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Recipe Lifecycle

How a recipe moves from idea to production

📝
Draft
R&D creates recipe, adds ingredients, method
DRAFT
R&D
📤
In Review
Team reviews recipe, costing, formulation
IN REVIEW
R&D
🏭
Factory Trial
First factory batch. Factory runs, QA tests micro & physical. Yield is not captured at this stage — too early.
FACTORY TRIAL
QA ✓
+ Recipe ID
🔬
Prod Trial
Full-scale factory batch. QA validates again, sensory panel evaluates. Factory records indicative yield.
PROD TRIAL
QA ✓
Data ✓
✅
Approved
Production ready. R&D signs off when all data is complete
APPROVED
🧩
Composite recipes follow a different path
Composites (e.g. Pesto Ravioli, Lemon Tart) aren't physically produced — they're assembled from their sub-recipes. The lifecycle above applies to each sub-recipe individually: each one goes Draft → In Review → Factory Trial → Prod Trial → Approved on its own.

A composite becomes Approved when every one of its sub-recipes is Approved. It does not appear on the Production Plan as a trial run, and it doesn't ping the QA Lab badge — its QA is satisfied implicitly through each sub.
👨‍🍳
R&D
Creates & edits recipes
Drives lifecycle to Approved
Sets formulation, yield & cost
Final sign-off at Approved
🏭
Factory
Schedules & runs production
Assigns Recipe ID at Trial-Passed gate
Records yield & waste
Marks runs complete
🧪
QA
Captures lab results & micro
Gatekeeper at trial stages
Sets shelf life on Branch SOPs
Signs the COA
Production Run Lifecycle
⏳
Pending
Auto-created when R&D sends to trial. No date yet.
PENDING
Factory sets date
📋
Scheduled
Date is set. Factory knows when to run the batch.
SCHEDULED
Factory completes
✅
Completed
Yield & waste recorded. Completion date stamped.
COMPLETED
Gates at Each Stage What's required for each transition
Draft → In Review
👨‍🍳R&D moves it · no other gates
In Review → Factory Trial
👨‍🍳R&D moves it
📅Auto-action: Factory Trial run is scheduled
Factory Trial → Prod Trial
🧪QA signs off Factory Trial micro + physical
⚡or QA bypass — admin/QA only, with reason
🏭Factory assigns Recipe ID (e.g. 211_BCS v1)
📅Auto-action: Prod Trial run is scheduled
Prod Trial → Approved
🧪QA signs off Prod Trial micro + physical
⚡or QA bypass — Factory Trial and Prod Trial bypassed independently
💰Costing complete (cost/kg calculated)
⚠️Allergens declared
📊Nutrition data filled in
📈Factory records Indicative yield (soft step — Validated comes from regular production after Approval)
🎯QAS visual spec — recommended, not required
🔐 Role gate: only R&D and Admin can move a recipe between stages. Only Factory or Admin can assign the Recipe ID. QA sign-off must be entered from the QA page.
ℹ️ Sensory evaluation is tracked outside RecipeHub. R&D confirms sensory results are acceptable before approving.
Process Flowcharts

Each Recipe Has a Process Flowchart

Two layers — a Live diagram operators run from, and (for imported recipes) a Captured archive of the legacy version

🔀
Live flowchart
SOURCE OF TRUTH

The diagram operators run from. Auto-built from your Shared blocks + Recipe-specific steps. R&D edits titles, OPRP/CCP tags, and order. Always reflects the current SOP page.

Who edits: R&D · QA · Admin
How to open: Factory SOPs → recipe → 🔀 Flowchart
📑
Captured flowchart
REFERENCE

Image archive of the original flowchart from the old DFC-MP SOP doc. Read-only — kept while the team rebuilds the Live version. New recipes don't have one, they're authored Live from day one.

Currently on: 65 of 185 recipes
How to open: Factory SOPs → recipe → 📑 As captured (N)
ℹ️ When both buttons are present, always trust the Live flowchart. The captured archive is a frozen snapshot from the legacy SOP — it doesn't update when steps change. If the two diverge unintentionally, raise it with R&D.
Code System

How Codes Work in the Factory

Two codes track every product — the NPD code (R&D) and the Recipe ID (Factory)

NPD Code → Recipe ID Lifecycle Which code is active at each stage
Stage Who owns it Code in use Notes
1 · NPD Draft NPD team 2026-220 · NPD code only Recipe is a concept, not yet producible
2 · R&D Sign-off NPD + QA 2026-220 · NPD code Ingredients validated, costing estimate done
3 · Factory Trial Production 2026-220 · NPD code still Factory runs first trial, collects feedback
4 · Trial Passed Factory assigns 2026-220 + 211_BCS v1 Factory adds the Recipe ID here, before R&D moves the recipe to Prod Trial
5 · Active Production Both 2026-220 + 211_BCS v1 Recipe ID is operational; NPD kept as historical tracker (recall, audit)
Factory Codification 1,284 active codes · snapshot 6 May 2026
Factory Recipes — 152 codes
211_* · Meat Factory line
100 recipes
212_* · Bakery line
52 recipes
Plus 39 R&D-pipeline recipes on the YYYY-NNN format (auto-generated, awaiting Factory Recipe ID assignment at Trial Passed).
Ingredients — 1,132 codes, grouped by prefix
RM — Raw Materials 485 codes
RMTOC topping, chilled · 70
RMADT additives, ambient · 64
RMSET spices, dry · 62
RMSAT sauces, ambient · 44
RMTOF topping, frozen · 30
RMGPT grain/pasta, ambient · 27
RMTOT topping, ambient · 24
RMMPF meat/protein, frozen · 23
RMDPC dairy, chilled · 22
RMBVC beverage, chilled · 22
RMGPA grain, artisanal · 12
RMOLT oil, ambient · 11
RMMPC meat/protein, chilled · 8
RMBVT beverage, ambient · 8
RMTOA topping, ambient (alt) · 7
RMDPT dairy, ambient · 6
RMDST dessert, ambient · 6
RMSDF sweet/dessert, frozen · 6
RMSEA spice, ambient whole · 6
RMGPF grain, frozen · 3
RMDSC dessert, chilled · 3
Other singletons RMBRT, RMSAA, RMSEC, RMSAF, RMADC, RMADF · 21
SF — Semi-Finished (WIP) 358 codes
SFSAC sauce WIPs, chilled · 97
SFTOC vegetable WIPs, chilled · 48
SFTOF topping WIPs, frozen · 46
SFCRF crust WIPs, frozen · 43
SFSDF sweet/dessert, frozen · 34
SFDSF dessert, frozen · 25
SFSAF sauce WIPs, frozen · 22
SFPAF pastry/pasta, frozen · 13
SFSAT sauce WIPs, ambient · 7
SFTOT topping WIPs, ambient · 7
Other SFDSC, SFPZF, SFSLC, SFDPF, SFBDF, SFDPC, SFMAF, SFSET · 16
PM — Packaging 285 codes
PMPXA boxes · 115
PMLAA labels · 65
PMOSA cups, misc · 51
PMPFA film/laminate rolls · 28
PMPBA plastic bags · 26
CO — Consumables / Operational 3 codes
SC — Service / Misc 1 code
Grand Total 1,284 codes
💡 How to read a code: first 2 letters = material family (RM, PM, SF, CO, SC). Letters 3–4 = sub-category. Last letter = storage state (A ambient · C chilled · F frozen · T ambient tray).
Factory SOP Anatomy

How a Factory SOP is Assembled

Three layers combine per recipe — shared blocks (library) + recipe-specific steps + kitchen method

Layer 1
Pre-Production — Shared Blocks
Generic steps reused across recipes — receiving, sifting, weighing, line clearance. Managed centrally in the Edit Library (admin-only). Each recipe toggles relevant blocks on/off; editing a block updates it everywhere.
11 blocks · numbered 3.0 – 3.9
Layer 2
Production Steps — Recipe-Specific
Bespoke steps that belong only to this recipe. Carries icons (🌡️ temp · ⚖️ weigh · ⏱️ time · 🧼 hygiene · ⚠️ danger · ✅ check · 📸 photo · 💡 tip), free-text params (label/value), CCP badges, and warning banners.
Distilled from the recipe's kitchen method; factory adds parameters + photos over time
Layer 3
Post-Production — Shared Blocks
Cooling, blast freezing, packaging, metal detection, FG storage, QA release, dispatch, transport. Same toggle pattern as pre-prod; editing central definition flows through.
11 blocks · numbered 3.10 – 3.20
📎
Annexures
Each block and step references forms (e.g. DFC-QA-F035 Material Receiving & Initial Inspection Records). The Factory SOP automatically collects every referenced form into a numbered Annexures table at the bottom — no manual listing.
ℹ️
Kitchen method vs Factory SOP
The recipe method (shown on the Recipe detail) is the kitchen/trial instructions — free-form prose. The Factory SOP is the production-floor document: the three layers above, scaled and formal. R&D drafts the method; Factory refines the SOP steps; the shared blocks are maintained by admin.
📑
Legacy SOPs — auto-approved imports
Recipes that came in with their original DFC-MP PDF from the old system show a green Legacy SOP badge on the Factory SOP list and are auto-marked Approved at SOP level — they're already validated documents. The PDF stays attached to the recipe as a download while the live three-layer SOP above it is rebuilt; both versions are valid until R&D archives the legacy one. Filter the SOP list by Legacy SOP / No SOP / Status to triage what still needs work.
Legacy SOP Path 74 of 191 recipes · imports from the old DFC-MP system
📑
1. PDF attached
DFC-MP PDF imported and pinned to the recipe's factorySopArchive. Visible on the recipe page as a download.
auto
✅
2. Auto-approved
Recipe's sopStatus flips to Approved. Green Legacy SOP badge appears in the SOP list.
optional
⚙
3. Rebuild live
R&D rebuilds the 3-layer SOP above the PDF. Both versions valid while the rebuild is in progress — operators can use either.
R&D
📦
4. Archive legacy
Once the live SOP is signed off, R&D archives the Legacy. PDF still readable in archive — searchable for audit.
✅
The auto-approval rule
If a recipe has a PDF in factorySopArchive, its SOP is automatically Approved. No QA / R&D sign-off needed — the PDFs come from the old DFC-MP system where they were already validated. Server-side _markSOPChanged respects this and won't reset the status.
⚠️
When does this not apply?
New recipes (authored from R&D draft onward) don't get auto-approval. They go through the standard approval flow — R&D drafts the 3-layer SOP, then signs it off. Auto-approval is only for the legacy import bridge so the floor isn't blocked while live SOPs are rebuilt.
🔍 On the Factory SOP list — the dedicated SOP source filter (All · Legacy SOP · No SOP) and the Status filter (Draft / In Review / Approved / Archived) are independent. Use them together to triage: e.g. "Legacy SOP + Approved" = imported and ready, "No SOP + Approved recipe" = needs the live SOP authored.
Product Builds & Branch SOPs

Product Build Lifecycle

Build status (draft / approved) is the workflow. Stage (in progress / active / inactive) is the launch state.

🍕
Create Build
R&D defines product — components, assembly, portions, costing. Build starts as In Progress.
R&D
💰
Cost & Comply
Costing, allergens, nutrition calculated from components
R&D QA
📋
Branch SOP
Generate one Branch SOP per build (only one allowed). Used by stores to assemble the product.
R&D
Build Stage — Launch State Set on the build detail · separate from draft/approved status
⏳
In Progress
Build still being prepared — not yet launched in store. Default for new builds.
In Progress
Launch
✓
Active
Live in store, on sale. Branch SOPs are in use.
Active
Pull from menu
✕
Inactive
Discontinued in store. Linked Branch SOPs show a "discontinued" warning. Reversible.
Inactive
ℹ️ The 3-segment toggle on the build detail switches between these. Stage moves are logged. Inactive builds stay searchable; the linked Branch SOP banner alerts stores. Note: stage is independent of build status (draft / in review / approved) — a build can be Approved + Active, or Approved + Inactive, etc.
Branch SOP Lifecycle
📋
Draft
Create SOP from a build. Add step photos, portions, instructions
DRAFT
R&D reviews
👁️
In Review
Team checks accuracy of photos, steps, and portions
IN REVIEW
Approved
✅
Approved
Printed and sent to branches. Allergens & nutrition pulled from linked build
APPROVED
🔗 Branch SOPs are linked to Product Builds. Allergens, nutrition, and costing are inherited automatically. If the build is discontinued, the SOP shows a warning banner.
Who Does What
Access by Role Editable in Users & Access
Admin
R&D
QA
OPS
Factory
Purchasing
IT
Viewer
View Access
Most pages (Brands, Production, Comms, Library…)✓✓✓✓✓✓✓✓
Recipes / Factory SOP / Branch SOP✓✓✓✓✓✓—✓
Users & Access✓———————
Recipe Actions
Create / edit recipes✓✓——————
Move recipe stages✓✓——————
Final approval✓✓——————
Delete recipes✓———————
Ingredients
Add / edit ingredients✓✓———✓——
Edit supplier pricing✓✓———✓——
QA
Enter QA results✓—✓—————
QA sign-off✓—✓—————
Builds & Branch SOPs
Create / edit builds✓✓✓—————
Discontinue builds✓✓——————
Edit build nutrition✓✓✓—————
Create / edit Branch SOPs✓✓✓—————
Prepare Branch SOP draft (Stage 1)✓✓✓—————
Review Branch SOP — OPS (Stage 2)✓——✓————
Approve Branch SOP — QA (Stage 3)✓—✓—————
Factory SOPs & Production
Edit Factory SOP steps✓✓——————
Approve Factory SOPs✓✓——————
Schedule / edit runs✓——✓✓———
Complete runs✓——✓✓———
User Management
All user management✓———————
IT — supports the portal in read-only mode but Recipes / Factory SOP / Branch SOP stay hidden so formulations remain confidential. Otherwise behaves like Viewer.
How to Use the App
⚙
Factory SOP
1. Open recipe → Generate Factory SOP
2. Steps pulled from recipe method
3. Add photos to each step
4. Print: Full (photos) or Text Only
5. Imported recipes show a 📑 Legacy SOP badge — auto-approved DFC-MP PDFs while the live SOP is rebuilt
📋
Branch SOP
1. Create from a Build or + New
2. Upload step photos
3. Use ▲ ▼ to reorder steps
4. Print colour-coded cards for stores
🍕
Product Builds
1. Add components by type (Dough, Sauce, Cheese, Protein, Topping, Finish, Packaging, Bread, Seasoning)
2. Set Selling Price → see COGS %
3. Each size = its own build
4. Export PDF build sheet
✅
QA Sign-off
1. Open a recipe in Factory/Prod Trial
2. Sign off the trial (QA decides)
3. Set shelf life during sign-off
4. Upload lab certificates
🥕
Ingredients DB
1. Browse all ingredients with costs
2. Click Used in to find every recipe & build using that ingredient
3. Costs auto-sync from EBS
📅
Production Plan
1. See sent date & days waiting
2. Schedule with date change tracking
3. Add comments per production run
4. Edit batch size before scheduling
✉
Communications
1. Send messages by role or to everyone
2. Available to all roles except Viewers
3. Full message log with history
📁
Library
1. Upload documents (Admin + R&D only)
2. Everyone can view & download
3. Organised by category
📝
Import & Reorder Steps
1. Paste multiple method steps at once
2. Use ▲ ▼ arrows to reorder
3. Works in recipe edit & Branch SOP edit
🔄
Refresh Data
Pull latest from server
💾
Save All Data
Push your changes
📷
Photos
Click to zoom, upload to recipes/builds/SOPs
💬
Comments
On recipes & production runs
🔍
Used In
Find recipes using an ingredient
👤
Profile
Click your name in sidebar
Where things live Quick reference for supporting tools & assets
🖼Pictures Library
Central image store. Upload here once, pick from any recipe / SOP / build photo slot. Replaces re-uploading the same hero shot twenty times.
📁Library
Documents (PDFs, Word, Excel) shared with the team. Legal docs, supplier sheets, training material. Not for recipes — those have their own attachments.
📧Communications
Send an email to one team or several. Pick chips (R&D · QA · Factory · Purchasing · Viewers · Individual). Logged on this screen so the team can re-read what was sent.
📚Training
Interactive tours that walk you through each workflow step in the actual UI. Best place to start when onboarding a new team member.
🔒
Per-Item Saves
Recipes, builds, and SOPs save individually so multiple people can work at the same time without overwriting each other.