Page 145 - Solid Waste Analysis and Minimization a Systems Approach

STEP 1: ESTABLISH THE TEAM AND DEFINE THE PROJECT 123

position at the facility. This will allow for faster communication with management and
a higher degree of authority within the team and throughout the facility. Efforts should
also be made not to select an overburdened manager, the team leader must have ade-
quate time that he or she can devote to the project and lead all meetings.
The team itself should be comprised of five to six core members representing different
areas in the facility, including both management and hourly employees. For example, in
a manufacturing plant, a janitorial worker, an engineer, a maintenance technician, a pro-
duction supervisor/manager, a line employee, and an accountant would be a good mix.
The team members should exhibit concern for the environment, possess strong interper-
sonal skills, and be well respected among their peers. The team will serve as the internal
cheerleaders for the project to help build excitement, participation, and awareness. In
addition, a technical expert within the company or contracted as a consultant is a very
value-added inclusion in the team and highly recommended. The team will perform the
roles discussed in Chap. 5. Temporary team members may be added to the project to assist
in data collection during the waste sort discussed later in the chapter. For the example case
study, the team was lead by an engineering manager and included a consultant hired
on an on-needed basis, a line worker, a custodian, an accountant, a process engineer, a
safety captain, and a production supervisor. This cross-functional team collectively pos-
sessed a strong understanding of all core and support operations within the facility.

8.2.3 INITIAL TRAINING AND INTRODUCTORY MEETING

The team will require initial training before beginning the project. The goals should
be clearly outlined, including the metrics, timeline, and budget. The team should also
have the opportunity to give input to the team charter and help in its development. The
purposes of the training and introductory meeting are to

■ Introduce the team and exchange contact information/work schedules
■ Establish clear SMART goals (simple, measurable, agreed to, reasonable, and
time-based)
■ Define initial team member roles
■ Finalize the budget
■ Finalize the timeline
■ Create the team charter

The technical expert should take the lead role in this process to ensure an adequate
training and a clear understanding of the project goal and the path ahead. The training
itself should focus details on the 14-step process mentioned in Table 8.1.

8.2.4 PROJECT, GOALS, AND METRICS
The goals of the project should be clearly expressed as soon as possible. This will pro-
vide the team with much needed direction and serve as the gauge to evaluate all team
activities and accomplishments. The goals should provide a specific direction for the proj-
ect and not vague generalized improvement slogan such as “to become an environmental