The Playbook
168 pages · 21 chapters · 10 diagramsThe full method, from defining your product to choosing a partner, transferring the process, validating it, running production, and keeping a real backup. Every chapter ends with a concrete output.
The complete kit · Instant download
Your product works. Now someone else has to make it.
The Contract Manufacturing Playbook helps founders and product teams choose the right manufacturer, move the process without losing what makes the product work, and stay in control once production is running.
- 168-page playbook with 10 diagrams
- RFQ template and supplier comparison workbook
- Tech-transfer, validation, handover, and backup plans
Available soon$129 · one-time · 14-day refund
The lowest quote can carry the highest total cost.
A polished facility may be a poor technical fit. A responsive salesperson may disappear after the contract is signed. A successful first batch may hide a process that can’t be repeated.
This playbook helps you separate signals from evidence, before those surprises cost you a launch.
What’s inside
A book to understand it. Tools to do it.
Field Guide
19 pages · print and bringOne-page tools for manufacturer calls, site audits, quote comparison, selection decisions, validation gates, handover, and early warning.
Audit Workbook
Excel · 62 gates · 9 sheetsScore candidates side by side with evidence, owner, risk, and confidence. Includes packaging validation, an early-warning tracker, and an action register.
11 Editable Templates
Word · ready to sendRFQ and proposal, decision rights (RACI), risk register, decision log, tech-transfer plan, validation protocol, handover, lessons learned, recovery plan, backup plan, packaging qualification.
Contents
The whole lifecycle, in seven parts.
Start with the part that matches where you are today. The Start Here guide shows you which one.
- Part IKnow your productStart with the product · Map the process · Define success, variation, and failure
- Part IIDefine the partner you needTranslate the product into manufacturer requirements · Build the technology-transfer package
- Part IIIFind and compare manufacturersBuild the market · Run the CLEAR selection method · Audit the evidence · Choose without losing your backup
- Part IVMake the agreement realContract the relationship · Build the joint operating system
- Part VTransfer and proveStart the transfer · Learn at pilot and scale · Validate the process · Hand over to routine manufacturing
- Part VILaunch and operateControl the first commercial runs · Run routine manufacturing · Optimize without weakening the product
- Part VIIPrepare for what goes wrongDetect, contain, investigate, and learn · Maintain a real backup · Improve, renew, remediate, or leave
Made for
- Founders preparing to contact, compare, or sign with a manufacturer
- Product, operations, and supply leads moving from pilot to production
- Scientists and engineers handing a process to an outside partner
Not for
- Finding a list of factory names (this isn’t a directory)
- Purely digital or service businesses
- Replacing category-specific regulatory or legal review
Questions
What kind of products is this for?
Physical products made by an outside manufacturer: consumer goods, hardware and components, formulated and packaged products, and physical products with a digital element. The method is product-agnostic, so it does not replace category-specific regulatory requirements.
What format are the files?
One download (ZIP, about 4 MB): PDF playbook and field guide, an Excel workbook, and Word templates. They open in current Excel, Word, and any PDF reader. No account or subscription.
Can my team use it?
Each purchase covers one person inside one company. You can share completed documents, like a filled-in RFQ, with colleagues, manufacturers, and advisers.
What if it isn’t right for me?
If the kit isn’t useful, reply to your receipt within 14 days for a full refund.
Does it include advice on my specific product?
No. It is a self-serve planning system, not consulting. It does not recommend or certify manufacturers and is not legal, regulatory, or engineering advice.
Choose the partner. Prove the process. Protect the business.
Available soonNot ready yet? Take the free readiness check to see what to prepare before you call a manufacturer.