Packaging planning
What to bring to a CPG packaging project kickoff.
A packaging project is easier to scope when the product range, source material and people responsible for approvals are visible from the start. Use this checklist to organize the decisions that should shape the work before the first design round.
By Ashbi Design · Published August 24, 2026 · 3 minute read
Based on Ashbi’s packaging, ecommerce and launch-planning process. It is not a client case study or regulatory guidance.
Use this before a project handoff or launch review
01
List the actual range
Bring every product, size, flavour, variant, format and market that is in scope. Mark what is launching now, what may follow later and what is deliberately outside the current project.
02
Gather the current source material
Collect the latest product names, approved copy, claims, ingredients, barcodes, visual assets and any existing brand material. Name the one source that should be treated as current when files disagree.
03
Share real production constraints
Provide supplied dielines, format dimensions, printer or manufacturer requirements, required panels and known technical constraints early. They help establish what the system needs to handle.
04
Name the decision makers
Identify who can approve brand, copy, legal or regulatory input, technical production and final release. A useful review path is clearer than a long list of people who may comment.
05
Map the timing
Share the launch date, print deadlines, retailer or sales milestones and review windows. Separate firm external dates from internal preferences so the scope can respond to the real schedule.
06
Describe the current gap
Explain what the present packaging is not doing well enough: hierarchy, extension across SKUs, product explanation, a changed audience, a new format or a launch that needs more than a single front panel.
Scope boundary
Know who approves what.
This checklist supports project planning. Product claims, legal or regulatory review, manufacturing requirements and print approval remain the responsibility of the client and appropriate specialists.
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