The majority of initiatives in the food and beverage industry are structured to accomplish a particular business purpose that falls under the category of quality or continuous improvement. Project Managers are employed by many major restaurant companies to oversee building and IT programs, while Operations Project Managers are hired to execute Lean Six Sigma projects that concentrate on implementing and maintaining effective operating procedures.
The majority of food and beverage operations choose to work under a functional organizational framework, with the primary emphasis on performing the business’s core functions. Project Management, on the other hand, continues to be vital to the company’s progress.
There are five main principles, or laws, of Lean Six Sigma:
Law of the market (customer focus)
Law of flexibility (process is maneuverable)
Law of focus (focus on the problem at hand and avoid distractions)
Law of velocity (complexity of services can lead to poor quality or slower speeds)
Law of complexity (keep it simple)
Simply put, it involves recognizing problems that concern consumers, evaluating the issues to determine the root cause, and implementing solutions (where the majority of Project Management occurs) that are intended to enhance processes (and customer satisfaction).
In the food and beverage industry, a lot of project management occurs at the unit level, and there’s usually no one there with a job title that says “Project Manager.” Projects, on the other hand, are carried out on a regular basis by most management at the unit level of an organization. By concentrating on the “3 C’s” of project management – communication, change management, and customer satisfaction – project management training will help mitigate this and ensure effective projects.