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Description

Project Management Through Cooking: Plan, Coordinate and Deliver as a Team

A menu that must be served on time brings together every project constraint in edible form

  • 2 days — 14 h
  • In-person or virtual
  • Foundation
  • Up to 6 participants

Project management concepts remain abstract until they have been put to the test. Breaking work down into tasks, estimating durations, allocating roles and holding a deadline stay theoretical until a deliverable actually has to arrive on time. Classroom-only approaches often leave participants without a single reflex they can use the next morning.

These two days put the method to work around a team cooking workshop. You plan a menu, allocate roles, handle disruptions, serve at the agreed time and then analyse what the experience reveals about the way you run projects.

Learning objectives

  • Break a project down into identifiable tasks and deliverables
  • Estimate durations and sequence the tasks of a short project
  • Allocate roles and responsibilities within a project team
  • Respond to a disruption without losing sight of the deadline
  • Transfer the experience to your own professional projects

What makes this programme different

A real project run from planning through to serving the meal
Disruptions introduced during the workshop to test the team's responsiveness
A debrief that links every action in the kitchen to a project practice

Programme

1Project Framing and Work Breakdown

Knowing what must be served

  • Project objective and definition of the expected deliverable
  • Breakdown into elementary tasks
  • Identification of resources and constraints
  • Success criteria shared across the team

2Planning and Scheduling

Fitting the tasks into the available time

  • Estimating durations and float
  • Task sequencing and critical tasks
  • Allocation of roles and responsibilities
  • Synchronisation points between participants

3Execution and Handling Disruptions

Holding course when nothing goes to plan

  • Tracking progress during preparation
  • Dealing with unforeseen events and missing resources
  • Team communication under time pressure
  • Trade-offs between quality and deadline

4Review and Transfer

What the kitchen reveals about your projects

  • Analysis of gaps between the schedule and actual delivery
  • Roles spontaneously taken on by each participant
  • Breakdown points in team communication
  • Transferring the lessons learned to professional projects

Who is it for

Anyone required to lead a project without prior experience, as well as project team members and managers seeking a hands-on approach to project method.

Prerequisites

No prerequisites

Dates & locations

24 scheduled dates between November 2026 and December 2027. Seats are confirmed in the order enquiries are received.

November 2026

December 2026

January 2027

February 2027

March 2027

April 2027

May 2027

June 2027

September 2027

October 2027

November 2027

December 2027

None of these dates suit you? We open additional sessions on request, and any programme can be run privately for your team.

Practical details

Before the programme
Online positioning questionnaire. Your development objectives are shared with the trainer, who tailors the practical case studies to your context.
Teaching methods
Theoretical input, workshops and practical case studies. Digital course materials and method sheets provided.
Assessment
Multiple-choice tests and role-play exercises. Assessment of learning at the start and end of the programme, with immediate and 60-day follow-up evaluations.
After the programme
One year of access to the e-learning platform. Self-assessment of the skills acquired and a 30-day follow-up session with your trainer.
How to register
Registration online or on the basis of a quotation.
Lead time
11 working days after confirmation of registration.
Accessibility
Accessible to people of determination. Contact our accessibility coordinator to design a suitable solution: contact@mpf-academy.ae
Start dates
Rolling intake: in addition to the scheduled sessions, this programme can start on request.