In this project scenario, let’s suppose that Sauce and Spoon, a small but growing restaurant chain, is eager to achieve its annual growth and expansion goals. As part of their strategy, they have decided to launch a pilot project to assess the impact of implementing new tabletop menu tablets. These innovative devices are expected to enhance the restaurant’s efficiency by serving more guests in less time, while also providing valuable data to support Sauce and Spoon’s overall business objectives.
To lead this initiative, Sauce and Spoon have brought on board Peta, a seasoned in-house project manager who has been tasked with overseeing the pilot tablet rollout at two of the restaurant chain’s five locations. While Peta has accumulated five years of project management experience, this marks her first venture into the realm of restaurant projects. Throughout the project’s lifecycle, you will have the opportunity to observe Peta’s journey as she familiarizes herself with the intricacies of the restaurant industry, defines the project’s goals, navigates stakeholder interactions, and tackles various project challenges. In this scenario, you can consider me as embodying the role of Peta, the project manager overseeing Sauce & Spoon’s tabletop menu tablets project.
Creating the project charter
1 – Drafting the project charter
As Sauce & Spoon’s in-house project manager overseeing the tablet rollout, Peta begins by drafting the project charter. To gather the necessary information, she carefully reviews the project proposal and company-wide OKRs provided by Sauce & Spoon. Additionally, she meets with some of the project’s stakeholders to clarify project goals and gain deeper insights into the project and the organization as a whole. These stakeholders include Deanna (Director of Operations), Gilly (General Manager, North), Alex (General Manager, Downtown), and Seydou (Restaurant Consultant).
Project charters are essential in project management as they provide a formal document outlining the project’s objectives, scope, deliverables, and stakeholders. They serve as a vital reference throughout the project, enabling the project manager to track changes, make informed decisions, and ensure stakeholder alignment. By clearly defining the project’s purpose and setting expectations, project charters facilitate effective communication, risk management, and overall project success.
Drawing from the gathered information, Peta proceeds to draft the project charter. She includes a suitable project name and a concise project summary that describes the initiative and provides a high-level overview of its objectives. For this specific project, the pilot rollout is planned for the bar areas of two restaurant locations, North and Downtown. Peta also identifies explicit and implied project goals, as well as a list of deliverables, which encompass specific tasks and tangible or intangible outcomes necessary to achieve the project’s objectives.
2 – Revising the project charter
After the initial drafting of the project charter, Peta reaches out to Deanna via email to discuss additional project goals for the pilot tablet rollout. Subsequently, she communicates with Alex and Gilly via email to delve into the specifics of the sales goals. Later, Peta arranges an online meeting with both general managers, Alex and Gilly, to seek clarification on some of the project details, with a particular focus on the goal of decreasing guest wait time. These interactions not only provide additional information but also shed light on misalignments between two stakeholders. Misalignments, which occur when stakeholders have different perspectives on project details, can be a significant cause of project failure and need to be addressed promptly.
The project charter is a living document that evolves throughout the project’s lifecycle. It is the project manager’s responsibility to ensure that the charter remains up-to-date with the most critical information to maintain its relevance and usefulness for key stakeholders. Regularly reviewing and revising the project charter allows the project manager to uphold alignment, effectively communicate changes, and provide stakeholders with a comprehensive understanding of the project’s current status, objectives, and key considerations.
Based on the insights gathered from the email exchanges and the video meeting, Peta incorporates the necessary revisions into the project charter. She updates the project summary, goals, and deliverables to accurately reflect the project’s scope and objectives. Any feedback received and misalignments, along with their resolutions, are recorded in an appendix within the project charter, serving as a reference for Peta and her project team.
With the discussions on project details now concluded, the next step is to review the project’s documentation to ensure that the goals meet the SMART criteria. Peta will focus on rewriting any project goals that require refinement to ensure they are specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound, as per the SMART framework. This ensures that the goals are clear, well-defined, and aligned with the project’s overall objectives.
3 – Finalizing the project charter
Following the discussions on project scope with key stakeholders, Peta, along with Deanna, Gilly, Alex, and Carter (Executive Chef), addresses their concerns regarding the project’s boundaries and extent. The scope of a project defines its specific deliverables, objectives, and activities, encompassing the agreed-upon details that stakeholders have aligned on. In-scope elements are deemed essential for achieving project goals, while out-of-scope elements are excluded to maintain focus on the necessary components for successful project completion.
After the meeting that was held about scope details, Peta proceeds to finalize the project charter by amending it accordingly. She identifies and documents the in-scope elements, including all project-related details, within the appropriate section of the charter. Conversely, the out-of-scope elements are recorded to ensure clarity and prevent any potential scope creep. Peta takes note of any confusion or disagreements among the team regarding the project’s inclusions and exclusions, documenting them for reference. To assess the project’s benefits and costs, Peta examines the cost sheet provided by Terrific Tablets, a quote obtained for the tablet rollout project, and adds the necessary details to the Benefits & Costs section of the project charter. She also conducts a thorough review of existing project documentation to gather additional information that can enhance the accuracy and completeness of the Benefits & Costs section.
During the discussions, misalignments among stakeholders surfaced, which is a common occurrence. Peta ensures that these misalignments are captured in the Appendix of the project charter. She carefully records whether they were resolved and documents the decisions made. For any unresolved misalignments, Peta outlines the next steps necessary for their resolution. With the completion and updating of the project charter, Peta and her team now possess a comprehensive and finalized document that serves as a guiding reference for project planning and execution.
This document outlines the project charter for the Sauce & Spoon pilot tablet rollout: Project Charter.
Negotiating effectively with stakeholders
1 – Completing the stakeholder analysis
As a project manager, understanding stakeholders is essential for effective project management. That is, completing the stakeholder analysis is the next step for Peta after she has completed the Sauce & Spoon project charter draft. It allows her to understand the unique interests and involvement of each stakeholder and determine the best approach to interact with them as the project progresses. By identifying key stakeholders, considering their interests, and assessing their power and level of interest, Peta can prioritize their needs, address potential conflicts, and foster collaboration throughout the project.
Over email, Deanna checks in with Peta and suggests sharing the project charter with Omar (Owner and CEO), to gain his buy-in and build rapport. Peta expresses interest in meeting Omar and asks for additional context on Carter’s involvement in the kitchen. Deanna explains Carter’s focus on protecting the kitchen staff and suggests involving Zane (Kitchen Manager, North) and Larissa (Kitchen Manager, Downtown), for input and buy-in on kitchen-related decisions. Peta acknowledges the suggestion and plans to connect with them.
Using insights from these discussions, along with the organizational chart and project team roles, Peta conducts a stakeholder analysis, evaluating each stakeholder’s level of power and interest (high, medium, or low). A stakeholder’s power is related to how much influence they have and how much their actions affect the project outcome. Interest, on the other hand, refers to how much the stakeholder’s needs will be affected by the project’s operations and outcomes. This analysis forms the basis for creating a power-interest grid, which helps Peta determine how to manage and communicate with each stakeholder effectively. By categorizing stakeholders as “keep satisfied,” “manage closely,” “monitor,” or “show consideration,” Peta can tailor her approach to meet their specific needs.
This document showcases the stakeholder analysis and power-interest grid for the Sauce & Spoon pilot tablet rollout: Stakeholder Analysis.
2 – Applying influence to stakeholder negotiations
To achieve the larger revenue goals of the Sauce & Spoon restaurant chain, Omar has expressed his desire to expand the tablet rollout beyond the bar area. Deanna expects Peta to do what she can to accommodate an expansion and reflect this change in the charter, but Peta feels it is outside the initial scope of the project. However, recognizing Omar’s authority as the owner and a senior stakeholder, she decides to gather input from other team members before making a decision. She conducts a meeting with Gilly, Alex, Larissa, Zane, Seydou, and Carter to discuss the advantages and disadvantages of expanding the tablet rollout to include all dining sections. During the discussion, Peta takes careful note of each person’s involvement in the project, their stance on the expansion, and any potential mutual benefits associated with confining the rollout to the bar area. A mutual benefit occurs when all parties involved in a situation or decision experience value or advantage in some form. It implies that the outcome or action is advantageous and beneficial for everyone involved, ensuring that each party gains something positive from the arrangement. Mutual benefits foster cooperation, alignment of interests, and the creation of win-win situations that contribute to overall satisfaction and collaboration among stakeholders.
After considering her meeting notes and assessing the power and influence of each team member, Peta identifies Seydou and Carter as potential allies. She sends separate emails to both individuals, inviting them to join her coalition during project negotiations and support her position against the expansion. A coalition refers to a temporary alliance formed by individuals or groups who come together to pursue a shared objective or collaborate on a specific endeavor. It involves joining forces, pooling resources, and coordinating efforts toward a common purpose or joint activity. By leveraging collective strength and expertise, a coalition increases the likelihood of success in achieving desired outcomes.
In her emails to Seydou and Carter, Peta includes a brief summary of Omar’s request, outlines at least two reasons why expanding the rollout may not be advisable, and requests their assistance in convincing both Omar and Deanna—two senior stakeholders—to adhere to the original plan of limiting the rollout to the bar area. To effectively influence her potential supporters, Peta follows Conger’s steps: Establishing credibility, framing for common ground, providing evidence, and connecting emotionally. Besides, she tailors her influencing approach for each email, taking into account the recipient’s role in the project, their perspective on the expansion, and how an expanded test launch may impact them and any potential mutual benefits they might have.
This document outlines influential emails about forming a coalition to push back against the tablet rollout expansion: Email Coalition.
Building out the project plan
1 – Identifying tasks and milestones
1.1 – Analyzing documentation
After completing the draft of the project charter, Peta begins the project planning phase by identifying tasks that will help her team achieve the goals of the tabletop menu tablets project. She reviews project documentation and examines a previous project plan for the reservation system to gather useful information for the tablet rollout. Peta also seeks Seydou’s expertise regarding tablet installation logistics, menu real-time updates, and customization. Seydou provides detailed answers and assures Peta of his support in coordinating with the Terrific Tablets vendor and the marketing department.
Using insights from project documents and her discussion with Seydou, Peta adds relevant tasks to her project plan under the Task Brainstorm tab. While doing this, she takes into account the possibility of multiple tasks being implied by a single sentence, identifies potential decision points that need to be addressed before taking action, and considers the testing requirements necessary to verify the success of each action. This approach ensures that all necessary steps are included in the plan and contributes to the overall success of the project.
1.2 – Conducting online research
Peta recognizes the importance of expanding her knowledge of the restaurant industry to identify more project tasks for the tablet rollout. To achieve this, she proactively conducts thorough online research on similar projects. This research serves multiple purposes: enabling her to discover additional tasks, drawing inspiration from successful projects, and learning from past mistakes.
To gather the necessary information, Peta utilizes various search strategies such as exploring news coverage of similar projects in other companies, reviewing existing research on topics relevant to the tablet rollout, and examining similar projects in different industries. Employing targeted keywords like “restaurant tablet research,” “restaurant tablet best practices,” “digital menu ordering,” “menu tablet news,” and “restaurant tablet how-to,” Peta efficiently finds the information she needs and locates valuable online resources. She then organizes the relevant findings under the Additional Resources tab of her project plan draft. This comprehensive online research equips Peta with fresh insights and allows her to identify new tasks that can significantly benefit the Sauce & Spoon project.
1.3 – Analyzing key conversations
After conducting thorough online research on restaurant tablets, Peta decides to gather more insights from her project team members. She initiates phone conversations with Seydou, Gilly, and Nia (General Manager, Waterfront) to gain a better understanding of the upcoming plans to implement menu tablets at two restaurant locations. These conversations help Peta uncover missing tasks, clarify smaller sub-tasks, and address potential concerns related to the project.
During her discussions with these stakeholders, Peta asks pertinent questions to identify any overlooked tasks. Seydou highlights the potential resistance from waitstaff and suggests leveraging trusted individuals for their training. While Nia is not directly involved in the tablet rollout project, Peta meets with her to gather feedback on a past initiative involving waitstaff tips. Nia expresses her concerns regarding the impact of tablets on tips and recommends that general managers at each location communicate the project to their teams. Additionally, Gilly recommends testing out the tablets with friends and family who would be understanding in case of any issues.
Analyzing these phone conversations, Peta successfully identifies additional tasks for the project. She ensures these newly discovered tasks are added to the Task Brainstorm tab of her project plan, ensuring comprehensive coverage of all essential elements.
1.4 – Ordering tasks and determining milestones
Now that Peta has identified all the tasks associated with the tablet project, the next step is to organize and structure those tasks by determining milestones. A milestone represents a significant achievement or the completion of a major phase in the project.
To begin, Peta updates the Task Brainstorm tab of her project plan draft by grouping related tasks that contribute to the same deliverable or goal. For example, tasks such as researching tablet features, comparing tablet pricing, and confirming compatible operating systems are all part of the process of choosing a tablet vendor. Additionally, Peta considers task dependencies and arranges them in the order they need to be completed. For instance, if training waitstaff on how to use the tablets depends on scheduling a staff meeting first, the logical sequence would be to schedule the staff meeting to introduce the concept of the menu tablets before proceeding with the waitstaff training.
The next step for Peta is to identify the project’s milestones and incorporate them into the plan. Milestones serve as important indicators of progress and often mark the completion of a deliverable or phase. To illustrate this, a task like “Integrate tablets with POS (Point of Sale) software” could represent a milestone if it involves testing and carries a high level of risk. By identifying these key milestones, Peta can track the project’s progress and mark important accomplishments in the project timeline.
Note: As Peta progresses in the planning phase and identifies new tasks, she proactively includes them in her project plan to ensure comprehensive coverage of all project activities and milestones.
2 – Making accurate time estimates
2.1 – Identifying tasks time estimates
Once Peta ordered project tasks and identified milestones, she engaged in phone conversations with Seydou and Deanna to gather relevant information on how long certain project tasks should take and clarify some of her estimates. Her goal is to gather all the necessary details to make accurate time estimates for each task.
Peta specifically focused on obtaining accurate shipping estimates for the tablets from Seydou. Understanding the shipping time was crucial, as it would provide Peta with a reliable timeframe. To ensure the confidence of the estimate, Peta inquired about the potential margin of error in Seydou’s estimate and prompted him to consider any assumptions that might not align with the actual delivery process. Additionally, Peta advised Seydou to compare his estimates with similar tasks from past projects to enhance the accuracy of the estimations.
Afterward, Peta discussed menu items and coupon values for the tablets with Deanna, emphasizing the importance of getting this information soon to start the mock-ups. While Deanna mentioned Carter’s plan to revamp the menu first before providing the tablet content, Peta requested that he prioritize the decision to meet the project timeline. They agreed that Peta would follow up with Carter.
Then, Peta reached out again to Seydou to discuss software installation and obtain his insights on integrating tablet software with the POS system. Seydou explained that the process is typically straightforward, taking only a few hours, but it depends on the POS software version. Peta expressed concern about their POS version and Seydou advised her to contact FlatPlate directly for an update, which may take a few days. Peta decided to follow up with Gilly to address the POS system version promptly.
Based on these phone conversations, Peta determined likely time estimates for the discussed tasks and added them under the Estimated Duration column on the Task Brainstorm tab of her project plan. She also recorded time estimates for previously listed tasks after reviewing past project documentation.
2.2 – Applying confidence level ratings
By this point, Peta has added a number of tasks to the project plan and assigned them time estimates. Now, she turns her attention to evaluating the team’s confidence in the accuracy of those estimates, a crucial step in refining the timeline and ensuring a successful project launch.
During the project update meeting, the team reviewed new tasks in the project plan and discussed time estimates for shipping, installation, menu and coupon uploads, and training. They confirmed the need to upgrade the POS system if it’s running an older version and determined the schedule for wiring and staff training. The team also assessed previous experiences with similar tasks and identified the next steps, including following up with Carter, Gilly, and Alex, checking the POS status, ordering tablets, booking an electrician, and setting training dates. They also planned to start drafting a training plan. Peta considers the team’s input and notes from the meeting to apply three-point estimates and confidence level ratings to each task in the project plan.
To refine the time estimates, Peta utilizes the three-point estimating technique, which involves calculating optimistic, pessimistic, and most likely scenarios for each task. This approach helps determine a more realistic estimate by considering best-case, worst-case, and most probable scenarios. To gauge the team’s confidence in the estimates, Peta applies confidence level ratings, which indicate the project manager’s confidence in the accuracy of each estimate. These ratings range from high to low and help communicate the likelihood of completing a task within the estimated timeframe. By adding confidence level ratings, Peta addresses uncertainty and provides stakeholders with valuable insights into the reliability of the timeline.
Finally, Peta incorporates notes into some tasks to capture critical information related to time estimates and task completion. These notes are derived from the project team meeting discussions and previous project documentation, ensuring that important details are taken into account.
2.3 – Refining time estimates
Seydou contacts Peta to provide an update on the shipping and delivery estimates for the tablets, which prompts a need for adjustments in the project plan. During their phone conversation, Seydou informs Peta about the delay in the shipment of upgraded tablets due to storms, potentially pushing back the project launch by a few weeks. Peta and Seydou explore various options, including launching with the current tablets, and Seydou agrees to investigate the availability of the initially modeled tablets and negotiate discounts. Peta decides to proceed with the current tablets shipped from a different warehouse, with the intention of later replacing them with the upgraded devices.
After the phone call, Peta diligently refines the project plan using the updated information from the conversation. She revisits the Task Brainstorm tab and adjusts her time estimates, while also writing down some notes on the tasks that may be impacted by the revised time estimates.
In addition, Peta needs to finalize her task list. She copies the task list from the Task Brainstorm tab and transfers it to the Tasks and Timeline tab to create a comprehensive and finalized task list in her project plan. Peta ensures that the tasks are appropriately ordered, highlights the previously identified milestones, and includes reasonable time estimates for each task, along with any relevant notes. The finalized task list comprises at least 20 tasks that align with the project’s goals and timelines.
3 – Defining quality standards
As the team prepares for the tablet test launch at Sauce & Spoon, Peta’s task is to determine quality standards. These encompass the predefined requirements and specifications that must be fulfilled for the project to be deemed successful.
During their weekly check-in, Peta and Deanna address customer satisfaction as a crucial quality standard for the menu tablet project and decide to establish a set of criteria to evaluate and measure it. They delve into specific metrics like average ticket time, checkout time, tablet functionality, order accuracy, and decreased customer wait time. They aim for specific targets in each area to ensure a faster, more efficient experience for customers. Peta agrees to outline the remaining quality standards for the next week’s check-in.
After the meeting, Peta adds her notes on quality standards to the project plan under the Quality and Evaluation tab. The primary quality standard is recorded in the Category column, with corresponding quality criteria listed in the Criteria column.
4 – Determining evaluation questions and indicators
Now that the tablet test launch has concluded, Peta wants to ensure that it leads to a successful rollout at the pilot locations, North and Downtown. To assess the project’s progress and measure the results of the test launch, Peta creates evaluation questions and indicators. Evaluation questions serve as key inquiries about the project’s outcomes, impact, and/or effectiveness, helping the project manager determine if quality standards are being met. On the other hand, evaluation indicators specify the type of data required to answer these questions.
It’s worth noting that evaluation questions serve the dual purpose of identifying areas for improvement and providing measures for comparison. Improvement-focused questions encompass areas such as enhancing performance, identifying goals being met, evaluating beneficiary outcomes, and understanding participant reactions. Measurement and comparison questions assess unintended outcomes, costs and benefits, lessons learned, and the decision to continue. Creating effective evaluation questions requires taking into account stakeholder and user values, aligning with project and evaluation objectives, addressing significance, and ensuring practicality given the available resources.
Furthermore, evaluation indicators play a vital role in determining the specific data needed to answer the evaluation questions. They outline the aspects that need to be measured or evaluated, such as quantities, satisfaction levels, preferences, or demographic information. These indicators should demonstrate progress towards attaining the desired goals and provide measurable evidence of the intended outcomes, such as test scores, attendance rates, or observed behavior. By considering these factors, evaluation indicators facilitate the capture of meaningful data for effective evaluation.
Drawing from the quality standards identified earlier, Peta formulates a set of evaluation questions to gauge the success of the tablet test launch. These questions are added to the Evaluation Questions column in the Quality and Evaluation tab of her project plan. Next, Peta proceeds to define an evaluation indicator for each evaluation question, which she includes in the Evaluation Indicators column of the same tab in her project plan.
5 – Creating survey questions
At this stage, Peta has developed evaluation questions and indicators to assess customer satisfaction during the test launch. She is now utilizing them to build a customer feedback survey. With 50 participants enlisted for the test launch, guests will engage with the newly implemented tablets during their dining experience and complete a digital survey afterward.
Peta begins by transferring the content from the Quality and Evaluation tab of her project plan to the Survey Questions tab, updating the project plan accordingly. The quality standards, evaluation questions, and indicators documented in her plan serve as a foundation for creating the customer survey questions. Peta proceeds to draft 8-15 survey questions in the Survey Question column, incorporating a mix of open-ended and closed-ended question types suitable for the Sauce & Spoon guests.
Once the questions are drafted, Peta takes the time to refine them to ensure they are specific and measurable, without providing excessive details that may influence respondents’ answers. For instance, a survey question that requires improvement might be, “Did your dinner take less time than the last time you visited?” The answer would not provide any measurable feedback as it relies solely on the respondent’s subjective judgment and presupposes their previous visit. Peta then proceeds to revise her survey questions as needed, ensuring they yield clear, meaningful, and unbiased feedback.
With a set of questions ready for the customer feedback survey, Peta focuses on structuring them effectively. In the Survey Questions tab of her project plan, she categorizes each question she has created according to its question type. She ensures a balanced representation by including at least one of the following question types: Yes or no, true or false, scaled questions (where respondents rate their responses on a set scale), multiple choice questions, and open-ended questions. Then, Peta adds answer options in the respective columns under Question Answer Options according to the chosen format of her questions.
To finalize her customer feedback survey, Peta reviews her questions, question types, and answer options. She asks herself if she needs to refine any questions to gather measurable data and whether any questions would elicit better responses if asked in a different format. Peta also ensures her questions include at least one of the five question types mentioned earlier.
This document encompasses the detailed project plan for the Sauce & Spoon tablet rollout project: Project Plan.
Next steps: Presenting data, escalating issues, and demonstrating project impact
As the Sauce & Spoon tabletop menu tablets project continues to progress, the next phase will involve presenting the data gathered during the pilot rollout, escalating issues to senior stakeholders, and showcasing the project’s impact.
To learn more about the subsequent steps of the project, please navigate to Part 2: Sauce & Spoon – Part 2.
Appendix: Ready-to-use project templates
In addition to detailing the Sauce & Spoon project scenario, I have included an appendix of ready-to-use project templates that I utilized throughout this process. As an aspiring project manager, I recognize the significance of using appropriate tools and templates to ensure project success. Hence, I have curated, in this folder, a selection of essential project templates that encompass the aspects covered in this specific scenario, including a project charter, a project plan, and key findings presentation template.
You can access each template in the folder using the following links:
By providing these templates, I aim to support the success of future projects and demonstrate my proficiency in project management.
Featured image by sentavio on Freepik. Used for display purposes.
Last updated: May 23rd, 2023.