Project Objectives
The background of this project involves the development of an automated system that is aimed to address the issues faced by Café Festivale. Café Festivale is a new and popular café that has been operational in the Town of Gawler. However, due to quick increase in popularity and rapid growth of customer count, the café is facing certain major problems like delayed taking of orders, delayed and wrong serving of ordered food and many others. Hence, the authority has decided to undertake a project for implementation of an automated system that will address these particular issues as well as provide scope for further improvement and development.
Project Objectives
The objectives of the project are as follows.
- To replace the current manually handled order taking and processing system with an automated system
- To accelerate the speed of operations for boosting customer satisfaction
- To develop an error proof system and gain more efficiency from the waiters and kitchen staff
- Desired Outcomes
The desired outcomes from the project are listed as follows.
- Orders taken by the staff will be automatically entered into the system
- The system will instantly send the order to the kitchen electronically
- Waiting staffs will be notified by the system when the ordered food is ready
- Stock levels will be automatically monitored and the staffs will be notified when the stock level falls below the suitable level
Project Scope and Exclusions
The main scope of the project is to develop an automated system that will address the issues faced due to the manual handling of orders in the café.
Preparation of business plan after implementation of the system and the selection of waiting staff who will be able to handle the system are excluded from this project.
Constraints and Assumptions
The constraints are listed as follows.
- The proposed system is an expensive technology
- The system will be very complex in nature as there will be different users involved with the system
The assumptions are listed as follows.
- It has been assumed that the project can be completed within the $100,000 budget
- It has been assumed that 6 months is sufficient for the project
- It has been assumed that some training sessions will be sufficient to enable the staffs to work with the automated system
User(s) and any other known interested parties
The main users of the system are listed as follows.
- Senior User (Café Manager)
- Chefs
- Waiters
- Accountant
- Customers
Interfaces
The interfaces in the system are shown in the following use case diagram.
Project Approach
There are different approaches to projects based on their nature, scale, type and other factors. Hence, for this project, a suitable approach needs to be chosen that will the most beneficial for it.
This project mainly involves technical development and hence, a technical based project team will be appointed to take care of all the requirements. The most suitable model of development for this project is the Waterfall Model. This model has five major phases namely, Define, Design, Develop, Deploy and Extend. For the new automated system, these five phases will ensure the system is appropriately developed with further scope of upgradation in the near future.
Executive Summary
This project aims at developing an automated system that will allow the waiting staffs and other café staffs to quickly process the orders and also remove errors like claiming the food is out of stock after the customer has placed order, serving wrong order to the customer and others. It is expected that the proposed new automated system will significantly enhance the overall business model of the café and will provide positive outcomes in serving more new customers and maintaining a strong growth in the business.
Reasons
The main reasons behind the implementation of the project are as follows.
- Current ordering system is completely manual and is often very erroneous.
- There is no specific system to update the stock inventory every time a food dish is cooked.
- The entire ordering, cooking and serving cycle is very slow and is one of the major reasons behind customer dissatisfaction.
Business Options
Although this project is not directly business oriented and is more operations oriented, there are many business opportunities that will arise after the project implementation is complete. The business will be enhanced with increasing customer satisfaction as well as the company will have more efficiency in handling the growing numbers of customers in the café.
Project Scope and Exclusions
Expected Benefits
The expected benefits are as follows.
- Faster ordering system
- More efficient order handling process
- Less human errors
- Regular update in the stock inventory
- Rise in the customer satisfaction
- Expected Dis-benefits
The expected dis-benefits of the project are as follows.
- High cost of implementation for the overall size of the organization
- Insufficient technical expertise of the café staff
- High maintenance costs and technical requirements of the system
- Timescale
The total timescale available for the project is 6 months.
Costs
As per the determined budget, the total costs of the project should not exceed $100,000.
Investment Appraisal
An investment of $100,000 is expected to generate the following costs and cash flows as well as boost the revenue from the café.
Year |
Investment ($) |
Revenue ($) |
Costs ($) |
Profit ($) |
Cumulative Profit ($) |
Cash Flow ($) |
Cumulative Cash Flow ($) |
0 |
-100,000 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
-100,000 |
-100,000 |
1 |
0 |
20000 |
10000 |
10000 |
10000 |
10000 |
-90000 |
2 |
0 |
24650 |
7500 |
17150 |
27150 |
17150 |
-72850 |
3 |
0 |
30000 |
6500 |
23500 |
50650 |
23500 |
-49350 |
4 |
0 |
37000 |
5500 |
31500 |
82150 |
31500 |
-17850 |
5 |
0 |
45000 |
3500 |
41500 |
123,650 |
41500 |
23650 |
Total |
100,000 |
156,650 |
33,000 |
123,650 |
23,650 |
Major Risks
Some major risks associated with the project include the following.
- High implementation cost
- High complexity of the system
- Low technical expertise of waiting staffs
- Lack of sufficient technical setup for implementing the system
- Project Management Team Structure
The project management team structure is as follows.
- Executive – Café Owner, Jason Power
- Senior User – Café Manager, Amy Crow
- Senior Supplier – Contract IT firm specialising in automating cafes / restaurants
- Project Manager – External contractor
- Team Manager(s)
- Project Support
- Project Assurance
- Change Authority
- Role Description
- The role descriptions are as follows.
Team Member |
Role |
Executive |
Plan and approve the project |
Senior User |
Provide guidance regarding project requirements |
Senior Supplier |
Provide technical support for the project |
Project Manager |
Manage and control the project |
Team Manager(s) |
Manage the working teams in the project |
Project Support |
Provide support to project when required |
Project Assurance |
Provide project updates |
Change Authority |
Management of changes in project |
Stakeholder Analysis
The main stakeholders of the project are listed in the following table.
Stakeholder Name |
Stakeholder Designation |
Mr. A |
Café Owner |
Mr. B |
Café Manager |
Mr. C |
Finance Manager |
Mr. D |
IT Support |
Mr. E |
Human Resource Manager |
Tolerances
As per the initial plan, the overall project has to be completed within $100,000 budget and 6 months time period. However, considering the complexity of the project, the café owner has allowed a tolerance of 10% additional budget and 2 months additional time.
Product Descriptions
The product of the project will be an automated system through which the orders will be placed and processed and the stock inventory will be tracked. When the customer places order, the waiter will enter the order into the system that will be checked for availability and sent directly to the cooking staff through the system. When the food is ready, the cooking staff will update in the system and the waiters will serve the food to the respective custome
Schedule
The overall schedule of the project is shown in the following table.
Task Name |
Duration |
Start |
Finish |
Predecessors |
Development of Automated Ordering System |
121 days |
Mon 12-11-18 |
Mon 29-04-19 |
|
Project Planning |
20 days |
Mon 12-11-18 |
Fri 07-12-18 |
|
Identify the Issues of the Current System |
3 days |
Mon 12-11-18 |
Wed 14-11-18 |
|
Conduct Team Meetings and Discuss the Issues |
6 days |
Thu 15-11-18 |
Thu 22-11-18 |
2 |
Reach a Suitable Solution |
1 day |
Fri 23-11-18 |
Fri 23-11-18 |
3 |
Propose a New Automated Ordering System |
1 day |
Mon 26-11-18 |
Mon 26-11-18 |
4 |
Prepare Project Proposal |
5 days |
Tue 27-11-18 |
Mon 03-12-18 |
5 |
Submit Proposal |
2 days |
Tue 04-12-18 |
Wed 05-12-18 |
6 |
Get the Project Approval |
2 days |
Thu 06-12-18 |
Fri 07-12-18 |
7 |
Project Initiation |
24 days |
Mon 10-12-18 |
Thu 10-01-19 |
|
Develop Project Scope |
2 days |
Mon 10-12-18 |
Tue 11-12-18 |
8 |
Identify Project Objectives |
1 day |
Wed 12-12-18 |
Wed 12-12-18 |
10 |
Prepare Project Schedule |
1 day |
Thu 13-12-18 |
Thu 13-12-18 |
11 |
Prepare Project Budget |
2 days |
Fri 14-12-18 |
Mon 17-12-18 |
12 |
Determine and Address Risks |
5 days |
Tue 18-12-18 |
Mon 24-12-18 |
13 |
Prepare Stakeholder Management Plan |
2 days |
Tue 25-12-18 |
Wed 26-12-18 |
14 |
Prepare Quality Assurance Plan |
2 days |
Thu 27-12-18 |
Fri 28-12-18 |
15 |
Hire Project Team |
4 days |
Mon 31-12-18 |
Thu 03-01-19 |
16 |
Assign Roles and Responsibilities |
2 days |
Fri 04-01-19 |
Mon 07-01-19 |
17 |
Assign Budget to the Team |
3 days |
Tue 08-01-19 |
Thu 10-01-19 |
18 |
Project Execution and Implementation |
62 days |
Fri 11-01-19 |
Mon 08-04-19 |
|
Procure Technical Resources |
5 days |
Fri 11-01-19 |
Thu 17-01-19 |
19 |
Install the Technical Resources |
15 days |
Fri 18-01-19 |
Thu 07-02-19 |
21 |
Purchase Suitable Software |
5 days |
Fri 08-02-19 |
Thu 14-02-19 |
22 |
Design the Proposed System |
10 days |
Fri 15-02-19 |
Thu 28-02-19 |
23 |
Develop the Proposed System |
15 days |
Fri 01-03-19 |
Thu 21-03-19 |
24 |
Test the Proposed System |
10 days |
Fri 22-03-19 |
Thu 04-04-19 |
25 |
Project Handover |
2 days |
Fri 05-04-19 |
Mon 08-04-19 |
26 |
Project Closing |
15 days |
Tue 09-04-19 |
Mon 29-04-19 |
|
Submit Documentation |
5 days |
Tue 09-04-19 |
Mon 15-04-19 |
27 |
Review the Project |
2 days |
Tue 16-04-19 |
Wed 17-04-19 |
29 |
Conduct Appraisal |
4 days |
Thu 18-04-19 |
Tue 23-04-19 |
30 |
Finalize Payments |
2 days |
Wed 24-04-19 |
Thu 25-04-19 |
31 |
Sign Off and Closing |
2 days |
Fri 26-04-19 |
Mon 29-04-19 |
32 |
agenda
- <Agenda Item 1>
- <Notes on discussion>
- <Agenda Item 2>
- <Notes on discussion>
- <Agenda Item 3>
- <Notes on discussion>
- <And so forth…>
Post Meeting Action Items
Action |
Assigned To |
Deadline |
Identify the main faults with the current system |
<Assignee> |
<mm/dd/yy> |
Prepare a detailed report on the existing system |
||
Decisions Made
- The entire operational process will be studied
- The issues will be identified
- A solution will be developed in the next meeting
Next Meeting
Next Meeting: <Date><Time><Location>Meeting 2
Date: <dd/mm/yy>
Time: <start time> – <end time>
Location: <where meeting took place>
Chair/Coordinator: <insert name of person that coordinated the meeting>
Attendees
<List name(s) of attendees>
Apologies
<List name(s) of non-attendees>
Agenda
- <Agenda Item 1>
- <Notes on discussion>
- <Agenda Item 2>
- <Notes on discussion>
- <Agenda Item 3>
- <Notes on discussion>
- <And so forth…>
Post Meeting Action Items
Action |
Assigned To |
Deadline |
Report on the Existing Issues |
<Assignee> |
<mm/dd/yy> |
Feedbacks of the Waiting and Cooking Staffs Regarding the Problems |
||
Decisions Made
- The new changes must be technical in nature
- The target of the change will be to increase system efficiency
Next Meeting
Next Meeting: <Date><Time><Location>
Meeting 3 (repeat for each meeting held)
Apologies
<List name(s) of non-attendees>
Agenda
- <Agenda Item 1>
- <Notes on discussion>
- <Agenda Item 2>
- <Notes on discussion>
- <Agenda Item 3>
- <Notes on discussion>
- <And so forth…>
Post Meeting Action Items
Action |
Assigned To |
Deadline |
Contact IT Consultant |
<Assignee> |
<mm/dd/yy> |
Estimate a budget for the project |
||
Decide on the personnel required for project |
||
Decisions Made
- A project will be initiated for the implementation of the new system
- The project team will be allowed 6 months to complete the project
- Technical training will be provided to the existing staffs
Next Meeting
Next Meeting: <Date><Time><Location><Insert number of words here> words
References
Binder, J., 2016. Global project management: communication, collaboration and management across borders. Routledge.
Fleming, Q.W. and Koppelman, J.M., 2016, December. Earned value project management. Project Management Institute.
Harrison, F. and Lock, D., 2017. Advanced project management: a structured approach. Routledge.
Heagney, J., 2016. Fundamentals of project management. Amacom.
Kerzner, H. and Kerzner, H.R., 2017. Project management: a systems approach to planning, scheduling, and controlling. John Wiley & Sons.
Larson, E.W., Gray, C.F., Danlin, U., Honig, B. and Bacarini, D., 2014. Project management: The managerial process (Vol. 6). Grandview Heights, OH: McGraw-Hill Education.
Leach, L.P., 2014. Critical chain project management. Artech House.
Lock, D., 2017. The essentials of project management. Routledge.
Marchewka, J.T., 2014. Information technology project management. John Wiley & Sons.
Martinelli, R.J. and Milosevic, D.Z., 2016. Project management toolbox: tools and techniques for the practicing project manager. John Wiley & Sons.
Mir, F.A. and Pinnington, A.H., 2014. Exploring the value of project management: linking project management performance and project success. International journal of project management, 32(2), pp.202-217.
Nicholas, J.M. and Steyn, H., 2017. Project management for engineering, business and technology. Routledge.
Schwalbe, K., 2015. Information technology project management. Cengage Learning.
Svejvig, P. and Andersen, P., 2015. Rethinking project management: A structured literature review with a critical look at the brave new world. International Journal of Project Management, 33(2), pp.278-290.
Verzuh, E., 2015. The fast forward MBA in project management. John Wiley & Sons.
Walker, A., 2015. Project management in construction. John Wiley & Sons.