First, read the following articles/watch the videos:
- , Addeman, F. (1999). Managing the magic. PM Network, 13(7), 3136. (Although this article is over 20 years old, it gives a great overview of the role of Project Management plays in Disneys Imagineering.)
- , Parsi, N. (2017). Thrill Seekers: Theme Park Projects Don’t Have to Be a Wild Ride. Here’s How Project Managers Keep New Attractions on Track. PM Network, 31(3), 5057. (This article discusses Project Management at Theme Parks including Disney)
- Copyright 2021 McGraw-Hill Global Education Holdings, LLC, 2007.. (This is a video that discusses the planning and building of the Kingda Ka ride at Six Flags on Great Adventure in NJ). While not Disney, it gives you a good overview of the PM challenges of building attractions at a theme park.
Then, please respond to one or more of the leading questions below. Respond to two or more additional comments from your classmates.
- What are some of the priorities that Disney implements in Project Management Imagineering to fit with their culture?
- What are some of the challenges that Disney faces in PM that other amusement parks may not have to worry about?
- After viewing the construction of Six Flags Kinga Ka, what are some of the challenges they faced in staying on time and on budget?
- What types of projects have you been involved in and how would Project Management concepts help improve getting the project done successfully?
Classmate replies:
1. Classmate Marie,
- What are some of the priorities that Disney implements in Project Management Imagineering to fit with their culture?
Some of the priorities that Disney implements in project management Imagineering to fit with their culture are planning and scheduling on WDI theme parks and attractions worldwide also, they cant stand still they need to change constantly and rapidly new designs. The ability that any company needs is to stay competitive always focus on new project and continued upon changing the project and get approve by market share and finance performance. Their focus needs to be on the budget and on schedule to earn customer satisfaction.
- What are some of the challenges that Disney faces in PM that other amusement parks may not have to worry about?
Disney has to work very hard to stay the head of the competition. However, they have to provide new thrills and exciting experience, new technology, public image and competition. They have to create new project well-defined and calculate process development to stay in the game.
- After viewing the construction of Six Flags Kinga Ka, what are some of the challenges they faced in staying on time and on budget?
The challenges they faced in staying on time and on budget: work breakdown structure and they had a delay for a few days because it was windy by 15 mph, and it was a big deal and unsafe to work. They had to work one or 2 days per week. This construction required a careful planning, well-defined milestone teamwork and flexibility to respond unforeseen changes.
- What types of projects have you been involved in and how would Project Management concepts help improve getting the project done successfully?
I was involved in a PPAP which means production part approval process First Article and level 4 type the project management had to plan it, execute and closing it. Which means he had an option who can help the company and the team succeed and to improve the job satisfaction and encouraged us within their department.
2. Classmate Jessica,
1. What are some of the priorities that Disney implements in Project Management Imagineering to fit with their culture?
Disney implements many parts into their project management Imagineering to be able to fit with their culture. The first component is the project organization which similarly functions as a film production leaving it to a team and project manager (Addeman F 1999). These projects also require a lot of talent to fill positions including those who make the production become a reality. This can include talent that ranges all the way from mechanical engineers to interior designers. Disney also takes great pride in its ability to have project teams that are able to reach goals over time to make sure that each component of the Walt Disney Imagineering production is performed efficiently. For example, on an opening day new attractions need to receive a high guest satisfaction and the show components and ride need to last 20 to 30 years and operate up to 20 hours per day seven days a week (Addeman F 1999). Making sure Disney also casts the right team such as a project manager, show producer, and additional team members makes this operation run smoothly. Disney highlights the importance for planning and having a sense of schedule control to make sure everything is happening when it needs to for project delivery. Lastly, Disney finds that it is imperative to have great conflict resolution to keep there team running efficiently for all practices.
2. What are some of the challenges that Disney faces in PM that other amusement parks may not have to worry about?
Many amusement parks have different brand reputations to uphold that many not even equate to the type of regulations that Disney has. Many smaller amusement parks have to keep reinventing themselves every year so patrons will come back. In most cases Disney also does with new attractions, however I feel like if Disney did not for a while there brand would still suffice to bring people in year after year. Project teams must work safely around tight timelines with rigid deadlines, manage a diverse group of stakeholders and grapple with evolving technology (Parsi, N. 2017). With this being said it is important to keep crowds coming back for more. Even if projects are on time and delivered if there is no guest outcome then the project has failed and nothing mattered in the first place. Many other theme parks have to also compete with Disney to make patrons want to come to theres. Where as Disney is so big that the company essentially is completing with its self or other places of higher ranking in comparison such as Universal Studios. When it comes to project management to make sure the ideas of new creations are taken in counterpart, the manager must have great communication and to account for all ideas leading to the groups success.
3. After viewing the construction of Six Flags Kinga Ka, what are some of the challenges they faced in staying on time and on budget?
During the production of Six Flags Kinga Ka there were some challenges with time and budget that could have been avoided. I think that the project manager has a great concept and organizational control chart for the deadlines to build this rollercoaster. I think that there could have been a better organization when it came to the ability to supplement time and when certain tasks could be completed. Six Flags faced a particular challenge with there crane operation is it needs to be bigger then ride at 500ft. Unfortunately, the wind and sway would make it a challenge to put the pieces of the rollercoaster together which only allowed 2 days per week which caused the project to require more time for completion and also ended up increasing labor costs. In the end Six Flags came out to a 10% increase over budget for this project. During this project there could have been more accountability for weather days, supplementing tasks on different days and being more knowledgeable about what was needed for the project to operate more efficiently.
4. What types of projects have you been involved in and how would Project Management concepts help improve getting the project done successfully?
Through out my work history I had the opportunity to take on a supervisor role in order to train colleagues for financial system reporting. During this time it was my job to organize which times selected colleagues could train to learn the process. I utilized a control chart in order to make sure of what times, locations, and management systems each colleague was assigned to. This ultimately helped me complete the project and also keep track of what colleagues needed additional training for system access in order to complete there new reporting role. Management required prompt delivery and scheduling during this time to also track my progress of the projects completion.
