I loved the Great British Bake Off.  It was really compulsive viewing.  However, it always made me feel hungry and I put on a few pounds over the weeks.

The show also reinforced my thinking on project management.  Just think about the 3 finalists.  Kimberley planned well.  She generally executed the bake well and she was technically excellent throughout.  Unfortunately she sometimes lacked that extra little sparkle that Ruby or Frances could demonstrate.  Maybe the projects conformed to PRINCE2 but that extra little spark didn’t always come through.  It is often that ability to innovate on their feet that makes a great project manager stand out from their otherwise excellent peers

Ruby was, in Paul’s words, a natural baker.  She certainly had flair but her results were inconsistent.  A lack of planning was undoubtedly her downfall, albeit her natural ability was evident.  Definitely not a PRINCE2 baker.  Without that foundation of sound planning, her confidence tended to be at a low ebb as she never knew how things were likely to turn out.

Frances, the winner, had a fantastic imagination.  Her creations certainly caught the eye.  Although castigated at the outset as style over substance baker, she learned through the series and brought all of her learning to the benefits management process until she had created good tasting food, well baked that was visually appealing.

My sole request to the TV makers for next year is that they let me be a taster during the competition.  Then my joy will be complete!