Iron Chef America

For me, Iron Chef is a perfect example of operations management and project management.

This show has clearly identified the output: normally a formal four- to five-course meal. Each show reveals a new theme (constraint 1), in this show it is a secret ingredient (input) that each Chef has to use in his/her meal. The chef has a certain budget (constraint 2, input also) and has to finish the whole dinner in a certain time frame (constraint 3). Each contestant has to be creative in meal design and flavors (product design), and the execution (process transformation of food preparation, cooking and baking has to be accurate and timely.