Strategic Project Management for Digital Transformation

Introduction and organisational background

Project management is the process of leading the work of a team to achieve all the project goals within the given constraint of budget and time. The entrepreneurs of the organisation focus on developing innovative project in order to utilise the organisational resources and human capabilities to run the company creatively and meet the organisational goal strategically (Ravekar and Singh, 2019). The stages of project management are such as initiation, planning, execution, monitoring and closure, through which the organisational leader can reallocate the resources, empower the employees and utilise the technology to implement the project and achieve the future success. For students who are seeking insights into this dynamic field, resources such as business dissertation help can provide the most valuable support in navigating complex project management concepts. Through this study, it is possible to choose the right project management tools and techniques and develop a good project for meeting the strategic objectives of the firm. The organisation is a family owned food delivery organisation, which focuses on Indian food items for specialising the Indian foods and satisfying the customers with the Indian delicacy. The organisation targets to expand their business across the UK, where there are many Indian people and also diverse people, who prefer to taste Indian delicacy, spices and desserts.

The main project is to promote the company in the UK through arranging online events on social media platform. Through digital transformation of the business, the entrepreneur can hare important information with the people, and also target the audiences for retaining them in long run. The project management plan will be established after industry analysis through internal and external environmental evaluation, so that the risk management planning can be developed well. The risk management tool is utilised in this project management, where the risk identification, mitigation strategies and evaluation of the upcoming opportunities for the firm will be discussed well. On the other hand, Gantt chart will be chosen for timeline management so that the project management strategies can be implemented timely for successful completion and meeting the aim of the food delivery company. The family business targets to reach the Indian customer in the UK by specialising on Indian food cuisine and also ensure digital transformation of the business, so that it would be possible to strengthen their customer’s base and maximise sales volume for sustaining in the business. The finial projection and evaluation and control plan will also be evaluated to meet the strategic aim of the family owned business and establish the food delivery company strategically for securing future sustainable development.

Industry analysis

Industry analysis is mandatory before developing good project for establishing the business and in this regard the internal and external environmental analysis will be conducted, which is considered to be an effective project management tools for developing the project and implementing the planning successfully in the organisation.

Internal analysis

As per the internal analysis through SWOT framework, the major strategies of the organisation are financial position, customer centric model, operational activities, and time management an employee’s base. As it is a family owned business, the family members arranged adequate capital for investment in food delivery activities. The weaknesses of the restaurant are lack of marketing strategies, poor project planning and lack of business expansion strategy, for which the entrepreneurs fails to expand their activities across the UK and provide the best quality Indian food to the customers. As per the recent market opportunities in the restaurant and hospitality industry, the major opportunities are such as e-commerce services, technical innovation, the scope for market expansion internationally, Increasing customer’s preferences towards instant food and business creativity and high demand for online food delivery services which further influence the business entrepreneur to manage the food delivery service and retain more customers across the countries (Ravekar and Singh, 2019). However, there are several threats in the market, which are intense competition, lack of availability of the experienced staff members, increasing cost of operations and increasing the numbers of small and medium sized restaurant chain.

External analysis

The external analysis can be conducted through PESTLE analysis, which includes political stability in the country, economic growth and social development, as well as technological innovation, legal framework and environmental sustainability which have crucial impacts on the business firm. The organisation aims at developing the business in the UK for providing Indian food items to the customers. The PESTLE analysis will be evaluated below,

The UK economy is stable for establishing the restaurant chain where the government support for the SMEs as well as increasing economic and social growth are helpful for the family owned business to set up their restaurant (Dana, 2017). There is high technological influence on the lifestyle of the people in the UK, for which developing e-commerce business sand online food delivery services would be the best tactics to meet the project aim of developing the restaurant with Indian food (Wen et al., 2018). The environmental protection rules with renewable energy resources using quality and fresh raw materials for food preparation as well as protecting natural resource further support the organisation to strengthen their restaurant chain and make the business successful in long run.

Risks and benefits analysis

The major risk factors of the project are such as lack of market communication, poor financing and lack of effective marketing strategic planning. It is important to develop risk mitigating strategy to develop the restaurant with strategic planning. For mitigating the risk of lack of market communication, it is beneficial to implement ICT software for enhancing interaction with the stakeholders, as well as managing organisational official website and customer’s portal and handling telephonic conversation, so that the staff members can engage with the customers and influence their purchase decision by sharing all the necessary information (Laudano, Marzi and Caputo, 2018). In order to resolve the risk of poor financing, the firm must arrange capital, providing franchisee to other restaurant and partnership with the online food delivery services, so that to would be possible for the firm to arrange capital for further investment. For developing effective marketing tactics in order to establish the Indian restaurant successfully, the entrepreneurs must hire the marketing team for hosting social media events to attract the audiences as well as invest on social media advertisement for promoting the Indian cuisine in the UK.

SMART objectives of the business

The SMART objectives of the organisation are such as,

To specialises on Indian food items for product diversification

To develop good supply chain in the UK

To increase the rate of customers retention across the markets

To maximise profitability through delivering the best quality food

To introduce the food delivery business through digital transformation

The above mentioned objectives are SMART and are evaluated further,

Project management planning

It is important to develop good strategic planning for the firm where the project can be initiated tactfully and reallocate the organisational resources for meeting the strategic objectives of the firm. The family owned business mainly focuses on establishing the restaurant, specialising the Indian food. It is an innovative business idea to develop the restaurant with diverse Indian food items in the UK, for retaining the non-Indian residence and others for the quality food and beverages (Newman, Schwarz and Ahlstrom, 2017). The project is about placing the business in the UK market through social media events and promotional practices, so that the restaurant can attract the audiences and influence their purchasing decision for the quality food items under Indian delicacy. The major strategies of the reject management would be developed further,

Product diversification

Product diversification is one of the best strategic planning, for the restaurant to launch Indian delicacy and attract the customers with different food items and beverages (Kansheba, 2020). It is important for the organisation to resent the menu with diverse food items under Indian delicacy, so that the customers can have the option to choose as per their taste and preferences. For the online business, the organisation must adopt paper packaging system for maintaining environmental sustainability and running the business efficiently in the market. The organisation needs to use wooden plates and spoons in order to maintain business sustainability. Hence, the quality of the products and diversifying the food menu would be the best strategic planning to meet the project objectives.

Partnership with online food delivery app

Partnership with the online food delivery app, such as Uber Eats would be another important strategic planning in order to expand their business operations and strengthen their network in long run. Uber East is a famous online food delivery firm serving huge numbers of customers with the best quality food and beverages. Hence, partnership with Uber eats would be beneficial for the firm to establish their family owned business and provide the best quality Indian food items to the customers. Through this planning, it is possible to have effective brand in the market and promote the products and services through e-commerce services. In the recent era of globalisation, online business is growing rapidly with high demand of the customers through mobile application and e-commerce services (Linton and Solomon, 2017). Hence, it is important for the restaurant to develop partnership with the online food delivery app for promoting their services and increase brand visibility so that the customers can identify the Indian food items through the app.

Hosting an event on social media

Hosting an event on social media is another strategic planning which would be fruitful for the organisation to establish their business and promotes their services to the customers. The social media campaign is arranged for attracting the audiences and sharing the information about the business across different social communities. It is one of the effective ways to engage the social communities and retain them for long run with the best quality products and services. Hence, hosting an event on social media platform will provide a scope to the firm to develop their operations and promote the brand efficiently (Tsvetkova and Partridge, 2017). The restaurant must focus on arranging social media campaign and provide all the necessary information related to the Indian food menu, different snacks and beverages, pricing and offers for the food baskets as well as the availability of the online services. The organisation must focus on targeting the Indian community in the UK and other countries as the demand of the Indian food is high among the Indian communities. Hence, the online event will be beneficial for the restaurant to engage with the social communities and promote the brand with the best quality food and beverages. The digital content must be developed and the modification for the events must be provided to the followers and also their friends and social community groups. This is beneficial for the restaurant to engage the communities and interact with them to choose the best quality products.

Social media promotion

In order to develop the project of opening a restaurant in the UK with the Indian food delicacy, it is essential for the firm to invest in social media promotion. In the recent era of globalisation, there are social media platform for business promotion and customer’s retention, as it is considered as two way communication mode, where the customers can engage with the brand representatives for better understanding and making purchase of the right basket of goods and services as per the customers’ needs and preferences. The brand must create YouTube channel for posting short YouTube videos about the food menu, pictures and recipes of the Indian food, so that it would be possible to engage with the customers in the market and retain them for tasting the Indian food delicacy (Julien, 2018). On the other hand, the food blogging and Instagram account of the restaurant must be promoted through food festival at London and other events, in order to promote the Indian restaurant and attract the customers for the best quality Indian food and beverages.

In addition to this, Facebook is one of the best social media platforms to engage with diverse social communities and enhance market communication through face to face interaction, commenting on the posts, sending email and telephonic conversation. The restaurant must create Facebook page for promoting the Indian restaurant so that the customers can identify the availability of the Indian cuisine in the UK. Additionally, the organisational manager must do Facebook live by showing the restaurants, available food items, offers and menu, as well as internal environment and decorations, so that the customers can review the place and make purchase decision for the best quality food. Hence, for conducting the project efficiently with strategic planning, it is mandatory for the restaurant to establish the shop at London, promote the services through social media advertisement and host online events as well as partnership with the online food delivery services so that it can meet the above mentioned strategic objectives.

Evaluating the ability to manage the project

The organisational resources and capabilities must be arranged efficiently for maximising the ability of the firm to implement the project and meet the objectives within effective time. In this context, the restaurant aims at establishing their business in the UK with Indian food delicacy and for this, it is mandatory for the organisation to establish the restaurant at the central location London, so that the customers can access their services. The family owned business is able to arrange capital for investment in the restaurant for setting up the environment and conduct creative decorations to attract the customers. As the financial position for investment is strong, it would be possible for the entrepreneur to develop good strategic planning and create the organisational infrastructure for better management (Jogaratnam, 2018). The internal environment in the restaurant will be effective where the customers can be confortable and spend time with quality Indian food items as per their choices. Apart from that, the kitchen and other staff room are also arranged in order to maintain the operational efficiency and handle the staff members successfully in long run (Lee, Hallak and Sardeshmukh, 2019). The warehouse management and stock handling activities will be conducted through online cloud computing system as well as the staff are monitored and managed well under effective supervision and control. The firm would be capable of hiring efficient staff members and chef who can cook the best Indian cuisine and serve the customers with the quality food items and beverages.

Project implementation

For implementing the above mentioned project with the strategic planning, the firm must prepare the restaurant infrastructure and coordinate with the managers and other staff members, so that they can work as a partnership working practice and meet the strategic aim by serving the customers. It would be necessary for the managers to arrange training and development programs for supporting the staff and chef and others in order to manage the whole operations. There is a technical team and front line staff member who handles the online food delivery activities. Handling the customers’ orders through organisational website would be the best solution to run the business efficiently. The restaurant must arrange capital for promotional activities and also implement the creative process of client handling (Udonsup and Intrawong, 2019). Monitoring the solution of the project and capital investment is important for successful project implementation. It is mainly a family owned business, where the entrepreneur must cooperate with the managers and chef to provide the best quality food items, which is the main aim of the restaurant. For project implementation, there will be good organisational structure with operations, marketing and sales department and technical activities, so that the firm would be able to establish the restaurant and also run the online operations proficiently across the market. For the project implementation, there is requirement of strong supply chain management and distribution network, so that the food items will be delivered to the customers safely within effective time. The strategy of partnership with online food delivery app as well as creating supply chain network would be the best strategy for implementing the project successfully.

Time management

It is important to develop timeline for the new business to follow the activities and arrange adequate capital for achieving the strategic objectives.

Time management planning is developed through Gantt chart, which is one of the best project management tools for creating good time management planning. For successful project implementation, the organisation would require approximately 8 weeks, where there are break down of the project initiatives for supporting the staff and implementing the activities strategically. The project management and organisational entrepreneur must work collaboratively to ensure digital transformation of the business and expand the food delivery services across the UK by specialising on Indian food delicacy.

Financial projection

Financial projection is crucial part of the project management, where it is possible for the organisational entrepreneur to identify the adequate capital for establishing the business. The major aim of the restaurant is to specialise on Indian food and provide the best quality Indian cuisine to the customers across the UK. In this regard, the major activities in the project management are maintaining the quality of food, handling product diversification and setting affordable pricing for the food so that the customers can afford it. For this, the factors of expenditure are staff selection, administrative cost, and product diversification costing with management of raw materials and organic vegetables as well as managing supply chain. On the other hand, as per the project management planning, the restaurant must manage the promotional activities by utilising the social media platform and latest technology. In this context, the major factors of expenditure are such as Facebook posts and lives, arranging events through social media, developing organisational website and partnership with Uber Eats. As per the financial projection, the expected total cost for establishing the restaurant would be €16000. The entrepreneur of the business must arrange the cost for successful project management and implementing the project activities efficiently so that the staff members can perform better and meet the above mentioned strategic objectives.

Expected performance of the restaurant

The restaurant is expected to grow efficiently by implementing the above mentioned project management planning. It is expected that, in the next year 2022, there will be 10% growth with the increase of 200 sales volumes. It would be possible for the restaurant to attract the audiences and retain them for the best quality Indian cuisine., there are divers people in the UK, who prefer to have Indian delicacy with different spices, different cooking procedure and dessert items, and thus this will further provide a scope to the organisation to expand their services and provide the best quality Indian food as per the customer’s needs and preferences. There would be 15% and 22% growth in 2023 and 2024 respectively, where the restaurant must implement the project planning and promote their services in the market.

Evaluating control and evaluation techniques

Evaluating the strategic planning, controlling and evaluation techniques must be developed for reviewing the performance of the firm and analysing whether the organisation is able to meet the strategic objectives or not. The restaurant manager must review the whole operations through CCTV camera and performance evaluation. The employees are working under supervision and control and the management team is efficient to evaluate their performance and continuous guide them for maximising the project outcome. Additionally, the key performance indicators for evaluating the project would be the restaurant sales volume, customer’s retention rate, profitability after each financial year, quality of food and demand of the customers for the Indian food delicacy. The project manager must evaluate the success factors and review the organisational performance efficiently for achieving the strategic objective of the firm. Through the above mentioned strategic planning, it would be possible for the restaurant to set up their brand and provide the best quality Indian food items to the customers.

Reference List

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Jogaratnam, G., 2018. Human capital, organizational orientations and performance: Evidence from the restaurant industry. International Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Administration, 19(4), pp.416-439.

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Udonsup, K. and Intrawong, W., 2019. THE IMPACT OF ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND INNOVATION ON BUSINESS PERFORMANCE OF BUFFET RESTAURANT BUSINESS. In INTERNATIONAL ACADEMIC MULTIDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH CONFERENCE IN SWITZERLAND 2019 (pp. 152-161).

Wen, Z., Hu, S., De Clercq, D., Beck, M.B., Zhang, H., Zhang, H., Fei, F. and Liu, J., 2018. Design, implementation, and evaluation of an Internet of Things (IoT) network system for restaurant food waste management. Waste management, 73, pp.26-38.

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