allPM.com :: Ten Things Walt Disney Taught Me About Project Management by Paul R. Williams, PMP

Ten Things Walt Disney Taught Me About Project Management by Paul R. Williams, PMP

Published on Thursday, January 26, 2006 - 11:35 AM

Often times, the study of project management concept and practice concentrates primarily on the academic, filled with complex charts, graphs, formulas, and page after page of bibliographic reference. What if, instead, the focus was on the most simplistic definition of a project? Better yet, what if that definition was one a dreamer like Walt Disney could wrap his creative mind around? At its heart, a project is a new or unique undertaking, which meets a business need, is temporary in nature, and is structured in such a way as to ensure delivery of the goal within the targeted time, budget and quality constraints. Or, in the words of Walt Disney himself, “If we can dream it, we can do it.�?Lesson One: Pay fantastic attention to detail.

“When we consider a project, we really study it…not just the surface idea, but everything about it. And when we go into that new project, we believe in it all the way. We have confidence in our ability to do it right…and we work hard to do the best possible job.�? – Walt Disney

Any project, as defined above, cannot and should not be managed as a whole. It is the sum of many small details. Keeping track of these details makes the difference between a well-managed project and a project managed by reactionary efforts. Tracking the details, anticipating issues, responding to risk, and other seemingly non-connective tasks are what keeps your project moving forward. – Paul Williams

Lesson Two: Challenge the status quo.

“I happen to be an inquisitive guy and when I see things I don’t like, I start thinking, ‘Why do they have to be like this and how can I improve them?’�? – Walt Disney

How a project manager responds to issues and risk can make the difference between an out of control project and a project that remains within control limits. One of the major steps of the project management maturity model is recognizing and avoiding past mistakes. Another step within the model is to effect change within the project process to correct inconsistencies, errors, omissions, and responses to new issues. – Paul Williams

Lesson Three: Don’t forget about the quality.

“I want a guest to walk into a five million dollar restaurant to buy a five cent hamburger.�? – Walt Disney

Project quality is tantamount to a successful deliverable. Admittedly, the quote above seems a little extreme. Walt Disney was trying to set the scene for a high-quality and enjoyable experience within his Disneyland theme park. You likely wouldn’t want to set this lofty of a quality goal, but you must, as a project manager, assist the project team in determining what quality control boundaries will be maintained during the course of the project and manage those items or tasks that fall outside of acceptable limits. - Paul Williams

Lesson Four: People expect you to fail…prove them wrong.

“It’s kind of fun to do the impossible.�? – Walt Disney

Based on the oft-quoted Standish CHAOS report of project success rates (or lack thereof), it is easy to see how some people, including your own project team members and stakeholders, can be skeptical of your ability to successfully deliver a project within budget, time and scope. Obtaining agreement and signatures on clearly stated project scope, requirements, roles and responsibilities, and expectations will allow the project manager and the stakeholders to be confident in their ability to turn an impossible situation into a probable solution. – Paul Williams

Lesson Five: Team members make the project a success, not the project manager.

“You can design and create and build the most wonderful place in the world, but it takes people to make the dream a reality.�? – Walt Disney

There are only three concepts applicable to this section: Praise, Recognize and Reward. As a project manager, how you manage, support, and lead your teams is critical. Not everyone responds to recognition or constructive criticism the same. Some team members might actually be embarrassed by lavish public praise or reward. Additionally, criticism, constructive or otherwise, should never be done in public. Always remember that your project is only as good as the people doing the work. Treat them with fairness, honesty and appreciation. – Paul Williams

Lesson Six: Make meetings more productive.

“The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing.�? – Walt Disney

Don’t schedule a meeting that isn’t absolutely critical to extract specific information. Have an agenda to obtain the necessary information and stick to it. Invite only those directly related to the agenda items. Use the telephone, e-mail, instant messaging or any other form of informal communication whenever practical. Conversely, project managers everywhere have experienced forms of informal project discussions, such as the dreaded “elevator meeting�?. When faced with this situation, preparation and planning are essential. Always know where your project is with respect to schedule, budget and critical issues. Remember, communication is 90% of every project manager’s job, so be ready for the tough question. – Paul Williams

Lesson Seven: Promote and champion change.

“Disneyland will never be completed. It will continue to grow as long as there is imagination left in the world.�? – Walt Disney

As a project manager, you are, by default, an instrument of change. Projects do not occur in a vacuum. Projects have stakeholders who are always either positively or negatively affected by the outcome of the project you are managing. What people fear most about change is the unknown. People know where they are now. If communicated effectively, most have an idea of where they will be after the change. The fear, therefore, is symptomatic of the unknown during the transition from before to after. Managing the transition period, through open and honest communication, will go a long way to facilitating change. – Paul Williams

Lesson Eight: Plan to defend your project.

"I have been up against tough competition all my life. I wouldn't know how to get along without it." – Walt Disney

Your venture is likely not alone in the corporate project pipeline. Multiple projects under a portfolio or program will likely compete for resources, funding and senior-level support. Other examples of direct competitive threats to your project can include project priority changes and ineffective project sponsorship. For resource contention issues, one option is to proactively build in planned scheduling gaps within your project schedule. Funding, priority or sponsorship issues are likely out of your direct control, but developing persuasive arguments in defense of your project may help to sway the decision in your favor. – Paul Williams

Lesson Nine: Project team members can be your greatest source of inspiration.

“We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we are curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.�? – Walt Disney

Allow your team members to be an integral part of creative problem solving for the project. By soliciting creative thought from your team members, you foster an atmosphere of innovation, streamlined solutions, and increased team morale. Please see my article “Hey You…Get Back In The Box�? in the August 2005 AllPM.com Newsletter for more thoughts and comments related to fostering and controlling the creative thought process during your project lifecycle. – Paul Williams

Lesson Ten: Know when to manage, and when to lead.

“You know, one day when a little boy asked, ‘Do you draw Mickey Mouse?’ I had to admit I do not draw anymore. ‘Well, then you think up all the jokes and ideas,’ he said. ‘No,’ I said, ‘I don’t do that anymore either.’ Finally he looked at me and said, ‘Mr. Disney, just what do you do?’ ‘Well,’ I said, ‘sometimes I think of myself as a little bee. I go from one area of the studio to another, and gather pollen, and sort of stimulate everybody.’ I guess that’s the job I do.�? – Walt Disney

An effective project manager must know at what point during the project lifecycle to manage, and when to lead. Typically, management activities occur during the initiating and planning phases of the project. The project manager must, by proper protocol, maintain a more “hands-on�? approach to guiding the project through the highly transient project foundation processes. On the other hand, during the executing and controlling phases, the project manager should take a step away from the day-to-day operations of the project and transition into more of a “Management by Walking Around�? approach. Let your project teams work their magic, keep a close eye on how they are tracking against budget and schedule, and only intervene to steer the project back on course. – Paul Williams

Concluding Remarks: “If We Can Dream It, We Can Do It�?

It is unlikely that Walt Disney was speaking directly about project management principles in the quotes listed above, but, as you can see, they can be directly applied in our field of practice. Because Walt Disney understood that dreams can become reality with a little know-how, belief in the impossible, discipline and the inspiration of the people around him, success was inevitable. As a project manager, understand that projects and dreams have much in common. The belief that something can be done, and done successfully, starts with that first step forward. So dream big!!!

© 2006 allPM.com

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Paul R. Williams, PMP is an IT Operations Project Manager with Thrivent Financial for Lutherans (www.thrivent.com), a Fortune 500 Company, located in Appleton, Wisconsin and Minneapolis, Minnesota. He is responsible for providing project management solutions in support of Thrivent Financial's technical project initiatives. Mr. Williams is also an author and speaker regarding "Creativity in Business" topics and is a 2000 Graduate of the Disney Institute's Program on Managing for Creativity and Innovation.

*Walt Disney quotations referenced from the following source: “Quotable Walt Disney�?; TK and Kiki Thorpe, Dave Smith, Editor; ISBN: 0786853328; Format: Paperback, 272pp; Pub. Date: March 2001; Publisher: Disney Editions; Edition Description: 1st

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