Stage one: specification and drawing sign-off
This stage fixes dimensions, pixel pitch, cabinet layout, mounting method, power and data routes, and how the display will be serviced. Nothing downstream begins until the drawings are approved, because manufacture follows the drawing, not the conversation. A specification that is still moving at this point will keep moving, and every later stage inherits that instability.
Write the acceptance criteria here as well. State what will be checked at handover, under what lighting, with which sources, and by whom. Later disagreements about appearance almost always trace back to something that was discussed verbally and never recorded on the drawing set.
Stage two: engineering and approvals
Structural calculation and mounting design come next, together with any landlord, building management or authority approvals the site requires. For outdoor work, facade work or anything suspended above people, engineering review and permits can occupy more calendar time than every other stage combined.
Establish who owns each approval and what evidence satisfies it. A display cannot be released for manufacture against final drawings while the mounting design is still under third-party review, so the review has to be sequenced deliberately; running it in parallel and hoping it finishes first is how schedules break.
Stage three: manufacture and factory testing
Cabinets are built, modules are fitted, and the assembled wall is run at the factory before disassembly and packing. Module-level correction is applied, the control configuration is prepared, and the cabinet addresses are recorded. This is the last point at which a mismatch between the order and the drawing can be corrected cheaply.
Ask whether a factory test can be witnessed in person or remotely, and what is recorded from it. A test record gives you something to compare against at commissioning. A verbal assurance that everything was checked gives you nothing to compare against when a problem appears on site.
Stage four: freight, customs and delivery windows
Crates, transport mode and customs clearance follow manufacture. Freight and clearance dates depend on carriers and authorities in ways that factory dates do not, so treat them as ranges, not as fixed days, and avoid booking installation crews against the optimistic end of the range.
Plan the receiving end with the same care. Unloading space, a dry and secure storage area, and a route from the delivery point to the final position all need to exist before the crates arrive. A delivery that cannot be moved under cover on the day it lands is one of the most avoidable delays in the whole schedule.
Stage five: site readiness and access
The mounting structure, power termination, data cabling and any builder's work must be finished before the installation crew travels. Confirm readiness with photographs and a signed checklist, not with an assurance, because a crew arriving at an unfinished site either waits or improvises, and improvisation is where alignment problems begin.
Access equipment needs booking early. Scaffolding, mobile platforms and lift availability often have lead times comparable to the installation itself, and in some buildings they require their own permits. Confirm the booking window when the installation date is set, not once the crates have landed.
Stage six: installation, cabling and commissioning
Cabinets are mounted, aligned, connected and powered in stages, not all at once, which keeps faults attributable to a section. Commissioning then covers data link integrity, module errors, uniform appearance across seams, source switching and behaviour after a power cycle.
Keep one snag list with a named owner and a date against each item. Small alignment and colour issues at this point are normal and expected; undocumented ones are what resurface weeks later, when the crew has left and nobody remembers which cabinet was adjusted.
Stage seven: calibration, content and handover
The final correction pass should happen under the room's real lighting, since a wall tuned in a dark hall behaves differently once the lights and daylight are present. Content is loaded onto the playback system, layout presets are saved, and staff are shown how to operate and shut down the display safely.
The handover pack should contain as-built drawings, a backup of the control configuration and correction data, the spare parts list, and the maintenance and module replacement procedure agreed at the start. Ask for the agreed brightness level and layout settings to be recorded in writing as well.
Where schedules usually slip
Four causes account for most delays: approvals and permits that were assumed and never booked, drawing changes made after manufacture began, site readiness confirmed verbally with nothing behind it, and freight or customs taking longer than the planned range. Installation itself is rarely the longest stage.
Two decisions buy back the most time. Freeze the drawings early, with a named person authorised to approve changes and a clear understanding that later changes move delivery. Then verify site readiness with photographs before the crew is booked, not after.
Key takeaway
Sequence the project around the stages you do not control. Freeze drawings before manufacture, book approvals and access equipment early, treat freight as a range, not a date, and confirm site readiness with photographs before an installation crew travels. Put acceptance criteria and handover documents in writing at the start, and send the site details, destination country and target dates with your project brief through the contact page.
Related products and applications
Where this applies across the site: