Lovely Data for Turkey Dinner for 18

All this lovely data is a back-up for the post Turkey Dinner for 18.

PMBOK Processes. Here’s the full Table of PMBOK processes applied to Turkey Dinner for 18.

DH = Dear Husband, D1= Oldest Daughter, D2=Youngest Daughter.

Process Group Process Outputs Applications for this project Documented Verbal
Initiating Develop Project Charter Project Charter “Let’s do it” + date + # guests x
Identify Stakeholders Stakeholder Register List of guests Cooking Journal
Stakeholder Management Plan Drama is fun on TV, not during a family dinner (or is it?) Table Seating Plan
Planning Define Project Management Plan Project Management Plan x
Define Scope Scope Statement Resembles the Charter for a project of this size Cooking Journal
Create WBS WBS The deliverable is “an enchanting evening”. Now break that down. Cooking Journal
Develop Schedule Schedule Old school (by hand) with lots of detail, especially for all the stuff that needs to happen when the turkeys come out of the oven. Cooking Journal
Develop HR Plan HR Plan Me, DH and D2. D1: not so much. x
Plan Communication Communication Plan When to send the email invitation x
Identify Risks Risk Register Two turkeys was tricky but we did come up with a list of actions to cover our risks. x
Plan Risk Responses Updates to WBS, Schedule, PM Plan, etc. Updates to Grocery list, schedule, WBS / Task list Cooking Journal
Plan Procurements Grocery List
SAQ (liquor store) List
Make-or-buy decisions (desert, tourtière)		 I only make desert when I am looking for a challenge. I had enough with the 2 turkeys for this meal. For the record, I make a wicked tourtière when the oven is not already filled with turkeys. Lists
Executing Direct and Manage Project Execution The deliverables A great evening of good food, wine, music, conversation and fun with our family
Perform Quality Assurance Plan updates Example: Only buy fresh, grain-fed turkey Cooking Journal
Manage Project Team Me firing and rehiring the sous-chef a couple of times
Distribute information Email invitation Lately it’s been a movie.
Conduct Procurements Buy the food and wine.
Monitoring and Controlling Verify Scope Accepted deliverables The Big Night. The family decides if the evening meets expectations.
Control Scope Keep the project within scope Don’t let DH add any more guests to the guest list. 18 is enough!
Control Schedule Schedule updates Updated in red Cooking Journal
Perform Quality Control Quality Control measurements Turkey temperature measurements with an external digital read thermometer Cooking Journal
Report Performance Performance reports Me whispering in DH’s ear: “@!!** the turkey’s ready early!” Cooking Journal x
Monitor and Control Risks I did not plan on running out of Diamond Crystal kosher salt which explains my current excess stock Cooking Journal
Closing Close Project Note Lessons Learned Hopefully I remembered to record the time I took the turkey out of the oven so that I can recalculate min/lb for our oven. Cooking Journal

Risk Register. Here’s the risk register for Turkey Dinner for 18.

Risk Risk Response
Procurement of turkey big enough for 18 people for December 30 (in time for brining) Frozen turkey needs three days to thaw in fridge, see risk “No room”.
Fresh turkey cannot be purchased earlier than December 30, see risk “No room”.
No room in fridge for 2 turkeys from Dec 27 to Dec 30, we only have one fridge Order turkey from reliable butcher, pick up on Dec 29. Will be more expensive but worth it.
Butcher can’t guarantee that he will have a turkey big enough for us on December 30 By picking it up on Dec 29, we can try to buy a second one if required. (This is what happened by the way)
Don’t have a container big enough to brine 2 turkeys or 1 big turkey Used a cooler, washed it out afterwards with bleach and water.
If cooking 2 turkeys, will they fit in the oven side-by-side? Performed a test with two roasting trays, successful. Risk eliminated.
Cooking times for turkey are all calculated for one turkey in the oven. Two at the same time might have different cooking time, posing risk in predicting meal serving time. Measure temperatures during cooking process, adjust cooking schedule for other dishes if required.

Work Breakdown Structure. Here’s the WBS for our Turkey Dinner for 18. And yes, that was the year my husband made a table extension so that we could fit all of those people around the table.

  1. Invitations
    1. Send e-mail, track responses
  2. Menu
    1. Turkey for 20 people
    2. Container to brine it in
    3. Detailed menu in kitchen journal
    4. Buy groceries
    5. Buy wine and alcohol
    6. Cook meal
    7. Serve meal
  3. Table & setting
    1. Make an additional table extension to accommodate extra guests
    2. Extra chairs, collect from around the house
    3. Silverware
    4. Dishes
    5. Decorate the table
    6. Name tags at each setting
    7. Make and print out 2 copies of the menu on the table
    8. Christmas decorations for the table
    9. Candles
  4. Music
    1. Playlists on iTunes (iPod connected to stereo)
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