correcaminos
Well-Known Member
I think the answer is simple - it's a company run by a Mouse, so mice can only do so much work. Poor little creatures are working their little tails off to get it done and all we do is complain 
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Why does it take so long to complete a Disney project
- Thread starter POLY LOVER
- Start date
danheaton
Well-Known Member
Having worked at a very large company for years, I think a big part of it is the amount of layers that a project must go through at an entity the size of Disney. There's no comparison between this corporation and the company that Walt ran or even the one that built Epcot in the late '70s and early '80s. Disney also uses a lot of outside vendors wherever they can, and that will be slower (but more cost-effective in general) that doing it with in-house staff.
With all that said, I do believe that Disney moves slower than it should at times. I recognize that these are complex attractions that often incorporate new technologies, but you just don't see the sense of urgency to get the parks updated more quickly. That also relates to the size of the company. They're focusing on quarterly earnings as a mature company than on growing attendance through attractions.
With all that said, I do believe that Disney moves slower than it should at times. I recognize that these are complex attractions that often incorporate new technologies, but you just don't see the sense of urgency to get the parks updated more quickly. That also relates to the size of the company. They're focusing on quarterly earnings as a mature company than on growing attendance through attractions.
Goofyernmost
Well-Known Member
You don't see the urgency because there is none. Why do we think that there should be some type of urgency on their part? They have more money then we will ever see in our lifetime, pouring in on a daily basis. I wonder how many people are employed just keeping track of those numbers. I'll bet it's mind boggling. Hell, I'd settle for a one time, one day intake from just the parking lots. Only those of us that want new attractions give even a half a concern about how long it takes to build something quickly. In fact, the only thing that makes me concerned about the speed at this point is my age, and the fear that I might not live long enough or stay healthy long enough to see the stuff. Disney, in spite of what appears to be massive incompetence sometimes, is still the one that others are competing with, the others are still trying to keep up whether we like it or not.
danheaton
Well-Known Member
Even a company as powerful as Disney can falter if they don't stay on top of business trends. Look at what is happening with ESPN. The streaming service for Disney and ESPN that was recently announced was really late to the party. Plenty of popular companies have fallen short and lost market share because they lose the urgency. Disney may have a lot of money, but they also have huge costs and overhead. I'm not saying that Disney is going to collapse, but there is a danger in complacency even for the most popular and rich company. The world moves fast, and the slow pace and willingness to adapt to change will negatively impact even Disney.
Goofyernmost
Well-Known Member
Even though I agree that nothing is guaranteed to never falter, but, ESPN and Disney are only comparable because Disney owns both. The draw, the audience and the alternatives for Disney are much more limited with an entirely different and broader base of following. Disney deals in nostalgia, the past is what keeps them in demand. Forging ahead to constantly be current will not create the nostalgia until many years from now. For now, Snow White, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty and anything over the age of EPCOT is what is drawing more in. How many times does a market want to see the same football game over and over again. Current is not what Disney sells right now. The can occasionally throw out there a popular thing (i.e. Frozen) but those home runs are not going to happen often. I would bet that SWL is going to be the biggest thing to ever hit a Theme Park and how old is that franchise?
Let's think of companys that were thought to be invincible at one time? Polaroid, zerox, sears, Kmart, Woolworth, rite-aid, I'm sure you can add more. It can and does happen!
Bureaucracy = complacency = arrogance = late to the new game = layered = bloated = unimaginative = unresponsive = smug = 9 years of disco yeti = limp TTA narration = same annoying wake up call from Stitch for the past 10 years = management of the bureaucrats by the bureaucrats for the bureaucrats = lack of urgency = insane lag times so a whole bunch of people can stay employed for a very long time on one project.
Now, we've all known people who think that a hard day at work was a day sitting around doing nothing productive in a bunch of meetings. Has this what Disney has become? The corporation is far more huge and layered now, but the best organizations can still achieve a small business sense of urgency and speed with compartmentalization. For example, there is no need for people in the ABC and ESPN side of the business to be involved at all with the Rat ride. If they are, that's far too many spoons in the pot. To me, the way to best get the Rat ride done is to budget sufficient money, appoint a great person with authority to lead it, and let him/her go. Build a streamlined team with few layers, and impress everyone with the result. Of course, this also takes trust and confidence. No Micromanaged snooping over the shoulder. Instead, "Here's your money. There's your project. Get it done in 18 months."
In essence, a small company within the larger company. Sounds like a far better management method than the behemoth that's there now, and exactly the type of thing that the best large organizations are able to do.
Now, we've all known people who think that a hard day at work was a day sitting around doing nothing productive in a bunch of meetings. Has this what Disney has become? The corporation is far more huge and layered now, but the best organizations can still achieve a small business sense of urgency and speed with compartmentalization. For example, there is no need for people in the ABC and ESPN side of the business to be involved at all with the Rat ride. If they are, that's far too many spoons in the pot. To me, the way to best get the Rat ride done is to budget sufficient money, appoint a great person with authority to lead it, and let him/her go. Build a streamlined team with few layers, and impress everyone with the result. Of course, this also takes trust and confidence. No Micromanaged snooping over the shoulder. Instead, "Here's your money. There's your project. Get it done in 18 months."
In essence, a small company within the larger company. Sounds like a far better management method than the behemoth that's there now, and exactly the type of thing that the best large organizations are able to do.
Only someone on the inside can tell us the process and whether or not it's because of bureaucratic bungling. If it takes until 2020 to bring the rat online that is just way to long unless it's intentional. If they feel that's acceptable, it's their show to live with. My feeling is that the parks should be entirely independent of the other arms of the Disney companys.
Goofyernmost
Well-Known Member
The problem is that the layers come in to play in only two places. The first is the introduction of an idea, the feasibility studies, the cost versus return ratio, the cost itself and then after many departments contributed their input, be it creative or financial, it gets green lit. That part takes up the vast majority of the time required to build an attraction. Once the building starts it always starts with earth work, utilities and even in the case of a Theme Park the moving or establishing of entire bodies of water for scenic and practical purposes, then more internal layers that are responsible for the end result have ongoing problems and changes that are necessary to actually build it. Somethings look really good on paper, but, don't always work out in reality. That is the second and most noticeable of the delay processes because by that time a million eyes are watching.
It would appear that the first phase has at least partially been accomplished already with the announcement being given. Perhaps a few loose ends in that area, but intro, feasibility, CR ratio, etc . . . must have chimed in already if Iger has announced it.
Obviously things can go wrong once the heavy equipment shows up as well. But what we're seeing with Rat in October of 2017 is a 3 year wait AFTER the first phase was presumably already completed. And, again, it would seem that having a working version in Paris would help streamline nearly every aspect of the project. The whole turnaround on this just seems to be proceeding at a snail's pace, and I imagine that our frustration as spectators is a tiny fraction of the frustration that many of those within the bureaucracy must be feeling.
Goofyernmost
Well-Known Member
It only streamlined the planning part, the construction still takes the same amount, if not more due to subtle changes which they all have.
Maybe it's because Disney know that there is no incredible hurry to create new attractions and so take the time to get it perfect.
Or maybe you're just not happy as it sounds a lot like you have a 'I want it now' attitude
Construction takes 3 years? I'm not naïve, and I know that some additional planning and modifications are probably required as well, but taking 3 years to build the thing is akin to Thomas Friedman's year to fix a broken escalator. Again, given that pace, it would have taken 10 years to build MK and Epcot after breaking ground. That can't be what you're saying.
Even building at that pace, it would take about 3 years to build Epcot, because you would be working on multiple attraction at the same time.
I don't know why it is so hard to understand that Disney has absolutely zero motivation to build things at a rapid pace.
Universal had to. Their attendance was in a free fall and they needed Potter open yesterday to avoid the entire place being turned into condos.
Disney has more people coming through the gates then they know what to do with. Quite literally the only incentive they have to get these things done quicker is to take some of the pressure off of MK.
The urgency point is valid, but why would they want to wait? "Here's a great idea that people would love and would ncrease capacity and eat up people's time while they're here. It'll be fabulous, so let's have it up and running in 3 years." To me that makes no sense. Long-term blue sky thinking is fine, but there's really no good reason to drag it out that far.
Not to mention that if WDW's sudden building spurt wasn't preceded by a building drought, we would be looking at something new opening this year at Epcot and something new next year because they started three and two years ago. But because of that drought, nothing new is opening in Epcot for two years and that feels like everything's moving so slow.
lazyboy97o
Well-Known Member
The prior version existing essentially means little to nothing to the construction. It is a completely different building in a different country potentially using different systems and materials built by different people. The outward appearance being similar doesn’t mean it is the same.
NormC
Well-Known Member
Disney builds at the speed that they want to build at. Simple. They have a plan and they have reasons for that plan. They aren't going to speed it up because Poly and Ralph want it now and they are not going to slow it down to improve show or quality. They are going to build to the schedule they set whether we like it or not.
Maybe it's more my concern as a shareholder. Nevertheless, my pet peeves include undue bureaucracy, delays for little or no reason, pointless meetings, and excuse-making. Again, Thomas Friedman's book should be a wake-up call for anyone who has concerns about America's ability to compete in the world market. Rat, Disco Yeti, TTA Narration, etc . . . appear to be excellent illustrations of the slows creeping into my favorite vacation spot. For an ideas company that used to do absolutely amazing things, it appears that the layers and red tape may indeed be squelching things.
Plus, many CMs, when pushed, also complain about Disney's layers. I have gotten to know several Adventure By Disney guides over the years whose primary jobs have been elsewhere in the company. They often have complained about the inertia of Disney, and the mentality of slow that has creeped in.
I also don't blindly trust anyone when it comes to organizational decisions because time so often shows that an initial conclusion was absolutely correct. 3 years seems way too long, and I think that future disclosures/leaks will eventually show that it is. Similarly, in the NFL draft, immediate strong fan reaction seems so often to be a more accurate predictor of a team's first round pick. I can't help but recall how the Packers' selection of Justin Harrell a few years back was immediately booed because the fans in the atrium knew about his injury history. What happened? Justin was injured so much that he only appeared in a handful of games. The fans were right. In 1992, the fans were outraged that the Packers picked Terrell Buckley over Troy Vincent. Again, the loud fan reaction was 100% right. Other than these two times, fan reaction was not loud at all. But on those two occasions when it was loud, the fans were right.
Here, I think the fans are right again. The instant fan reaction from many is a perplexed "Why so long?" Indeed, I rather doubt that under these layers there is a legitimate reason for it, just as there has been no legitimate reason for Disco Yeti being the state of the art for 9 years, and a tepid TTA narration being inflicted for so many years as well. To me, a reflexive, "Disney has its reasons" doesn't cut it. It wouldn't have cut it with Walt either.
Greg in TN
Active Member
Building new attractions just takes a few points and clicks in Rollercoaster Tycoon. ..... ... I'm just sayin' .......