Project Charter
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Project authorization
This project will be to develop an exportable product to double food and beverage exports in New Zealand within ten years.
This project has been authorized by the course coordinator for 114.112, Tony Mutukumira, a professor at Massey university.
Project context
Within 10 years, the New Zealand Ministry of Primary Industries wishes to double its exports in the food and beverage industries. In 2016, the total export revenue from primary industries was about $36billion.
There is an increasing global demand for New Zealand manuka honey due to its health benefits and sweet taste, especially prevalent in China. Exports of honey have expanded from $0.7 million in 2010 to $48 million in 2016. Increasing honey prices driven by this demand has lead to a 20% increase of the number of registered beehives. However, this has not necessarily lead to an increased production of honey as overpopulated hives have lead to bees consuming the extra honey.
The aim of the project is to develop an integrated solution to produce an exportable manuka honey product within ten years. This product will aim to increase the profits from the manuka honey industry by developing added value products to be exported for the global market.
Key stakeholders and their relevance to the project
Stakeholders are either individuals, groups, companies or even communities who the project will affect in some way. Ecoware is “New Zealand's first carboNZero certified packaging company” that uses plant-based materials to create its packaging. They provide for popular and famous companies such as Fonterra and Sanitarium, making this packaging company the most suitable organisation to work with in order to successfully carry out the final product. Until the idea is pitched and Ecoware accept the coalition to support the project, the stakeholders remain theoretical and have not been approached. The stakeholders should be:
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Ministry of Primary Industries (client)
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to have our product help double the exports statistics
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New Zealand Department of Health (legal consultant)
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International food and beverage financial investors (to ensure export numbers double)
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Plant and Food Research Center (a center for product development)
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General public (customer)
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to have a honey product that is tasty, affordable and appealing
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Project outcomes
The aim of the project is to develop an exportable manuka honey product to double food and beverage exports in New Zealand within ten years. This will be done by analysing the current industry, identifying the key problem, and designing various solutions to possible opportunities to ensure that every factor is considered to find the optimal solution. The final solutions that are individually selected will contribute to an integrated solution. A successful solution is creative, innovative, effective in its purpose and ensures that the overall the outcome is achieved.
This means that with the appropriate research and gain of the industry’s background knowledge, the highest impacting problem is the narrowing key of finding a specific solution. Appropriate screening methods must then be used through idea generation processes to ensure the solution selected is the optimal option with the least amount of risks and constraints. These final solutions are then to be combined with the group to finalise an integrated solution in which is showcases every person’s contribution and understanding of the industry and how its future exports will move forward. It is not expected to have a fully completed solution to the chosen problem, however significant amount of development plans and understanding of how the timeline of ten years are predicted to turn out.
Constraints:
In every approach to a project, there will always be limitations due to the nature of the situation. To recognise the limitations is showing the thorough understanding of the industry, the project and the capabilities of the project members and environment. It puts things into perspective while also keeping ideas grounded and feasible. These are the possible constraints that would be encountered during this project:
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Laws governing the export of manuka honey- sacrosanct
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New Zealand’s land use for apiculture
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Restricted to a paper-based project as funding and official recognition is required for a full scale project
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Limited team members (less than the expected number of 4)
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Limited budget
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New Zealand climate restricting the production of honey
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Limited scientific knowledge and ability
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Location of apiaries within the vicinity of the project (North Shore / North Auckland apiaries)
Project scope
This project will be completed over 12 class weeks, in which of those weeks the background research, predictions, product development, data analysis and a live exhibition will be executed. Due to New Zealand borders having a very strict policy on importing honey, local manuka honey will be used. Quality specifications must be met in order to meet the brief of the product and the health and safety legalities of honey. It will aim to boost the food and beverage exports of New Zealand through creative and innovative product development in a series of research and trials. An appropriate timeline of the predicted product development is required to ensure its success within the given time brief.
If this project is to be carried out in a full-scale operation, it will require a funding body and legal potents to be filed to ensure protection. Once the idea is pitched to an existing corporate collaborative business and they accept the coalition to support the project, it must be developed through a series of testing on food interaction, local public testing for acceptance determination and chemical testing to ensure the antibacterial properties are active. A manufacturing site would have to be decided, preferably in the North Island where the bees experience optimum weather conditions and will limit mileage consequences. Packaging, legal labelling and mass manufacturing would then be accounted for in order for the product to be successful in terms of advertising a selling item. from there, human and social acceptance will determine the success of its exports in the predicted ten years.
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Project risks
Every project has risks that need to be considered in order to minimise the problems encountered during the development. If issues are to arise, by recognising them earlier on in the project, preparations will be made to ensure the project is successful and the setback would not be significant enough to be in danger of not fulfilling the brief. Risks that have been recognised and will be dealt with at the time it comes are:
Natural factors:
- The unpredictability of the exact exports demands of manuka honey (stock market numbers)
- The occasionality and unpredictability of the development of apiculture due to the unpredictability of climate and bee health status
- Various resources with sudden changes in stock and quality
Human factors:
- Loss of information and data
- Loss of team member
- Sudden personal emergencies that accounts of loss of participation and time
Project management
Project Plan:
Research manuka honey industry in New Zealand
-Manuka honey product
- Process of producing honey
-Manuka honey in New Zealand and global demand
Present SIPOC and PFD
Analyse and summarise research to find common main problem
Present research on website created with wix.
Idea generation and screening processes to develop alternative solutions
Select individual final solutions
Integrate solutions to find one final solution
Present final solution with research and evidence of problem solving efficiency
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Resources
Our main resources are our times, which is around 150 hours per member of our group. Other resources include the knowledge and skills of our team members and the knowledge and help from our lecturers and class coordinators. Online resources such as the Massey database for information is another key resource as we need information to complete our project. Software such as wix.com and photoshop will also be made available. Colony Honey store is a primary resource location for food grade honey products to use in testing and development. Economic resources include a budget of 100 dollars
Project deliverables
Outputs of this project will provide our clients with our data analysis of the product development, proven predictions in improving the industry’s exports, tested prototype, the brief’s specifications being met with the highest standards and undertaken with legal actions. This is an important milestone for the project as it provides the client that the idea is being pitched to a clear idea of where the project stands, how it will affect the future of food and beverage exports and how successful it will be in delivering its solution.
With the chosen integrated solution of a food-grade “Beeswrap,” data should be presented with an opportunity discovered within the industry (low honey yield due to declining bee health and global warming effects), evidence of food preservation from its antibacterial properties, chemical procedures to integrate the beeswax with food-grade oils for malleability, social research on acceptance to provide the client with confident success of the product, and overall predicted data on the effectiveness that the product is addressing the specified opportunity.
Key project performance criteria (metric)
The criteria that must be achieved are important milestones within the timeline of the project as it helps keep the progress on track with the given deadline and future predictions:
The criteria that the project can be considered to be successful are,
- Each of the project deliverable have been completed.
- The outcomes have to successfully address the low honey yield issue through an added value product to maximise profit from limited resources.
- The overall outcome must achieve the aim of doubling food and beverage exports in New Zealand within ten years.
Change control
To ensure that the group is always on the same page and understands the details of the development, any changes to the project must be proposed within the group and discussed at group meetings. Changes will be made accordingly on the charter from social and evidential feedback from testing and research.
Various changes must be made such as the appropriate packaging for size, shape and materials (not metal to be microwave safe and avoid oxidation of beeswax), ratio of beeswax oil to beeswax for the right consistency and physical properties, and addition of oil to increase the time frame of beeswax in liquid state. many more changes will have to be made from future testing and research if this project were to be in a full-scale business operation.
Health and safety
A health and safety management plan is important in the project charter for any practical work being completed as part of the project. This protects the health and well-being of members of the group, clients, consumers and partnerships. Basic health and safety plans include how (and by whom) authorisation is given to facilities, under what terms this is given and for what purpose facilities can be used for. Safety information and equipment such as hard hats and gloves are essential as every person involved in this project is to have sufficient knowledge with what they are dealing with. For example, when melting the beeswax, a warning of hot temperature and provided heat-protecting equipment is necessary to avoid injuries when handling in the manufacturing process. As the leading group of the project in a full-scale operation, it is the group’s responsibility that workers are treated humanely.
Communication Plan:
Within the team:
Every Wednesday meeting
- New task release, submit last week's work, discussion.
IMessage
- Reminder deadline, discussion.
Google Drive
- Share files, collaborative editing of documents.
With the Project Supervisors:
Meeting/ appointment
- Discuss the progress of the project and issues.
- Ask a questions, make an appointment.
