Pattern Modification Requests

A Pattern Modification Request (PMR) is the formal way to change a Pattern that's in use. Think of it like a pull request for your pattern library: someone says here's what I think should change, and why, a reviewer agrees or disagrees, and once approved the change is applied to the Pattern and recorded in the Pattern's Design & History section.

PMRs exist because patterns are shared across many Tech Packs. A sneaky edit to a pattern is a sneaky edit to every style using it. The PMR enforces a paper trail.

Getting there

Hit Cmd + K on Mac or Ctrl + K on Windows, type pmr (or pattern modification), and pick Pattern Modification Request List.

You can also raise a PMR directly from the Pattern record — open the pattern, find the action in the menu, and a new PMR is created pre-linked to the pattern.

The form

The PMR has three sections:

Link. Which Pattern this request is against. Filled in automatically if you launched the PMR from the pattern.

Changes. A table (Pattern Modification Item) listing the assembly or operations changes being requested. One row per change, with a description.

Measurements. A table (Pattern Modification Measurement) listing the POM changes being requested. One row per point of measurement that needs to change, with old value, new value, and rationale.

You don't have to use both tables. A PMR that's only changing measurements leaves Changes empty; a PMR that's only changing assembly leaves Measurements empty.

The lifecycle

A PMR moves through four states:

• Requested — the PMR is raised but not yet acted on.
• Work in Progress — the pattern lead is reviewing and making the changes.
• Completed — the changes have been applied to the Pattern. The PMR is closed.
• Rejected — the change was reviewed and not accepted. The Pattern stays as it was. The PMR remains in GarmentFlow as a record of "we considered this and decided no."

Once a PMR is Completed, it shows up in the Design & History section of the Pattern. Future readers of the pattern can see, in order, every change that's been made over the pattern's life and why.

Always raise a PMR

The rule is simple: every change to a Pattern should go through a PMR. Not "most changes" or "changes once the pattern is linked to a Tech Pack" — every change. Direct edits to the Pattern are not the shortcut they look like.

The reason is documentation. A pattern that changes silently is a pattern nobody can reason about a month later.

Concrete example. During sampling someone notices the front inseam is running longer than the back. They document it in a feedback note. A pattern technician opens the Pattern, shortens the inseam, saves. Job done — they think.

Then the next sample round happens. The brand approves the garment. A reviewer looking at the original feedback sees "front inseam too long" still flagged as unresolved (because no PMR was ever closed against it), shortens the inseam again, and now the pattern is 2 cm (0.8") short of where it should be. The next production batch comes out wrong, and nobody can explain why.

Four minutes of writing a PMR would have prevented that. The PMR creates the closed-loop record: the feedback raised it, the technician applied it, the Design & History on the Pattern shows the change, and the next reviewer sees it's already done.

This isn't bureaucratic discipline for its own sake. Documented change control is a core requirement of ISO 9001, and if your factory is or wants to be certified, a pattern library without a change history is an audit finding waiting to happen. PMR turns a habit into a system.

The only honest exception is the very first save of a brand-new Pattern that hasn't been used yet — and even then, the moment a sample is cut from it, the discipline starts.

Image: A completed Pattern Modification Request showing the linked Pattern, the Measurements table with old and new values, and a status chip reading "Completed"

A working example

A sample of a new tee comes back from the brand with feedback: the sleeve is 1 cm (0.4") too long across all sizes. You've got the Tech Pack open, you've got the failed Sample in front of you, and you know the fix is on the Pattern.

You open the Pattern and raise a PMR. In the Measurements section you add one row: Point: Sleeve length. Old base: 22 cm (8.7"). New base: 21 cm (8.3"). Reason: brand feedback on sample SAMP-2026-014. You leave Changes empty — assembly hasn't changed.

The pattern lead reviews, agrees, moves the PMR to Work in Progress, applies the change to the Pattern's POM table, and marks the PMR Completed. Now the pattern reads 21 cm (8.3"). Every future Sample and every future Production Batch from this pattern uses the corrected value. And six months from now, when someone wonders why the sleeve is 21 cm instead of 22 cm, the answer is right there in the Design & History.

What to do next

If you're new to patterns, head back to the Pattern hub. If you're ready to look at how patterns describe their physical pieces, see Pattern assembly and imports.