2.1 What is Workflow?
Workflow is the “sequence of steps involved in moving from the beginning to the end of a working process” (Merriam-Webster, n.d.). The big picture of food service workflow involves the series of tasks involved in meal service, from receiving raw food products to cleaning up and disposing of waste after the meal has been served to the client.
Workflow analysis is the evaluation of processes through observation of the tasks. The purpose of workflow analysis is to confirm that processes meet the facilities management goals of safety, cleanliness and good design. Good design means that the processes are performed in the most efficient manner possible. Efficiency is when desired results are achieved with little to no waste of time or materials.
Observing everything big-picture food service entails can be a daunting task. To make workflow analysis more manageable, observations can be compartmentalized into smaller tasks, such as receiving food and storing it or making soup.
Example: Workflow Analysis – Making Soup
Visualize yourself as the Nutrition and Food Service Manager observing the cook making soup for meal service. How does the process go?
Wash Hands
Where do you wash your hands?
- At the handwashing sink.
Gather Ingredients
Where do you gather ingredients for the soup?
- From the refrigerator and the dry storage area (pantry).
Prepare Raw Ingredients for Cooking
Where do you prepare the raw ingredients?
- At the table in the food preparation area.
Cook the Soup
Where do you cook the soup?
- On the stovetop at the stove or in the large tilt pot kettle.
Serve the Soup
Where do you serve the soup?
- In the resident dining area (server).
Each new task in the process of making soup requires the cook to move to a different physical area in the facility. Ask yourself if the process supports safety and efficiency. Could improvements be made to the facility’s physical structure to improve safety and efficiency? Can adjustments be made to the process to improve safety and efficiency?
Being knowledgeable about good facility design allows the Nutrition and Food Service Manager to perform workflow analysis to evaluate the safety and efficiency of the physical space.
