Program Impact: Kelly Detlefsen, High Note, Austin

Kelly Detlefsen at High Note, Austin

Kelly Detlefsen performed the foundational planning for High Note with her small group in the Project Management Certificate Program.

BY BAILEY DERMANCI  |  MAY 2019

“We were able to open High Note in a more organized and efficient manner than what we would have had I not attended the class.”

- Kelly Detlefsen


Kelly Detlefsen came to the Center for Professional Education with a specific goal in mind: to gain a baseline understanding of best practices in the project management field. She'd been running projects for Kerbey Lane for eight years - from launching new menus to opening new branches of the Austin staple - but they wanted to introduce a new restaurant concept to the Austin community. The idea had been floating around for several years, but they had not spent the time to get the idea past the concept stage.

Detlefsen's boss, Kerbey Lane CEO Mason Ayer, suggested she attend the Project Management Certificate Program. Expanding her knowledge base and gaining new skills would enable her to get the concept off the ground. So Detlefsen attended the program in the summer of 2018.

It didn't all go exactly to plan

According to Detlefsen, when she came to class, she didn't really want to work on her restaurant concept in her small group. "I was almost disappointed when we chose this project because I wanted to get into different industries or work with different businesses to gain a new perspective." Her group, however, had different ideas. They found out about the concept, and they wanted the project!

The end result speaks for itself

"I am so glad, however, that we did do this project because it really helped myself and Kerbey Lane in the long run and we ended up being very successful. I used the framework of our group project immediately to open High Note. I was finished with class at the end of August and I started ... planning for High Note in October."

Utilizing the framework that she developed in class allowed Detlefsen to step into the planning phases quickly. While the work done by her small group was a definite starting point, it's normal to use some fictional data and plans for purposes of the program. When actually applying the plan to her project, there were changes to be made. But the framework was solid, and she knew exactly where to start.

"Our team started by defining our vision and goals for the project, planning a kick-off meeting to review the goals and gain commonalities, then getting to work on a work breakdown structure (WBS). From there, we made timelines and budgets for each activity in the WBS and got to work. While I am still new at putting the PMI structure into action with my projects, the outline helped our team greatly - mainly with maintaining communication, deadlines and working out the tough details and decisions that had to be made."

Key impact

Detlefsen mentioned more than once how helpful the framework was in moving the project along and getting past the inevitable uncomfortable conversations where decisions must be made, whether or not everyone likes them. "Having this structure in place improved our communication as a team. All team members knew what they were responsible for and when to have their tasks completed by. Having this organization in communication made it easier to have the high heat conversations we needed to have to keep the project moving in the strategic direction it needed to go in."

High Note opened April 16, 2019, at 300 South Lamar in Austin, Texas. Read more about Detlefsen's experience in the class.


If you are looking for an opportunity to improve your project management skills, consider the courses and programs at the Center for Professional Education. View the options on the project management webpage and attend a free information session or reach out to Enrollment and Success Coordinator Andrew Vasquez to discuss how these programs align with your career goals. 

Searching for tools to supplement your project management knowledge? Get started with our business plan and project charter templates


Learning and professional growth go hand in hand. For regular career insights and information on continuing education programs offered by UT’s Center for Professional Education, subscribe to our monthly e-newsletter, It’s Your Career.