Evaluate a product development trial in a food and drink business
Overview
This standard is about the skills and knowledge needed for you to evaluate a product development trial in a food and drink business. The trialing of new or amended recipes, products and specifications is essential as kitchen recipe development and production can vary from pilot and large scale production of a food and drink product. Evaluation of the trial using a number of different sources of data and information is essential in giving meaningful outcomes to production trials.
You must be able to prepare to carry out evaluation and manage the evaluation process. You must also be able to gather data and information relating to the evaluation, report on the findings of the evaluation and make suggestions for improvements.
This standard is for you if you work in food and drink manufacture and/or supply operations and are involved in evaluating a product development trial in a food and drink business.
Performance criteria
You must be able to:
* Prepare to carry out evaluation*
- determine the objectives of the evaluation
- present your plans for the evaluation of a product development trial
- determine the types of subjective and non-subjective data and information required to support the evaluation
- assess and confirm the resources and timescales required to carry out the evaluation
- communicate to relevant people their role and input into the evaluation
**Manage evaluation
**
6. co-ordinate the activities necessary to implement the evaluation
7. maintain communication with colleagues during the evaluation process
8. gather relevant data and information from a variety of sources to enable a valid evaluation to be carried out
9. check sufficient data and information is gathered to carry out a valid evaluation
10. encourage input from colleagues
**Report on evaluation
**
11. analyse and review the gathered data and information
12. use evidence to make judgments about the results of the product trial
13. use feedback from colleagues to input into the evaluation
14. make suggestions for possible improvements to the food and drink product or adjustments to the production process
15. report the findings of the evaluation adhering to organisational communication requirements
16. feedback improvements to the evaluation process to the relevant people
17. make adjustments to the evaluation process where appropriate
Knowledge and Understanding
You need to know and understand:
- the organisational and regulatory requirements relating to the evaluation of product development trials
- why it is important to clearly determine the objectives of the evaluation and how to do this
- the subjective and non-subjective tests by which a product development trial can be measured
- how to carry out non-subjective tests, gather data and evaluate results
- the methods of subjective data gathering including organoleptic testing, feedback from colleagues and the marketplace
- the advantages and disadvantages of subjective and non-subjective evaluation methods
- how to gather information, data and feedback relating to the product development trial
- why it is important to gather sufficient data, feedback, information and how to do this
- why it is important to confirm the resources and timescales required to carry out evaluation and how to do this
- the organisational methods of communication and how to use them
- why it is important to liaise with colleagues when gathering information, feedback and data from the product development trial
- how to analyse the data, information and feedback
- how to use the analysed data and information to make informed judgments, suggestions and decisions
- the organisational requirements for the recording and reporting of evaluation findings