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Introduction
This is the latest newsletter from Hamilton Grant Software. The newsletter is distributed at the end of each month to our contacts in the food industry around the world. It contains details of updates to our software and information to illustrate to both our customers and the wider user community how they can continually increase the use of our software to satisfy the demands of this ‘data-hungry’ industry.
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Global price pressures
With the global increases in food and energy costs the race is on yet again for food manufacturers to perform near-miracles in product development. This means being inventive in leveraging the last ounce of value from every product, conducting the complete product development process efficiently and effectively, and getting those new products onto the supermarket shelves as quickly as possible.
PDM for NPD project management
The Hamilton Grant PDM module enables NPD projects to be tracked against schedules, control approval gates, and manage all the additional information that needs to be recorded and monitored from new idea to product launch.
Implementing the system in this way means that there is a central, well-organised database of project information including initial submission of ideas and project information files. Everyone is accessing the same up-to-date data which is available anywhere, anytime, via the Internet. This means that all parts of the business can see the current status of projects. Access to the system is controlled by user name and password so that individual users can be given the relevant level of access.
In common with all applications of PDM, the ‘template’ used for project management can be easily customised and adapted for use in a variety of situations.
A typical project management template
A typical template includes:
GATE 1 Project Brief - project background - targets – approval to next stage
GATE 2 Project brief – outline costings – approval to next stage
GATE 3 Critical path – costings – approval to next stage
GATE 4 Formula development – formula costings – approval to next stage
GATE 5 Product registration – packaging brief – costing - approval to next stage
GATE 6 Application test – artwork approval – final costing – approval to next stage
GATE 7 Final authorisation – product launch
A pro-active system
The system automatically generates e-mails to inform project personnel of changes as a project progresses, and to prompt relevant people to sign-off at appropriate stages to keep projects on track.
In summary…..
The system is a well-organised database of current and historic project information for which company-wide visibility means that it is easy to see the status of projects. Gate management enables pro-active tracking of project schedules leading to increased customer confidence and increased business!
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