Problem 1 – Sandwich Shop
DESCRIPTION
Problem 1 was to start the class thinking about the pre-production steps in delivering designed elements for a show without letting us get distracted by the theatrical elements by using the allegory of a sandwich shop. We, the project management team at Hudson Sandwich Studios, were contracted to create a peanut-butter and jelly sandwich. The sandwich was designed and the designer had provided renderings and research images. The teams had to prepare construction documents and materials so that the local crew of the show,PBJ-2K, could assemble the sandwich before the show using the provided budget of $20 from the producer.
On the presentation day, teams packed their “trucks” and sent them to Pat, our CLT, for construction. Although Pat was constructing the sandwiches only a table away, we were told that we were just observers and that we were to believe Pat was the local house crew of the theatre constructing the sandwiches with only the written instructions from the truck pack.
Theatre being theatre, the show must go on! So there was even a list of services and tools available to be sure the projects could be completed, but at a cost. A knife rental for $1/day; a plate rental for $2/day; telephone service for $0.10/ minute; trucking for $4/trip locally; and a local shadow for a non-union worker for $8/day.
to see my classmate Irene’s report of the presentations please check out her post on our class’ openlab page
ANALYSIS
I was not assigned a team for this project due to my absence from the 1st week of class due to a work obligation. During the debriefing following the group presentations we discussed as a class how the teams approached the assignment.
What follows are my notes from the group discussion (post mortem) of the Sandwich Shop project
Define Problem:
Instructions / Documentation
Ingredients
Fit in box
Fresh
Did you understand the problem?
Did you revisit the problem and its elements?
Did you create/include:
– A checklist?
– Design drawings?
– Make a test sandwich from your instructions?
How successful was your project?
Were instructions read correctly?
The goal of good instructions is to make every step clear, even “givens”
e.g. opening packaging, cleaning your hands before food prep…
You don’t want to frustrate the crew
More instructions are better, pictures are nice, make wording clear
What are examples of products we all encounter that come with instructions?
– Ikea furniture (minimal words)
– Lego build sets
What are the common aspects of instructions that make them effective?
– Pictures (of final product followed by step by step assembly)
– Steps (not too much in each step)
– Packing list (1st instruction should be to check contents against list, packing list that is noted by packer also creates confidence in project outcome)
– Clearly state what instrucions are for i.e. what you are building
You want your crew assembling to know what the final product looks like to help them make educated inferences and involve them in the quality control of the final product, create a goal for the crew.