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Lessons learned: Packaging project success

What makes for a successful packaging project? Here are examples from 715 survey answers to that crucial question.

Pw 6517 Lessons Success

We tapped the collective expertise of more than 700 respondents in a May 2008 online survey that posed four questions (search “lessons learned” at packworld.com for the previous articles in this series). The third of our four questions: What is one important lesson that you have learned to develop a successful project?

Once again, the responses were as broad as the audience, but they tended to cluster around several key themes, such as communications. We’ll present them, edited for clarity, in logical order, starting with the importance of preproject planning.

A number of participants noted the value of doing the homework upfront, starting with information gathering as it relates to due diligence. Wrote one, “Complete the due diligence for the project before spending any money.” Wrote another, “Perform due diligence: Determine barriers, risk versus reward, competitive environment, potential for success, market share, where you are on the maturity curve, etc.”

A manager with Orchid Healthcare in Asia offered this summary outline:

• Aim—Ultimate outcome required at the end of the project and must be relevant to the company’s overall business strategy. It should be clear, specific, and recognized by all people working on the project.
• Objectives—Major tasks to be completed at different stages of the project. It should include only the major milestones and provide a basis for more detailed project planning.
• Constraints—Provide the framework, limits, and restrictions that ensure the project is consistent with the company’s strategies and capabilities.

Detailing the project from the very start was also emphasized by many respondents. Examples include, “Get as many of the critical details established upfront,” and “Plan at the detail level early on. Execution is then easy.” Similarly, another wrote, “Proper planning on the front end pays off on the back end.” One person suggested spending more time in planning to gain a smoother implementation.

We conclude the planning theme with this cautionary advice from a respondent: “You cannot plan ahead enough.”

On another issue, a respondent wrote, “Be certain all affected areas (stakeholders) are linked in early to the project and are aware of its impact.”

Several gave succinct, one-word advice that noted the importance of certain attributes, including patience, commitment, perseverance, focus, and attitude. Others wrote each word in triplicate to underscore its importance, for example: “research, research, research,” and “mock-ups, mock-ups, mock-ups.” Then there was this triple of triples: “Plan, plan, plan. Organize, organize, organize. Double check, double check, double check.”

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