WALT Disney Imagineering (WDI) has always been The Walt Disney Company's best kept secret. The reality of a project at WDI is that managing and delivering the magic requires all the fundamental project control tools and processes typically found in other industries to define and organize the project scope and deliver a quality project within budget and on schedule. Budgets are tight, schedules are aggressive, Disney standards for design quality and guest experience are high, and project teams are Spartan. While no ambitious organization can bat 1000, WDI has an extraordinary track record for delivering projects on budget and on schedule. Creating the magic involves many components, from blue-sky conception, to design and implementation, and finally opening the attraction. Don't be fooled. The work doesn't stop there; it just begins in another arena, presenting these new projects to Disney audiences around the world.
It takes more than “Pixie Dust” for a project manager at Walt Disney Imagineering to manage the design and delivery of a major attraction.
So how does a WDI project manager manage the design and delivery of a major attraction? It takes more than “Pixie Dust” to focus the wide spectrum of Imagineering Dreamers and Doers and turn an unproven concept that may initially defy the laws of physics into a cost-effective and reliable attraction that meets guest expectations on Opening Day. In addition to the project challenges found in other industries, a major attraction at WDI requires two further unique complexities that must be fully understood and integrated by the project team for a successful delivery.
Frank Addeman, executive director of project planning and scheduling, joined Walt Disney Imagineering in 1988. He is responsible for overseeing project planning and scheduling on WDI theme parks and attractions worldwide. He began his WDI career as the project manager for the Project Management Information System and Project Process Procedures group. Prior to joining WDI, he spent 17 years with Bechtel Corp., including eight years as a project controls manager managing the design and construction of several multibillion-dollar projects.
WDI Project Work Breakdown Structure
Exhibit 1. The WBS Division of Work is the common denominator for cost and schedule control and communication between the projects and divisions. The D.O.W.s are assigned to three major work categories: facility, show and ride. Facility design and construction scope is organized by the Construction Specifications Institute (CSI) standard for consistency within the construction industry. Show and ride components are assigned to D.O.W.s that were created for WDI.
The Project Organization
The first unique difference is that WDI is in the entertainment industry and its project organization is similar to film production, which has both a producer and a director sharing project responsibilities. Each project team has a show producer responsible for the creative vision and a project manager responsible for project delivery. Secondly, WDI projects require a wide range of specialized talent, residing in over 100 specialized work groups, in multiple locations, that must be fully integrated and sequenced during the project's life cycle.
These Imagineering specialists are assigned to functional divisions and support each project when their specific skills are required at various points in the project life cycle. Some of the specialized talent required to deliver a major WDI attraction includes writers, artists, model makers, sculptors, set designers, artificial foliage designers, lighting designers, special effects designers, audio/video designers, show/ride mechanical engineers, show/ride electronic software engineers, show production and tooling specialists, show animators and programmers, rockwork designers, graphics designers, facility engineers for each discipline, architects, landscape specialists, film production specialists, interior designers, themed carvers, and themed painters. Each of these specialty groups must be engaged at the appropriate time and must provide a timely deliverable to another group to keep the project on track. For example, a complex animatronic figure has over two dozen different specialists residing in different groups that must work in sequence from the initial figure movement sketch through a fully functional figure in an Opening Day scene.
Walt Disney Imagineering uses a decentralized project matrix organizational structure to provide the diversity of talent required to accomplish a large portion of the project scope. It is neither practical nor cost effective to attempt to dedicate this talent to only one project. A large portion of the work is performed by Imagineers residing in over two dozen separate locations. The WDI functional divisions include Creative Development, Architecture and Facilities Engineering, Show/Ride Design and Production, Theatrical Design and Production, Theme Park Film Production, and Finance and Project Controls.
The projects require timely and accurate reporting to maintain cost/schedule visibility in a rapidly evolving project/division environment as the project matures through its life cycle. A project team is assembled and empowered to be responsible and accountable for achieving the objectives for each individual project. Division work groups are authorized to perform defined work scopes for each respective project.
One of the biggest challenges for the project team is coordinating the many specialized performing work groups, which adds a very complex dimension to project coordination. To monitor work performance, each performing work group must have consistent and clearly stated objectives and a well-defined and measurable scope of work assigned. By establishing what is to be “accomplished” or “delivered” and who does it, the project manager can manage to the schedule and budget and identify evolution from the original plan.
Each specialized WDI work group can perform work at multiple points in time on a project during the design or implementation phase of the life cycle. In turn, each division work group must support multiple projects at any point in time. Most work is performed in a different location than that of the team. Each functional work group within each division is responsible and accountable for achieving the correct creative and technical solutions within their area of responsibility and expertise for each project. Each division provides the appropriate support personnel, including managers and technical specialists, to support the project team.
The most challenging aspect of the project and division management matrix is tracking budget and schedule performance for each work group from project inception through each phase of the life cycle to completion. Project scope and continuity is controlled using a standard WDI project work breakdown structure. The WBS identifies the theme park, land, attraction, major components and divisions of work. This structure provides the project team a basis to evaluate where the project is today and, most importantly, what remains to be done.
An overview of the WBS Level 5, Project Division Of Work (D.O.W), is shown in Exhibit 1. The show and ride portion of the D.O.W. is unique to WDI and is the common denominator for cost and schedule control and communication between the projects and divisions. A Division Management Summary Report could be for one D.O.W, such as D.O.W. 41, Animated Figures, for all projects currently authorized. A Project Summary could be for all show components, including D.O.W. 41, on the project for the full project life cycle. The D.O.W.s are assigned to three major work categories: facility, show and ride. Facility design and construction scope is organized by the CSI standard for consistency within the construction industry. Show and ride components are assigned to D.O.Ws that were created for WDI. Each show component is assigned to scenes within each attraction to coordinate production and installation sequences with the building construction.
The Project Team Challenge
What if you were a project manager for an automotive manufacturer in Detroit and you were asked to design and build a new high-performance car that looks great, exceeds all of the current safety standards, is less expensive than last year's model, and find a way to deliver it one year early, with an 800,000 mile warranty? Would you accept the challenge?
Many of the Imagineering project teams are required to meet similar objectives when new show or ride technology is required for their attraction. The project financial pro forma is tight. The schedule is usually aggressive, supporting an Opening Day requirement. The attraction needs to receive a high guest satisfaction rating. The show components and ride need to last 20 to 30 years and operate up to 20 hours per day seven days a week.
“Courage to initiate something and to keep it going—pioneering and adventurous spirit to blaze new ways, often, in our land of opportunity.” Walter Elias Disney
So how does a project team meet all these objectives? It takes a blend of “Pixie Dust,” an experienced core team that knows where the risks are, world-class talent in each specialty area, proactive communication between the project team, divisions and contractors, and lots of sweat. Compared to other industries, the Project Controls staff providing cost and schedule control is Spartan. Realizing that the effort required to control cost and schedule increases with the level of reporting detail required, the project manager must limit the level of control detail to the high-risk areas and use high-level reports for the lower-risk scope.
To stay on budget and schedule, the team needs to avoid design reiterations by identifying timely design deliverables when they are required for efficient design. For example, the heat load for a pyrotechnic special effect must be finalized before the HVAC can be designed. The size and movement of a large animatronic dinosaur must be finalized before the building structural, mechanical and electrical loads can be designed. The energy profile of a ride must be finalized before the show set and facility can be designed. A complex attraction could easily have over 1,000 design deliverables required to maintain the design schedule.
Casting the Team
Prior to joining WDI, I worked for a large design and construction firm. Our project teams were typical of the heavy construction industry and consisted of a project manager, project engineer, construction manager, and a project controls manager. Even though the projects were all much bigger and required more resources, the number of specialty groups required were less than one dozen. The WDI project team is organized to support the special demands placed on the project manager to provide an entertainment project and manage the diversity of discipline talent required. The WDI project team has a project manager, a show producer, project core team members, and project control team members.
Project Manager. The project manager is the focal point for the project team, with full accountability for project results. The PM is the project facilitator and must have the ability and visibility to deal with problems and obstacles from a single, coordinated viewpoint over the total project. A PM must have sufficient influence to ensure that the division priorities support the project requirements. The PM assigns work to the divisions and must resolve priorities with each division manager to support the project schedule.
Show Producer. The WDI show producer is responsible for directing the creative vision throughout the project's life cycle. The show producer represents the Creative Division's executive management on the project team. The show producer manages the show design intent from conceptual design through project completion and reconciles operational and budget tradeoffs, when required, to meet the project's creative objectives.
Core Team Members. The core team for a major attraction typically consists of an architecture and engineering manager, a ride project engineer, a show program manager, and a construction manager. The project core team members are the communication conduits between the project and their respective divisions. They are responsible for project leadership, decision-making and delivery for their respective scope. They have dual reporting relationships: They report to the project manager for their role in accomplishing the project objectives, and to their respective functional manager for professional execution of their creative or technical responsibilities in support of the project. They are accountable for project-related work performed by their respective divisions or outside vendors and contractors. They report both to their project manager and their respective director/manager regarding cost, schedule, and technical status.
WDI Attractions Project Life Cycle Phases
Exhibit 2. Each new attraction evolves through five phases, from a potential “blue-sky idea” through Opening Day. The project life cycle establishes the durations for each phase and the framework for each schedule. “Concept” is the evolutionary phase that is used to ensure an attraction can be designed to integrate the story line into three dimensions through feasible technology.
The project core team members are also responsible for their respective division's scope/strategy, plans, schedule, budgets and design intent. They work with the project team and their division directors to identify their respective division's scope and deliverable requirements for each funding phase, and to ensure that the creative vision is achieved.
For successful project delivery, they must ensure that the project goals are understood and committed to by their respective division managers and performing work groups and that each work group's schedule is integrated to the project master schedule.
Project Control Specialists. The project team also has project control specialists that report to the project manager for project direction and their division director for functional direction. The project control specialists include a project estimator, project planner/scheduler, project financial analyst, and a contracts manager. They support both the project manager and each one of the project core team members with project control services for both division authorized work and outside contractors and vendors.
Project Delivery
Each new attraction evolves through five phases, from a potential new idea through Opening Day. The project life cycle establishes the durations for each phase and the framework for each schedule. An overview of the project life cycle and key milestones is shown in Exhibit 2. A unique challenge for a WDI project team is blending creative and technological “innoventions” with Disney storytelling. “Concept” is the evolutionary phase that is used to ensure an attraction can be designed to integrate the story line into three dimensions through feasible technology. This is the time required to develop a recommended un-proven concept into a feasible concept that supports the budget pro forma.
The design phase includes the schematic design and design development stages. The schematic stage is used to finalize the building and show/ride layouts and select the appropriate show/ride systems. The design development stage must lock down all of the design details, including equipment location and functions.
The implementation phase includes final design of facility contract documents and show/ride production documents. During this phase all the design scope must be completed and appropriately defined in the contract bid documents. All of the work unique to WDI, such as themed construction finishes and ride technical performance requirements, must be well defined. The contract drawings, specifications, samples and special conditions must clearly define for each potential bidder what their work scope is, how it needs to be accomplished, and when it needs to be performed. This is a key transition point for the team. This phase also includes show and ride production, facility construction, show and ride installation, and test and adjust.
The concept and design phases are the most challenging phases for the project team to manage, as design is not locked down until implementation. These phases place special demands on the project manager to manage the diversity of specialized talent required to maintain the creative intent and avoid project impact from design reiteration. The project must complete these phases on schedule to optimize their implementation budget and schedules. The scope and strategy for these phases must be clearly defined by the project team and the performing divisions must understand the key project milestones and critical schedule interfaces. WDI deliverable guidelines are used to help each project team establish the appropriate deliverables required to accomplish the objectives for each stage. They provide a consistent framework between each project and performing division. Producing too many consecutive stage deliverables too early may result in major rework of consecutive stage work; underachieve-ment of the required stage deliverables may result in errors or omissions. The team needs to avoid both of these scenarios to optimize their budget and schedule.
“Whatever we accomplish is due to the combined effort. The organization must be with you or you don't get it done…In my organization, there is respect for every individual, and we all have a keen respect for the public.” Walter Elias Disney
Project Planning and Scheduling Control
The project team must develop a fully integrated project master schedule to successfully deliver the project. The project master schedule must be fully integrated to all of the division work group schedules to support a coordinated work effort and ensure that performing organization resources can support the project objectives. To do this, the project master schedule must be realistic and sufficiently defined to support communication between the project, the divisions’ performing work groups, and each contractor. It must also provide a quantifiable base for performance measurement. As the project evolves, the scope, strategy and schedule are expanded.
Project/division integration is achieved by developing sufficient D.O.W. detail to provide a common denominator for both the projects and division work groups to plan and status work scope progress. The project master schedule must identify the appropriate phase deliverables and objectives to avoid design reiterations and to minimize design errors and omissions. Show/ride design must be planned and se-quenced to ensure it does not impact facility design. All project and division schedule activities must contain a consistent coding structure to support project and division management sorting and selection requirements.
The project manager must establish the schedule goals, conditions and requirements in harmony with project team members, division management, and contractors. The master schedule is developed within the framework of the project life cycle and is expanded during each phase by the project planner/scheduler and the project team, using the most current project scope documents. Working with the project team, the project planner/scheduler integrates all project-related schedules into one overall project master schedule to ensure all work scope is addressed at the appropriate time.
The project master schedule is a Critical Path Method (CPM) logic schedule that identifies key project milestones and critical interface points. It provides the project team, division management, vendors and contractors with an intermediate level of detail, required times of performance, interrelationships and project schedule objectives. Key project schedule milestones are identified in the project master schedule to ensure that senior project and division management mutually understand the schedule goals.
Project team members and the project planner/scheduler must coordinate the schedule development with the responsible work groups to ensure detailed work plans are properly integrated and the appropriate need dates are verified. This helps the team identify schedule conflicts between the various work groups. The project manager must ensure that all detail division schedules are integrated within the framework of the project master schedule. The project planner/scheduler identifies the key interface points between the performing organizations and determines the project's critical path and work priorities.
Conflict Resolution
Conflicts are inevitable within any matrix organization. The diversity of disciplines required for delivery of an attraction increases the magnitude of interfaces and potential scope, schedule, and financial conflict. Most WDI project conflicts are resolved through timely communications between the project core team members and divisional work groups.
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The project manager must resolve conflicts between the project team and divisions or among the core team members before they impact project delivery. Critical unresolved conflicts must be elevated to the portfolio project vice president and division vice president for appropriate executive management action. Projects for each geographical portfolio are reviewed on a monthly basis by the president of WDI. Any unresolved conflicts that may impact Opening Day are addressed for his resolution as part of the project update process.
SO, HOW DOES A PROJECT MANAGER lead the team to success? At the end of the day, the project manager not only has to successfully deliver a major attraction, but also examine the principles it took to get there. No one will ever explain this, nor will it ever be put in any type of manual or job description; however, the project manager's key ingredient to success is to remember that he or she is not only managing the project but the human aspect as well. The other elements that fit into this recipe would be to:
Influence the team through open communication
Anticipate risks and have a backup plan ready
Proactively interface with division managers and work groups to ensure they share the project's goals
Work closely with the project team to resolve conflicts
Proactively maintain a healthy balance between budget, schedule and quality, and
Lead the team with passion, conviction and courage.
I believe it was best said by one of the best project managers at The Walt Disney Company: “Courage is the main quality of leadership, in my opinion, no matter where it is exercised. Usually it implies some risk—especially in new undertakings. Courage to initiate something and to keep it going—pioneering and adventurous spirit to blaze new ways, often, in our land of opportunity,” —Walter Elias Disney