There's No Packaged Answer for RFID

By Pat King

Level 3 Implementations: Project Management
The first and foremost requirement for success at this level is, once again, leadership—but with a degree of complexity greater than that necessary for Levels 1 or 2. At Level 3, the solution is a system and a product.

By "system," I mean that any given product is created by a team representing the cross section of many design-engineering disciplines. Examples include ergonomics, aesthetics, marketing, shipping and containerizing, safety and even, in some cases, warranty repair. At this level, the leader must be a system project manager almost to the level of general product manager, possessing excellent integrating skills. The myriad issues to be rationalized are endless. Once the correct person has been assigned, the project process can begin.

Goals and objectives must be crystal clear. Buy-in at key levels must be in place.

Create a New Product. It is important to view the development of an RFID-tagged product as the creation of an entirely new product, not the modification of an existing one. This is not to say the final RFID-enabled product will actually look or act any differently than the parent. What it does say is that while all historical aspects of the parent product will be taken into account, nothing is sacred. If you do not hold this attitude, the majority of people will fight this change. Remember that "just add RFID" as an attitude at Level 3 is a recipe for failure. The attitude must be "create an electronic product."

Think Strategically. Early in the process, the team will need to answer a series of strategic questions. For example: Can this electronic product be a market differentiator for your company? If the answer is no, you should consider creating an industry standard or working directly with competitors to assure best volumes and costs to supply common components. If the answer is yes or maybe, then it is imperative that intellectual property (IP) management be in place. Patent disclosures and applications need to be timely, while non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) and contracts clearly defining ownership of IP and potential trade secrets must be managed from day one.

Another question to consider: What phases of the entire product life cycle are intended to benefit from this new RFID-enabled product? If the new product benefits only the customer base, then specifications could be very different than those for a solution expected to affect the product from its birth to its final disposal.

Ultimately, success depends on making sure proper leadership is in place.

Why, you might ask, do I appear so negative regarding third-party solution providers? The answer, quite simply, is that I am one. In my heart of hearts, I can say that the majority of third-party solution providers (100 percent, in my view) never have adequate investment in or commitment to the process. That is not to say a team of 98 percent third-party solution providers could not be ideal—and even a perfect choice—provided the balance of leadership and strategic planning rests with the client company.

Patrick King is the founder of Technologies ROI, a consulting group with a focus on the practical implementation of a variety of AIDC and other technology solutions. He also serves as the current leader for global electronics strategies for Michelin. King has over 30 patents in the fields of automatic identification, RFID, imaging, lasers and printing.