Project Management is a Lot Like Cooking

Design
Written By Linda Secondari
 
 
 
 

I love to cook.

I savor the smell of sautéing onions in olive oil. The fragrance of a chicken roasting in the oven stuffed with lemons and rosemary. I also love managing the process: culinary project management.

My culinary project management process begins with planning the meal to ensure each stage of the meal is delivered in the optimal way for the most enjoyment. I especially like the challenge of getting complex dishes to come together at the same time for a holiday or celebratory gathering. At the risk of sounding geeky, making order out of chaos is my jam, hence my love of cooking and project management.

 
 
 
 

Recipe for Project Management Mastery à la Studiolo Secondari

 
 
 
 

Food in Culture

Massimo Montari

Step 1: Define your challenge and your desired outcome. 

  • FOR A PROJECT: define the problem that needs to be solved and the desired outcome

  • FOR A MEAL: decide on the menu and list your ingredients and cooking apparatus.

 
 
 
 

Step 2: Identify your success metrics.

  • FOR A PROJECT: think about your desired outcome (step 1); how that will impact the end-user; and how you will know when you have achieved success (i.e. post-meal, a happy crowd with full bellies).

  • FOR A MEAL: identify your diners (i.e. determine any dietary restrictions) and what they want from the meal (i.e. fancy occasion or casual celebration).

 
 
 
 

French Gastronomy

Jean -Robert Pitte
IllustrationMartha Lewis

Step 3: Plan your schedule and map out tasks.

  • FOR A PROJECT: plot project tranches, put together a team, coordinate deliverables, and ensure there is plenty of time for communication, feedback, and reconsideration (again, remember your desired outcomes from step 1!).

  • FOR A MEAL: make a grocery list, calculate cooking time for dishes, and determine which preparation methods you will use. (I remember a Thanksgiving supper in the early 1990s when I had only two burners and an oven that barely fit the bird! I created a flow chart for all of the dishes, so that I could get them all prepared and reheated in time for the meal.)

 
 
 
 

Step 4: Execute.

  • FOR A PROJECT: keep everything moving in the same direction to back into your launch date.

  • FOR A MEAL: make sure you have enough burners, make the sauce, and let the meat rest.

 
 
 
 

Slow Food

Carlo Petrini

Step 5: Stop and taste!

  • FOR A PROJECT: check in with your audience, stakeholders, and team to make sure the pieces are still moving and the desired outcome is still accurate. Launch/publish/go live!

  • FOR A MEAL: before serving, taste everything to ensure it is seasoned properly. Once the food is served, check-in with your diners and make sure everyone has what they need.

 
 
 
 

My loves of cooking and project management have been realized simultaneously through designing books about food (some examples above). I hope this culinary project management recipe helps you achieve success in the kitchen, at the office, and beyond!

Still Hungry for more? Pasta à la Puttanesca

Check out my recipe for Pasta à la Puttanesca, which is a great pantry dish. Nearly all of the ingredients can be kept on hand indefinitely. By adding olive oil packed tuna, you get protein to make it into a complete one dish meal!

 
 
 
 
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Linda Secondari

I’ve spent more years than I care to mention honing my skills at preeminent academic publishers. As the Creative Director for both Oxford University Press and Columbia University Press, and Art Director for Russek Advertising (where clients included Shakespeare in the Park and John Leguizamo), I felt the call to take what I’d learned and what I’d done and start my own design studio (or studiolo).

Using intelligent design strategy and inspiring design solutions, I believe we can improve the world through better communication. I’ve been fortunate to do that for independent authors, major publishers, NGOs, educational institutions, nonprofits and think tanks. And while the industries might be varied, the one unifier is a desire to reach their audience and get their big ideas noticed.

Whether I’m cooking up a batch of puttanesca or helping an organization rethink their look, message and go-to-market strategy, I always strive to create an end result that wows.

My clients often remark how I interpret what they need from what they say and that I’m the calm voice of reason in their often frenetic industry. (must be all that meditating.)

If you have a project that could use some transformation, let’s turn the page together.

 

http://linda-secondari.squarespace.com/
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