Looking for input

MaryLouise

I am new to SS.  Looking to see if the following scenario is do-able:

 

We are a small catering company, where interdepartmental communication is not consistently accurate enough for the volume we are capable of producing.

 

SO, if I have (for ex.) 6 events in one day, 2 at lunch and 4 at dinner time, I need

the prep guys to know how many salads make and how many pounds of potatoes to peel, and how many desserts to get ready, by what time.

 

I also need the main cook to know what dishes to prepare for what time.

 

I need purchasing to know what to have on hand, both paper goods and produce, meat, etc.

 

Ideally, I would like this to be available in calendar format.

 

Does anyone out there use SS for this application?  Does this look like a scenario that would work? Are there articles that I have not been able to find, that discuss this?

 

Thank you.

J. Craig Williams

MaryLouise,

 

Also, go here: http://help.smartsheet.com/

 

There's a short list on the right of basic tutorials. Most of those are applicable to your workflow.

 

Craig

J. Craig Williams

MaryLouise,

 

1. I eat out a lot, so personally no - but I'm sure someone does, because...

 

2. Yes, Smartsheet can really help this sort of collaboration. 

 

3. If you want to go learn about Smartsheet on your own, the video tutorials are a great place to start. Your workflow touches on a bunch of things just off the top of my head: task lists and reports, alerts and reminders, project scheduling, event planning, using SS on a tablet or smartphone.

There's a Solution Center that may spark some ideas too.

The Solution Center is here: https://www.smartsheet.com/solution-center

Once you have a clearer idea of what Smartsheet can do for you, the Community is very supportive of questions and practices.

 

There's also several consultants that are here (Smartsheet has their own too). I have worked with Richard Rymill (richardr@smarterbusinessprocesses.com) at www.smarterbusinessprocesses.com who gives free initial consultations. That might be enough to get you going.

 

Hope this helps.

 

Craig

 

Chuck Muirhead

Good morning MaryLouise,

 

If you are not familiar with SmartSheet, I would follow Craig's advice.  Otherwise, you could create a sheet that allows you to enter paramters related to serving size, specific to a dish and SmartSheet would do the calculations for you.  Then you could "send and Attachment" daily (this featue can be automated) to designated staff, which would give them specific instructions and direction based on the entered parameters.  This is the very basics of the idea for you.  The great thing about SmartSheets, is the more you use it and learn it abilities, you will get creative and find ways to accomplish and communicate your tasks easily.

MaryLouise

Thank you for your input.  I was wondering whether it was doable - now that I know it is, I will take it from there.  Thanks for the great advice.  I appreciate your time.