Sauce & Spoon
Menu tablet rollout for a restaurant chain
Context
Sauce & Spoon, a local restaurant chain renowned for its scratch-to-table cuisine, operates five locations and is eager to achieve annual growth and expansion goals. To this end, the company has initiated a pilot project to assess the implementation of tabletop menu tablets. These innovative devices are expected to enhance restaurant efficiency, allowing for faster service and increased guest capacity while providing valuable data to support the overall business objectives.
Peta, an experienced in-house project manager, leads the initiative. Her role involves overseeing the tablet rollout in the bar area of two carefully selected restaurant locations: North and Downtown. As Peta navigates the project’s lifecycle, she immerses herself in the restaurant industry, defines project goals, manages stakeholder interactions, and addresses various project challenges. Theoretically in this project scenario, I assumed the role of Peta in her journey of overseeing the pilot tablet rollout.
Methodology
The methodology employed for the Sauce & Spoon tablet rollout project encompassed a flexible and iterative project management approach, which offered the ability to adapt and respond to evolving circumstances. This approach embraced the incorporation of Agile principles, emphasizing frequent communication, collaboration, and incremental advancements. By adopting this methodology, the project team ensured continuous improvement by actively seeking feedback, making necessary adjustments, and refining processes throughout the project’s duration.
Moreover, a blend of best practices from traditional project management methodologies was leveraged to guarantee effective planning, stakeholder engagement, and milestone tracking. These established practices provided a solid foundation for ensuring project success and maintaining a structured framework amidst the Agile approach. By combining the strengths of Agile and traditional project management methodologies, the project team cultivated an environment conducive to innovation, enabling the achievement of project objectives while effectively utilizing available resources and adhering to the designated timeline. This comprehensive methodology allowed for the harmonious integration of adaptability and structure, supporting the project’s smooth execution and successful outcomes.
Process
Under the leadership of Peta as the project manager, the Sauce & Spoon tablet rollout project completed its pilot phase in the bar areas of two locations: North and Downtown. The project’s main objective was to introduce tablets as a dining experience tool, resulting in improved customer satisfaction and operational efficiency at Sauce & Spoon restaurants. The project achieved significant outcomes, showcasing the effectiveness of the implemented strategies. Throughout the project lifecycle, Peta and her team successfully navigated various phases, including project charter drafting, stakeholder negotiations, project planning, survey data analysis, presentation creation, and report writing.
The tablet rollout project began with meticulous planning, incorporating a comprehensive project charter that established clear goals, deliverables, and scope. Peta conducted a thorough stakeholder analysis, ensuring effective communication and collaboration with relevant parties. After completing the tablet test launch, Peta aimed to ensure a successful rollout at both pilot locations. To achieve this, she created evaluation questions and indicators to measure the test launch results, guide the data collection process, and assess the project’s progress.
By reviewing the survey results, Peta identified responses that aligned with the project goals and quality standards, indicating the successful achievement of the project’s intended objectives. Additionally, she recognized areas that required further enhancement, allowing for continuous improvement and ensuring optimal performance. Peta skillfully selected key data points from the survey to support her presentation, showcasing the positive response from customers regarding their dining experiences.
As the project neared its completion, Peta focused on the crucial task of creating a closeout report and an impact report. The closeout report encompassed key accomplishments, lessons learned, and next steps, highlighting the project’s ability to meet initial goals, resolve challenges, and deliver the final project deliverable to meet or exceed requirements. Simultaneously, the impact report aimed to communicate the added value of the project to senior stakeholders and project sponsors who were not involved in the project’s day-to-day activities. It included an executive summary, which highlighted the project’s purpose and outcome succinctly, along with sections on results, what worked, and the next steps.
Throughout the Sauce & Spoon tablet rollout, Peta and her team successfully addressed challenges and implemented effective solutions. They made adjustments based on feedback and survey results, ensuring seamless navigation and a positive customer experience with the tablets. Notably, Peta, in collaboration with the restaurant consultant Seydou, played a pivotal role in bringing the vendor contract update with Terrific Tablets to light. Seydou raised the issue of the new subscription-based pricing structure, which offers a comprehensive service package at a more cost-effective rate. Recognizing the impact of this contract update on the project budget, Peta promptly escalated the matter to Deanna, the Director of Operations, seeking her executive decision on how to proceed.
With the successful completion of the tablet rollout project, Sauce & Spoon has not only introduced an innovative dining experience, but also improved operational efficiency, customer satisfaction, and overall performance. The lessons learned from this endeavor will serve as valuable insights for future projects, and the closeout and impact reports will provide a comprehensive reference for stakeholders, project managers, and anyone interested in the project’s elements and artifacts.
In conclusion, the Sauce & Spoon tablet rollout, under Peta’s leadership, has achieved its objectives, driving positive outcomes and leaving a lasting impact on the organization. The project’s success can be attributed to meticulous planning, effective stakeholder management, data-driven decision-making, and continuous improvement efforts. The implementation of tablets has elevated the dining experience at Sauce & Spoon, setting a strong foundation for future projects and reinforcing the restaurant’s commitment to innovation and customer satisfaction.
Artifacts
Throughout the Sauce & Spoon tablet rollout project, an array of artifacts was generated to support the project’s progress and outcomes. These artifacts encompassed essential documentation such as the project charter, which outlined the project’s objectives, scope, and key stakeholders. Additionally, a comprehensive project plan was developed, providing a roadmap that guided the team through the various project phases and activities.
To ensure effective stakeholder management, a stakeholder analysis was conducted, identifying and assessing the individuals and groups with a vested interest in the project. This analysis facilitated targeted communication and engagement strategies tailored to the specific needs and expectations of each stakeholder.
As part of the project evaluation process, a test launch findings presentation was created, consolidating the insights and outcomes derived from the initial pilot implementation. This presentation served as a valuable tool for analyzing the results, identifying areas of improvement, and informing future decision-making.
To demonstrate the project’s impact and value, an impact report was crafted, highlighting the tangible outcomes and benefits brought about by the tablet rollout. This report aimed to showcase the positive effects of the project, reinforcing its significance in supporting Sauce & Spoon’s business objectives.
Lastly, a closeout report was written to mark the completion of the project, summarizing the goals, approach, accomplishments, and lessons learned. This report served as a valuable resource for future reference, providing a comprehensive overview of the project’s journey and outcomes, facilitating knowledge transfer, and informing future project management endeavors.
In addition to these formal artifacts, various email communications played a role in the project. Notably, an email was sent to selected stakeholders inviting them to form a coalition during project negotiations. This initiative aimed to create a temporary alliance to collectively address a decision that fell outside the project’s scope. This exemplified the project manager’s proactive approach in advocating for project alignment and ensuring that the project stayed on track. Additionally, an email was sent to request an executive decision concerning a contract update, highlighting the project manager’s commitment to promptly and appropriately escalate critical matters when necessary.
Featured image by sentavio on Freepik. Used for display purposes.