Catherine Gastelum

04/23/15
Ch. 3 Summary
It is important for a supervisor to plan ahead. A supervisor needs to know where to go,
how to get there, how to organize, how to staff, etc. Planning sets the goals that an establishment
is looking to reach. A good plan must focus on one thing at a time, it must be able to look at any
what ifs and have a plausible answer to each of them. It must look at what go wrong and have
a greater number of pros than it does cons. It must be specific and gives details on what to do,
how to do it, who will do it, and when. And a plan must most definitely be flexible. It must be
able to adapt to the situation if anything changes, as well as have a contingency plan if all else
fails. A contingency plan is the plan B or backup plan when the initial plan didnt work out.
There are different ways in which a supervisor can plan. A supervisor can be a strategic
planner in which one is looking to plan out goals, strategies and policies to last in the long run.
Eventually a good leader should be able to create a general plan for the workforce. Of course,
due to unseen circumstances, it is hard for a supervisor to plan for everything. The best way to
put together a plan is to follow the planning process where one must; define the goal the team is
looking to reach and what strategies are needed to reach that goal. They must collect any relevant
data looking at any problems that may happen in the future. They must have substitutes for their
plan in case the first one fails. A supervisor needs to decide which plan is the best, and must
actually go through with it. Finally, a supervisor must evaluate how their plan worked out, and if
it didnt work out, use a contingency plan to fix any problems. The best type of plans can be used
over and over again. These are called standing plans and are usually a set of established routine
procedures for employees to follow. Most standing plans in the hospitality industry would be the
recipe for a menu item and the menu itself. Standing plans create a more successful work
environment because employees like to walk in already knowing what to do. They do not usually
like to rely on their supervisors to tell them what tasks they need to accomplish in an average
day. Standing plans are also useful during emergencies. This usually includes preventative
routines, fires and accidents in the workforce. The problem with standing plans is their
inflexibility. These plans are usually reliant on expecting everything to run smoothly without any
interference, which is a very nave way of thinking. It is important to update standing plans
regularly. The other kind of plan is a single-use plan. These plans are usually only used for one
thing, or for one event. A budget in an establishment is seen as a single-use plan. Because the
labor costs, supplies and food products are always changing, this is why it needs to be planned
carefully so that no mistakes are made. Single use plans are usually dangerous and all need to be
planned with care.
There are different techniques supervisors can use to complete projects they have
planned. The first scheduling technique is called the Program Evaluation and Review Technique
(PERT). PERT is usually formatted into a chart in which all of the days activities are laid out
with the amount of time each activity will take. This will allow for a supervisor to organize each
project accordingly so that everything will be done before the day is up. Another technique a
supervisor can use is called management by goals (MBG), which the supervisors create goals for
their team and create strategies with their team to accomplish or exceed those goals. The best
way to do this is to ensure that the goals are specifically listed and are not overwhelming. The

goals should allow for the team to work together to accomplish. They should have time limits
and describe precisely who will do what. Finally supervisors should provide feedback so that
each employees performance can be monitored. By planning everything to run efficiently, a
supervisor is organizing the work place so that everyone knows who to report to, they understand
their position in the establishment, and they have been trained properly for their position.