What I actually meant was the opposite Wes.
If you have a ST backup already on hand and body specifications in your ship's record, you skip the conceptual "this body and mind have to make sense" stage. you just have to form the body with a ready to go recipe.
However, designing something brand new is another thing entirely. Sure, you could take the cookie-cutter approach, but in the case of Hinoto, Miharu was trying to make something unique, well-rounded, and well adapted to its role while being capable of easily expanding as an individual beyond that, physically and mentally. You're in effect trying your recipe as you go, trying to nail it right and trying to anticipate mistakes and avoid them while getting the best traits possible. That, my friend, takes longer.