Analysis and scope for improvement of an operation based on tools and techniques taught. You should develop a process chart, explain the tools / techniques you select and discuss the feasibility of ma

Case Study A: 

Wedding Cakes: A business Operations

I used to have a business making wedding cakes for clients. The kitchen I used was finished to the standards required for health and hygiene regulations, and I had also received the requisite training.  When fashions changed entailing learning new processes I would experiment until I developed the technique because this took a lot less time than attending classes. Clients would normally hear about me through word-of-mouth and first contact was often a phone call. I would arrange a meeting where we would discuss basic terms. If the client wanted me to go ahead and make the cake and I could fit it in my schedule, we would prepare the design.

​Preparing the design entailed asking the client ​if they had any ideas of what they were wanting.  I normally found that the only firm idea was that of colour. I would show the client various books and pictures of cakes that I had made in the past, and we would look at pictures of cakes on the web. I would listen to their comments about them. Sometimes this would be enough because they would ask me to copy a picture or duplicate one that I had made before, or the idea was sufficiently close to what they were wanting and they just needed to specify a slight alteration. For other clients the process took a lot longer. I would start by finding out a number of tiers and the preferred shape, and gradually, through elimination of ideas, arrive at a design that they were happy with. I would then be able to draw the desired design and give a price. The client would pay a deposit, I would issue a receipt and update my accounts.  I would then replicate the design in Word art with colours, and send it to the client for confirmation. On this occasion the bride asked me to make purple flowers instead of the dark red.  This meant I had to research to find a purple flower with the right sort of shape bud. 

If the cake was to be a fruitcake, I need to make it three months in advance in order to allow it time to mature. I had to purchase the ingredients, and would try and combine orders for the non-perishable elements in order to enable me to buy at more economical quantities. While the cake was maturing I would make the decorations.  I would order it from my preferred supplier and get a specific sugar paste. It was one that I was used to working with and I knew that I would get good results with it. 

When the decorations were assembled, I would photograph them and send them to the client for their comment. This would enable them to confirm that they were happy and if necessary request adjustments. You might notice that in this example, the white flowers were subsequently tinged with pink at the bride’s request.  If the bride was local she was welcome to come and see them. I had to be careful how I stored the flowers once they were made. It required numerous boxes and packing materials, I was able to reuse these but needed sufficient to accommodate all the flowers needed during busy periods.

The marzipan and icing were bulky and not very expensive, although they have a fairly long shelf-life provided they are kept cool and well wrapped. I used to be able to obtain this locally, although I was very careful to always buy the same brand. I have learned that some makes were decidedly inferior to others.  Closer to the time of finishing the cake, I would order the necessary accessories that I needed such as cake boards.  The range of sizes I needed for the cake boards could not be found locally so I would order them from the same store as the one that supplied the flower paste.

I would take payment for the cake before delivery. I would issue a receipt and update my accounts. The cake was delivered direct to the reception location and assembled in situ. This meant coordinating the time of delivery with that of the venue because the table and its tablecloth had to be in position before the cake could be assembled. It also required boxes for packing the cake, and the flowers had to be packed securely to make sure that nothing was damaged in transit.  This involved using soft materials such as sponges to help support sprays of flowers, because they were very fragile.  I owned a cake stand, and knife as well as a variety of pillars to separate the layers, but if the bride wanted a different design, I would hire it locally.

Once the cake was assembled, I would take a photograph for my records and, apart from collecting the accessories rented to the client, my job was done.