality-control check (check the frame is square before the glue sets). Tools show method, times allow scheduling, checks catch faults early.
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