1. In order to make the stewards more flexible, Starwood can create a more fluid schedule for each steward. The schedule begins by assigning the stewards to kitchens according to forecasted standards. They may be assigned based on kitchen proximity, tasks to be done, stewards expertise, etc. If schedules need to be adjusted due to unexpected daily demands, stewards will check the schedule throughout their shift. This change in process is indicated by an addition of a single step at the beginning of the process. The steward may check a schedule which will assign the steward to a kitchen and duties. The schedule can be referenced by mobile media like a cell phone, headset, employee work station, etc. As the steward completes his tasks at a particular kitchen, he references the schedule again to see if another kitchen needs tasks completed.

2. The Power of Innovation team seeks to capture best practices for all of the Starwood hotel brands in North America. They examine processes and improve productivity. This translates into higher revenues (lower expenses) for the company. The team utilizes teams of personnel with specific expertise in housekeeping, stewarding, kitchen preparation, laundry, etc. to follow staffers when they do their jobs and collect benchmark data. This data is analyzed in order to streamline operations and improve processes.

The POI team observed traffic patterns, specifically between banquet areas and privacy hedges. Starwood can benefit from this study by possibly creating a centralized area for supplies like silverware, plates, linens, etc. so that stewards do not have to travel all the way back to a kitchen. Privacy shrubs can be erected in a manner that camouflages the central supply area, provides a clear path for stewards to enter and exit, and still provides privacy between party areas.
The chief steward forecasts staffing based on meal traffic. Starwood seems to have a grasp of how data can be used within the organization. The single greatest benefit that the POI team brings to Starwood is their use of metrics to measure processes. Any problem statement starts with a quantifiable pain point and process improvements can be measured using those metrics. It is one thing to see bottleneck situations and another to show how it affects the company’s bottom line. 3. Not considering the impact on people would be a major risk in this case. Consider a steward who continually runs out of work before his shift ends. That person has been trained to sit idle while the work comes to him. The process improvement that I recommend is that we utilize the steward every minute he was idle in the past. The new process calls for a proactive steward and one that is cross trained in more tasks. The work schedule will be more flexible if stewards can be trained in many tasks. The improvement plan also calls for this same employee to be trained in technology such as mobile phone, headset, and/or computers to be able to check which kitchen to report to next.