THE PACKAGING DEVELOPMENT PROCESS

THE
PACKAGING
DEVELOPMENT
PROCESS
A Guide for Engineers and Project Managers

Kristine DeMaria
Packaging Consultant

Foreword by
Theron W. Downes, Ph.D.
School of Packaging
Michigan State University
The Packaging Development Process
aTECHNOMICfPublication

Technomic Publishing Company, Inc.

851 New Holland Avenue, Box 3535
Lancaster, Pennsylvania 17604 U.S.A.

Copyright © 2000 by Technomic Publishing Company, Inc.

All rights reserved

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a

retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means,
electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise,
without the prior written permission of the publisher.

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2

Main entry under title:

The Packaging Development Process: A Guide for Engineers
and Project Managers

A Technomic Publishing Company book

Bibliography: p. 97
Includes index p. 99

Library of Congress Catalog Card No. 99-67777

ISBN No. 1-56676-801-2
 CONTENTS

Foreword vii
Preface ix
Chapter 1: Project Initiation 1
Business Planning and Goal S ettin g ............................................. 1
Project Teams................................................................................. 1
Project Initiation: Chapter Summary............................................. 7
Packaging Project Exam ples ......................................................... 8

Chapter 2: Identify Package Concepts 15

Project Categories ........................................................................ 15
Where Ideas Come F r o m ............................................................ 16
Identify Package Concepts: Chapter Summary ........................... 24
Packaging Project E x a m p les ...................................................... 25

Chapter 3: Feasibility Assessment 29

Steps to Determine Idea Feasibility ............................................. 29
Feasibility Assessment: Chapter Sum m ary ................................. 32
Packaging Project E x a m p les ...................................................... 33

Chapter 4: Consumer Testing for Packaging 45

Consumer Concept T estin g ......................................................... 45
Develop Package P ro to ty p e s ...................................................... 46
Consumer Usage T estin g ............................................................ 47
Consumer Packaging Test M ethods ............................................. 48
V
VI Contents

Consumer Testing fo r Packaging: Chapter Summary .................. 50

Packaging Project E x a m p le s ...................................................... 51

Chapter 5: Final Concept Evaluation 55

Go or Stop D ecision ..................................................................... 57
Final Concept Evaluation: Chapter S u m m ary ........................... 57
Packaging Project E x a m p les ...................................................... 57

Chapter 6: Proving Functionality 63

Package Testing ........................................................................... 63
Final Approval.............................................................................. 71
Proving Functionality: Chapter S u m m ary ................................. 72
Packaging Project E x a m p les ...................................................... 72

Chapter 7: Package Launch 91

Production Start-Up ..................................................................... 91
Monitoring P erform ance ............................................................ 92
Package Launch: Chapter S u m m a ry .......................................... 93
Packaging Project E x a m p les ...................................................... 94

Bibliography 97

Index 99
 FOREWORD

ONE OF THE measures of the maturity of a discipline is the availability

and usefulness of textbooks in that discipline for undergraduate educa­
tion. By that measure, packaging is still a young discipline but is matur­
ing rapidly. It is probably true that the first texts to appear in an emerg­
ing area of study will either be rather general in nature or quite specific
to those technical areas where much can be borrowed from existing dis­
ciplines. Good packaging texts exist for introductory courses and for
discussion of materials, properties, and fabrication. Some texts are also
available for specific areas such as food packaging and flexibles. It is
more difficult and takes longer to prepare texts that will integrate all of
the necessary underlying skills, technology, and knowledge for a cap­
stone course. We have been teaching a capstone course at the School of
Packaging at Michigan State University for more than 35 years. We de­
fine capstone as a project-oriented course in which students have a
chance to integrate and apply knowledge gained in earlier packaging
courses as well as from supporting disciplines such as physics, chemis­
try, business, marketing, advertising, finance, etc. We have been doing
this without a textbook, and at last a useful text has been produced.
The Packaging Development Process by Kristine DeMaria provides a
very useful compilation of experience, practical knowledge, and proce­
dural guidelines to make the student’s journey from academia to the real
world a little easier and more productive.
One of the major difficulties in producing such a text is that there is no
single agreed upon approach to the product package system develop­
ment process and that further, the process to be followed will vary de­
pending on the complexity of the project being undertaken. The author
of this book does an admirable job of outlining the major steps in the
vii
VIII Foreword

package development process and then uses three separate case studies
to show how and when each of the techniques required should be ap­
plied. Starting with the planning phase and continuing through initia­
tion, concept identification, feasibility assessment, consumer testing,
and final evaluation, the case studies provide a framework for students’
understanding of the myriad of possibilities for the real-world projects.
The three case studies which are used include (1) a crisis reaction to im­
properly functioning components on a packaging line, (2) a long-term
productivity improvement project, and (3) a search for a new packaging
concept. Each varies with regard to its complexity, the size and nature of
the team that is required to address the issues involved, the financial in­
puts that will be required, and the length of time needed to achieve re­
sults.
In each scenario each phase of the project is discussed with the re­
quired inputs. Attention is paid to planning, producing the proper team,
situation analysis, etc. Techniques from related disciplines including
project management, creativity problem solving, marketing, etc. are re­
ferred to but are not presented in detail here. This is quite acceptable as a
number of very good references are already in the literature. By show­
ing which of these techniques will be needed in each given project, stu­
dents will gain a great deal from the business experience of the author.
The discussion of proving functionality and final package launch will be
a great benefit to many instructors who perhaps have not had personal
experience at that phase of the activity themselves.

T heron W. D o w n es , P h .D.
School o f Packaging
M ichigan State U niversity
 PREFACE

HAVING THE KNOWLEDGE provided by The Packaging Develop­

ment Process will give packaging professionals the information needed
to complete packaging projects with a professional approach and high
degree of business savvy. Early in a packaging engineer’s career, im­
pressions and perceptions are formed that will affect future career op­
portunities. Being technically sound is extremely important, but equally
important to one’s career is having the professional know-how and an
innovative approach that provides confidence and wins respect from
managers and co-workers.
Packaging projects can vary greatly in complexity. Some projects
will be quite simple while others will demand a lot of planning, re­
search, testing and modifying and may take two to three years before the
package is ready to be produced and marketed. The Packaging Develop­
ment Process breaks a project into actionable steps, making an over­
whelming workload manageable. Taking a logical approach to project
work diminishes the probability of overlooking a task or a potential
problem.
The steps for completing a packaging project are explained in the fol­
lowing chapters and are depicted in a flowchart on the following page.
Some of the steps will not be necessary for every project. A project to
modify a corrugated shipper for increased strength will use only a few
of the steps, whereas introduction of an all new package may use all of
the steps.
The people involved in a project and internal company policies are or­
ganization specific, but generally, certain steps are taken when working
on a packaging project. For instance, the package graphics may be the
packaging engineer’s responsibility in one company but a separate de-
ix
 Packaging Development Process Flowchart
Phase I.: Planning

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.
Business Project Identify Feasibility Consumer Develop
Planning & Team Package Assessment Concept Package
Goals Formed Concepts Testing Prototypes

7. 8.
Consumer Final
Usage Concept
Testing Evaluation

Phase II.: Proving Functionality

9. 10.
Package Final
Testing Approval

Phase III.: Package Launch

11. 12.
Production Monitor
Start-up Performance
 Preface Xi

partment’s in another. If a new piece of equipment is necessary, the

packaging engineer may be required to source, qualify, and purchase it,
or he/she may need to work with a separate engineering group that han­
dles the details of buying all equipment.
The larger and more departmentalized a company, the more formal
the methods of communication and decision making tend to be. Written
communication is often the norm in a large company, whereas verbal
discussions and decisions may be quite acceptable for smaller compa­
nies. Project pace also tends to be slower and risk acceptance lower in
larger, more established organizations. Whatever the organizational cul­
ture, the steps and thought processes required to develop a package are
similar.
 CHAPTER 1

Project Initiation

BUSINESS PLANNING AND GOAL SETTING

PLANNING AND GOAL generation provide direction and vision for an
organization. Business planning for many companies is an annual event
that takes months to complete. Goal generation requires input from all
departments, and goals are often written and rewritten before approval.
The packaging department should provide input for all packaging-
specific goals. Once completed, the goals are documented and distrib­
uted to those pertinent in the organization. The personality of an organi­
zation will dictate whether goals are to be strictly adhered to or if they
are targets to strive for. It is wise to have a good understanding of ac­
countability prior to submitting goals.

PROJECT TEAMS
Project teams are composed of people from the cross-functional areas
needed to complete all the tasks required for a project. A team will have
core members who must participate continuously for the project to
thrive and secondary members who will come and go as their services
are required. Sometimes packaging suppliers are viewed as secondary
members on a project team.
A team needs a leader, and on packaging-focused projects, the leader
is usually a packaging engineer. The packaging engineer may not be the
most experienced member of the team, but it will be the engineer’s re­
sponsibility to manage the team and the project. Successful teams are
1
2 PROJECT INITIATION

focused with team members agreeing to do their share of project respon­

sibilities.

Project Charter

Creating a project charter is a good planning process that enables the

team to focus and think through the tasks that must be done to complete
a project. In the process of writing a charter, the team provides the busi­
ness need that justifies doing the project and outlines all factors relating
to the project’s completion. Writing a charter can be a time-consuming
and difficult process, and one that many would like to skip in order to
begin working on project tasks. The process is worth the effort because
without thoughtful planning much time and energy will be wasted. The
format for a project charter is provided in Figure 1.1.

Situation Analysis

The marketing and packaging team members often develop the situa­
tion analysis together. Marketing will contribute the financial and mar­
ket purposes for the packaging project, and packaging will provide in­
formation on the technical need. A good situation analysis will help the
team understand the importance of the project and prioritize it in
comparison to others. Factual information will make the analysis more
meaningful. If the project is quality oriented, state the extent of the
problem numerically. Instead of writing, “extensive damage is occur­
ring during shipment,” determine the details of the damage. A more
meaningful statement would be, “On an annual basis, 33% of all prod­
uct experiences damage during shipment resulting in $1 MM worth of
damaged product.” A thorough situation analysis may also uncover rea­
sons to prevent a project from proceeding, thus saving time and money.

Critical Success Factors

Critical success factors are the criteria that must be met in order for
the project to meet the stated goal. These factors are determined at the
initiation of a project and will not change unless the project goal
changes.
 (Project Name) Charter

Project Goal: Describe the purpose and objective for the project.

Situation Analysis: Describe the current technical and marketing reasons that justify the
project.

Critical Success Factors: Determine which critical factors must be successfully

completed in order for the project to meet the project goal.

Milestones: Provide the time and events schedule for all tasks required for project
completion. Assign responsibility for all tasks.

Assumptions and Risks: List any assumptions that are being made and any risks that
there may be in proceeding with the project. State any risks there are in not doing the
project.

Team Members and Roles: List all team members and their roles on the team.

Team Rules: Document all agreed upon team rules such as meeting attendance,
communication processes, etc.

Figure 1.1. Team charter format.

3
4 PROJECT INITIATION

Project Timelines

Input and agreement from the entire project team is necessary on

project timelines. A project timeline is a detailed schedule of all the
events that must be completed for the project. There will be a series of
critical events in the timeline.Without the completion of a critical event,
the project cannot move forward. If a critical event is delayed, the entire
project is delayed. Critical events should be highlighted to keep the
team focused on them. As team leader, the packaging engineer is the
keeper of the timeline. Keeping a project on schedule can be difficult.
Assigning responsibility and following up with team members on the
critical events can help keep the project on schedule. A good team rule is
to require that project delays be reported to the team leader as soon as
they are known.
When a project is new, the specific plan for the package may not yet
be determined. The timeline may be somewhat vague at this point with
only some major milestones listed. Once the team is focused on a spe­
cific package idea, a very detailed timeline can be established. Realistic,
conservative time frames should be used, possibly even adding in a little
buffer just to be safe. If the film printing process takes six to eight
weeks, eight weeks should be stated on the timeline. It is better to finish
on time than to be constantly explaining why the timeline is being ex­
tended. Management often feels a timeline is too long. Having solid rea­
sons for the stated dates will help alleviate those feelings.
Project timelines can be shortened as long as the risk associated with
doing so is understood and acceptable. Testing can be eliminated or one
concept can be pursued rather than evaluating several, but the risk of
such decisions should be well documented and communicated. Certain
situations, particularly if the company is in a defensive position, may
warrant taking risks in order to enter a new package into the market
quickly.
The timeline is to be documented as part of the team charter, but since
it will be the portion of the charter most utilized, it is a good idea to
make a separate document of just the timeline for easy access. The
timeline will often have to be revised as events happen and new infor­
mation is learned during the course of the project. There are several for­
mats that can be used for a timeline. The events can be shown in a table
with columns listing tasks, timing, and responsibility (Table 1.1). This
format is particularly convenient for projects that have a great number
 Project Teams 5

Table 1.1. Timeline in Table Format.

Task Timing Responsibility

Idea Generation:
team field trip 2/28 Mary
conduct brainstorm meeting 3/1 Mary
supplier brainstorm meeting 3/3 Mary/Jim
select concepts to research 3/8 Team
Feasibility Assessment:
supplier discussion 3/9-3/24 Mary
plant trip 3/16 Mary, Doug
lab tests 3/10-5/1 Mary
quotes obtained 4/20 Mary
team meeting/ideas selected 5/1 Team
Consumer Testing:
concept boards created 6/1 Gary
test fielded 6/4 Gary

of tasks that will take a very long time to complete. For clarity, it helps
to segment the timeline into the various phases of the project.
Events can also be displayed to show the progression of the events
over time (Table 1.2). This format is good for showing the cause and ef­
fect of the various events, but it may be cumbersome in size if the
timeline stretches over a two- or three-year time period. Note that italic
type is used for one of the tasks to indicate that it is a critical event.

Team Meetings

Meetings are effective tools for communicating and decision making.

They can also be time wasters. Meetings that have purpose and are well

Table 1.2. Timeline Visually Depicting the Progression of Time.

Timing
Respon­
Task June July Aug. Sept. Oct. sibility
Proving Functionality:
Production trial 6/15 Mary
pallet ship test I------------1 Mary
physical testing I------------------------------ ------1 Mary
consumer use testing I----------------------- 1 Bob
final concept selected 9/18 Team
6 PROJECT INITIATION

planned are effective. Discussing expectations or even specifying meet­

ing rules in the team charter can be helpful. It may be assumed that ev­
eryone will attend meetings, show up on time, and come prepared, but
verbalizing the assumptions can help make them a reality. Being flexi­
ble to everyone’s schedule and accounting for a team’s personality can
also make for more effective meetings.
Team members may not all be located in the same building or even
the same state, making meetings difficult. Telephone conferencing or
videoconferencing can be a good substitute. Sending memos and proj­
ect updates via the internet keeps team members informed in a timely
manner. Distributing a meeting reminder as well as a copy of the agenda
prior to a meeting will keep meetings organized and running smoothly.
An agenda is a list of topics to be covered in a meeting. To keep the
meeting within its scheduled time frame, the agenda should indicate
how much time each topic is allotted and who is responsible for dis­
cussing the topic.

Project X Agenda
Feb. 6,1999
10:00-11:00

scribe: Bob
timekeeper: John

Tooic Time Who

• Lab test results lOmin Mary

• Consumer test IS min John

schedule

• Graphics changes lOmin Bob

• Timeline adjustments 20 min All

• Recap 5 min Mary

Figure 1.2. Example o f a meeting agenda.

 Project Initiation: Chapter Summary 7

Appointing a timekeeper to tell the group when too much time is be­
ing spent on a topic helps to keep meetings on schedule. Having a scribe
also ensures that all the notes, decisions, and next steps are recorded.
Allowing a few minutes at the end of the meeting to assign a timekeeper
and scribe for the next meeting helps the next meeting get started
quickly. It is also a good idea during those final minutes of the meeting
to reiterate any decisions that were made, what tasks must be done prior
to the next meeting and who is responsible for those tasks.

PROJECT INITIATION: CHAPTER SUMMARY

• Business planning is an annual event in which project goals and

company vision are provided from all facets of an organization,
agreed upon, and documented. The plans provide direction to the
organization for the coming fiscal year.
• Project teams are composed of people from the cross-functional
areas needed to complete all the tasks required for a project.
• Core team members are those whose continuous participation is
required for the project to thrive.
• Secondary team members participate for only a portion of the
project and thus, provide their services during specific time periods
when needed.
• A project charter is a document agreed upon by all team members
that provides a framework for a project stating the project goal,
situation analysis, critical success factors, milestones, assumptions
and risks, team members and roles, and team rules.
• A project timeline is a detailed schedule of all the events that must
be completed for a project.
• Critical success factors are the criteria that must be met in order for
the project to meet the stated goal. These factors are determined at
the project’s initiation and will not change unless the project goal
changes.
• A critical event is one in which without its completion the project
cannot move forward. If a critical event is delayed, the entire
project is delayed.
• An agenda is a list of topics to be covered at a meeting.
8 PROJECT INITIATION

PACKAGING PROJECT EXAMPLES

Scenario A: Credo’s Productivity Project

Bill is a packaging engineer at a food company and is responsible for

the Credo’s product line. His manager stops in his office one Monday
morning to tell him their division has been requested to provide produc­
tivity savings. She requests that Bill explore savings options on the film
used on Credo’s. Bill and his manager briefly discuss the project, then
she asks Bill to pull together a project team and get back to her next
week with a plan. Bill phones his marketing counterpart, John, after his
manager leaves. John has also just been made aware of the project. They
schedule a meeting to begin the charter process. To make the meeting
more productive, they each agree to rough out a charter prior to meeting.
Bill hangs up and gets to work.
Bill knows this will be a very technical project, and although he will
work with a team of people to accomplish it, he will be responsible for
the bulk of the work. Based on his knowledge of the current package and
product requirements, Bill roughs out a charter. He and John meet and
combine their efforts. They also determine who should be involved on
the project team and call a meeting. The purpose of the meeting is to
present the project and to discuss the charter for team consensus. Bill
coordinates a meeting time for all the team members and sends out an
agenda. He attaches a copy of the charter and requests that everyone
look it over and come prepared to discuss it. Once the team agrees upon
the charter, the first step of the project will have been completed. The
charter will keep the team focused on one goal, and each member can
contribute his/her part. The team can determine a broad timeline based
on past experience and certain assumptions. Their timeline will become
more detailed once the specific film productivity options have been de­
termined. The timeline may change again if difficulties are encountered
as the project progresses. The Credo’s project charter is provided.

Credo’s Film Productivity Charter

P roject G oal

To identify and capture C redo’s packaging film productivity savings

with a target of $2.8 MM annually.
 Packaging Project Examples 9

Situation A nalysis

Packaging productivity savings are being sought in order to maintain

C redo’s retail price. M anufacturing costs are estimated to increase 25%
($2.8 M M ) more in the next two years than they have in the past due to
necessary changes in the production process for the product. The in­
creased cost will have to be passed on to the consumer unless savings can
be realized. Credo’s is a very price-sensitive product. Consumer research
indicates that 30% of C redo’s consumers base their purchase intent on
price alone. A Credo’s price increase is expected to result in a loss of
consumers to the competition.

C ritical Success Factors ( CSF)

A film change must

• provide $500 M or more in savings to warrant dedicating resources
to the project
• protect the product at parity or better to the current package
• not affect the overall aesthetics of the package graphics
• not affect the product’s quality perception with consumers
• be completed prior to the manufacturing cost increase (18 months)

M ilestones

Task Timing Responsibility

Film supplier meetings 2/1-2/18 Bill

Brainstorm meeting 2/4 Bill
Ideas determined 3/1 Bill/Team
Feasibility assessment 3/1-5/10 Bill
Order and produce test 5/10-7/10 Bill/Kerri
film
Plant trial 7/14 Bill
Physical testing 7/14-11/14 Bill
Shelf life/sensory testing 7/14-12/14 Bill/Ted
Consum er testing 7/30-8/30 Marge
Data evaluation/ 12/15 Team
Go decision
Extensive line trials 12/20-1/20 Bill/Sandy
Team Go or Stop 2/1 Team
decision
Conversion complete 4/1 Kerri
10 PROJECT INITIATION

Assum ptions and Risks

• Current packaging manufacturing equipment is to be utilized. No

funds are available for alternate equipment, and timing does not
warrant it as an option.
• The provided timeline does not account for any potential
modifications to the test films and subsequent required testing.
• If savings cannot be realized, 30% of the consumer base could be
lost.

Team M em bers and R oles

Bill Smith Packaging

John Tames Marketing
Sandy Lane Operations
Kerri Alt Purchasing
Ted Junid Product Development
Marge Landers Consumer Behavior

Team Rules

As team leader, Bill agrees to relay project information via a monthly

update report and schedule meetings when critical events in the project
make them necessary. The team agrees to communicate any timeline al­
terations to the team leader as soon as they are known.

Scenario B: Oula Package Redesign

Susan is a packaging engineer responsible for the Oula toiletry prod­

uct line. One of the Oula products is a dual moisturizing cream. The cur­
rent package is a divided container with a flip-top closure. The package
is one piece formed out of plastic. To use the product, the consumer
opens the flip-top to expose two wells, each filled with a different
moisturizing cream. The consumer dips a finger into a well to remove
cream and applies it to the skin. The creams are applied first one then the
other to the skin and must be used in conjunction for maximum effec­
tiveness.
Consumers have lodged several complaints regarding the packaging.
First, they do not feel the flip-top closure is secure enough and do not
 Packaging Project Examples 11

trust it to stay closed in their handbag or overnight bag. The two-well

container is an issue because eventually the cream from one well gets
into the other well, and consumers don’t always finish the two creams at
the same time. The consumers did state that they like the fact that the
two creams are always together since that is how they must be used.
The Oula product line is viewed as one of the company’s rising stars.
Sales for the moisturizing cream are increasing, but the percentage of
consumer complaints related to packaging are increasing at a faster rate.
Many consumers say they would switch products because of the pack­
aging if they could find another moisturizing cream that works as well.
Susan feels that issues with the packaging will escalate as their con­
sumer base grows. She is in the midst of writing project goals for next
year and would like to include a new project directed at improving the
Oula moisturizing cream package. Susan discusses her idea with Chris
in marketing who agrees with Susan’s thoughts. The Oula product line
manager is also highly in favor of exploring new packaging concepts for
Oula moisturizing cream.
Susan and Chris phone their cross-functional counterparts and sched­
ule a meeting with the purpose of writing a project charter. After a few
meetings and much discussion, the team agrees upon the following
charter.

Oula Dual Moisturizing Cream Packaging Redesign Charter

P roject G oal

To redesign the Oula dual moisturizing cream packaging so that clo­

sure integrity and product containment become complementary features
to the consumer.

Situation A nalysis

Consumer complaints regarding packaging jum ped 20% last year as

sales volume increased 10%. Sales volume is anticipated to increase 8%
in the next year, and subsequently, packaging related complaints are an­
ticipated to increase 20-25% . The company goal of decreasing con­
sumer complaints and the threat to O ula’s sales growth warrant a thor­
ough exploration of packaging concepts that better meet the needs of the
consumer.
12 PROJECT INITIATION

C ritical Success Factors (CSF)

• The redesigned package must be rated by consumers as a significant

improvement versus the current package for closure integrity and
product containment.
• The redesigned package must be rated by consumers as an
improvement versus the current package for overall liking of the
packaging.
• The redesigned package must protect the product at parity to the
current package.
• M anagement agrees to approve up to a 10% packaging material cost
increase given the redesign meets all CSF.
• Additional cost for tooling or equipm ent may be acceptable given
the redesigned package meets all CSF.
• M anagement approval for a redesign is needed by 6/1 in order to
obtain any funding from this year’s capital budget.

M ilestones

Task Timing Responsibility

Idea generation 1/3-2/10 Susan

Ideas determined 2/12 Susan/Team
Feasibility assessment 2/12-4/1 Susan
Concepts selected 4/10 Team
Concept boards created 3/20-4/10 Susan/Barb
Consumer concept testing 4/14-5/10 Barb
M anagement approval 5/15 Team
meeting

Assum ptions and Risks

• Although sales continue to increase, the team feels that the current
package will eventually have a negative effect on sales unless it is
redesigned.
• If sales increase as anticipated, an additional packaging line will be
required. The team feels that any capital fund investment for Oula
should be applied toward improving the product line.
• If needed, a co-manufacturing location will be allowed for
production of a new package.
 Packaging Project Examples 13

Team M em bers and R oles

Susan Shelton Packaging

Chris McCane M arketing
Paul Willis Operations
M ark Hilk Purchasing
Barb Hawkins Consum er Behavior

Team Rules

The team will make the packaging redesign project their number one
priority. AH team members will participate, if needed, in the creation of
package concepts for consum er testing.

Scenario C: Carton Crisis

Paul from the manufacturing facility phones Kathy, the packaging

engineer who works on his product line, and explains to her that
they have been having issues with a carton. The cartons are contin­
uously jamming in the machine, causing a great deal of down­
time. After asking more questions, Kathy learns that the prob­
lem began when cartons from lot KL812 were placed in the
machine. The line had been running with no issues when using
cartons from lot KL510. It appears that two and three cartons at a
time are feeding into the mechanism that sets up and glues the
individual cartons. The technical crew at the manufacturing facility
has tried to adjust the machine but cannot prevent the problem from
occurring. Paul indicates that he cannot see a difference in cartons
from the two lots and has even measured them, but the dimensions
are the same.
Kathy requests manufacture dates for the cartons and is told that
KL812 cartons were produced in August, and KL510 cartons were pro­
duced in July. Kathy suggests they try cartons from another lot if any are
available, while she calls the carton supplier to get more information.
She also asks Paul to express mail cartons from each lot, KL510 and
KL812, to her.
A project charter and a project team are not needed for this situation.
14 PROJECT INITIATION

Kathy wants to quickly inform her manager and her operations and pur­
chasing counterparts. So, she leaves them a group voice mail message
explaining the situation and what steps she is taking indicating that she
will call them individually when she has talked to the carton supplier.
She then proceeds to phone the carton supplier.
 BIBLIOGRAPHY

Grossman, S. (1984). “Releasing Problem Solving Energies.” Training and Develop­

ment Journal, pp. 38, 94-98.
VanGundy, A. G. (1985). The Product Improvement Checklist (PICL). Norman, OK:
VanGundy and Associates, Inc.
Warfield, J. N., Geschka, H. and Hamilton, R. (1975). Methods of Idea Management.
Columbus, OH: The Academy for Contemporary Problems.

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