by: Pete Del Rossi   i help inventors

Productive meetings with manufacturers start with preparation on the part of the inventor or product developer. 

The inventor or developer stakeholders should be present whenever possible.  When engineering changes are considered or engineering change notices (ECN’s) are discussed you should conduct the meeting professionally and have the right partners in attendance.  This means decision makers, so questions, answers, and discussion can occur within the confines of an agenda and the outcome of the meeting does not have to be reviewed by someone else. 

The agenda does not have to be written but it must be communicated.  Everyone in the meeting should understand what needs to be accomplished.  You would be surprised at the number of people who attend meetings without understanding what the meeting is about.  You want to invest your time as wisely as you invest your money and that means productive meeting outcomes. 

A typical meeting covering product changes or enhancements can relate to the product or to the packaging. A recent meeting with one of our manufacturers was very productive, even though one of our technical engineers could not be present, because everyone else understood the objective.  Several points were brought to the table and discussed by the entire team in attendance.  The outcome resulted in what will now be a more productive sourcing and manufacturing trip to China during the course of the next 2-3 weeks. 

Here are some simple yet key things to consider when planning your next meeting:

· Choose one person to run the meeting. (Communicate the meeting objective clearly at the very beginning of the meeting and remind everyone of it during the meeting to maintain control and keep things on track.)

· Invite all stakeholders.

· Bring drawings, specification sheets, concept sketches or prototypes that will help everyone visualize and grasp the problem you are trying to solve.

· Take notes.  (This helps keep the meeting organized and lets others know that what they contribute matters.)

· Make an effort to accomplish the objective. (Don’t just discuss one idea or suggestion after another, break them down and try to pull good information from them.)

· Conclude the meeting with what was accomplished and what action items each person is responsible for and when the next meeting or communication will occur.

No one ever said it was easy but many have said it was worth it.  It is time to get to work!

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