Project management at Kuehchic Desserts: Refreshing a traditional business

• Main Author: DE MEYER, Arnoud
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Institutional Knowledge at Singapore Management University 2022
• Subjects: Project management; process management; resource allocation; decision making; entrepreneurship; operations and supply chain management; Asian Studies; Operations and Supply Chain Management; Sales and Merchandising
• Online Access: https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/cases_coll_all/414; https://smu.sharepoint.com/sites/admin/CMP/cases/SMU-22-BATCH%20%5BPDF-Pic%5D/SMU-22-0004%20%5BKuehchic%5D/SMU-22-0004%20%5BKuehchic%5D.pdf?CT=1649644883183&OR=ItemsView
• Institution: Singapore Management University

In February 2022, Daryl Lim, founder of Kuehchic Desserts, created his own recipes for kueh, bite-sized cakes local to Singapore, that are healthier and more appealing to modern tastes. Together with his friends, Sharon Tan and Shiva Kumar, he set up the business and worked out a strategy for the launch of Kuehchic. While the initial feedback on the food is positive, Lim wants to test his products with a wider tasting panel. The company also has to undertake various business development and website development tasks, which would be split among the team. After some discussion, Lim worked out a task schedule. He also estimated the time needed for each task and the sequence in which some of them had to be carried out. For reasons beyond their control, the team could only start work in July. Lim wondered if the steps he had listed out to manage the project were adequate, and if his entrepreneurship journey would be successful. From this case, students will learn concepts related to project management, such as project planning (e.g., Gantt charts, work breakdown structure, and critical path). They will also learn about issues concerning entrepreneurship, especially the role of project management in addition to strategy and product development. This case is also suitable for programmes that focus on operations management. It also gives students an opportunity to explore the use of a simple project management software.