Show Me the Money
In this example of profitability, let’s look at performance measures from a “birds-eye” view down to actionable insights:
Profit Margin or Net Profit/ Loss of:
School Group (ES, HS, etc...)
Menu Cycle Day
Individual School
Meal Period
Menu Cycle
Menu Item
District
I can’t change the whole puzzle unless I understand the individual pieces that make up that puzzle. Incorporating the right KPIs into your operation’s culture - how do you find the time? This all might sound complicated, intimidating or downright exhausting. It doesn’t have to be. Businesses who rely on KPIs to measure against their performance framework do not have one person at the top (like a Director) doing it all alone. There must be participation by the whole team, not only involved with the effort to gather the data, but the effort to apply what is learned in order to grow together. The only way this works is to utilize efficient methods of obtaining the data analysis for performance measures you choose to utilize. This information must come quickly and often. The idea is to spend little time gathering information so that more time can be spent strategizing and executing change from what you learned. Where do we start? The value and knowledge that objective information can provide to a team and a program is incredible. A culture that makes decisions based on facts rather than opinions can be so much more productive, effective, and in many cases, happier. Remove hurt feelings and awkward opinion-sharing and insert real information and productive discussions. Picture this: sitting down for a menu meeting with stakeholders and starting that meeting with specific issues that have already been identified as not meeting your
own performance measure standards. The same roasted vegetables at two schools are a (objectively) hit with students, while at the other schools they are a flop. Let’s discuss! Maybe the staff at the popular school found a better preparation method or altered the recipe. Perhaps at the other popular school the staff ran a promotion or taste test to get students to try it. Maybe at the flop schools, the staff only prepared a small amount because they thought students wouldn’t like them. Or maybe this is an excellent reason for a future school observation visit. This is a much more productive discussion because the team started at a much higher level than “anything you want to change about the menu?”. There is no single KPI that will be the “key” to success. The “key” to success is not only in identifying and using KPIs, but in identifying and using the right KPIs. It’s also in building a system for you and your team to use the information that is learned from the KPIs effectively. This can be accomplished by three steps: Step 1: Identify your goals and aspirations for your program Step 2: Determine how performance can be measured specifically to achieving those goals Step 3: Create a team approach to gather, discuss, and apply what you learn We don’t have the time to measure the performance of absolutely everything. Take a deep breath and like anything, take this one small step at a time.
MARLON Q&A VIDEO
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MenuLogic K12, Founder, Chief Product Officer Director of Nutrition Services, South Madison Community Schools Passionate school nutrition director / leader with over 14 years of experience in the industry. Lindsey created MenuLogic K12 to fill a gap in her own operation and those of her colleagues’ operations. Lindsey wanted a tool that would give her the confidence (through objective data analysis) to build better menus (higher participation, higher food quality, more financially successful). Lindsey works fast – and doesn’t want any tool to slow her down so she works diligently to ensure every aspect of MenuLogic K12 is a smarter, faster way to accomplish the goals we all share (happy, healthy students and bottom line).
Lindsey Hill, RD, SNS
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