Learn how one of the most visited theme parks in the world and the largest in Orlando, Florida is Kanbanizing their maintenance process.
Tell us about you and your team.
I’m currently serving as the Supervisor for Ride & Show Lighting at the largest resort in Orlando, Florida. I mostly deal with administration and evaluation which means that I’m working with a team of 25 people to ensure that all lighting on the property is well maintained. I joined the team here in March 2014 and immediately ran into the problems of coordinating a small group of people with many tasks on a huge piece of property. The resort has been around for 25 years and needs to constantly re-establish itself as a leader in entertainment – it’s important that we continue to be a well-oiled machine in this business.
How were you managing your projects before Kanbanize?
A very small team was trying to keep track of a very large park with multiple locations, systems, and parts. There is a computerized maintenance management system (CMMS) in place that handles most of the workflow, but is not set up to easily provide feedback to the front line individuals for non-inventory parts. These orders were being communicated via e-mail, written notes, and in-person – often with multiple parties submitting duplicate orders. It was extremely chaotic and not the optimal approach to our work.
Why did you choose Kanbanize?
My predecessor had put Kanbanize in place immediately before my arrival but the team wasn’t used to it yet and everyone was using the free trial version trying it out. I’m a very visual person so I thought the idea of continuing to apply it and training the team in its regular use was a fantastic idea so I kept it on. We started using Kanban boards for non-stock part orders because much of the other software available took an inventory approach whereas Kanban managed to cover all non-inventory orders which we would often get. Kanban boards for non-stock part orders because much of the other software available took an inventory approach whereas Kanban managed to cover all non-inventory orders which we would often get.
How did this affect your team?
The front line technicians were given a tool that placed information in a central location. It gave them feedback as to the status of their orders, which was very necessary. The unified nature of the system also managed to reduce the number of duplicates in the orders so we weren’t dealing with any waste, in that sense.
How did you apply Kanbanize?
We have one main board where the entire team has access to post requests that go through the same process. Based on the requirements of our work, we set up our board in the following way:
Requested: input when non-inventory maintenance need is identified
Lead Approval: initial confirmation
Supervisor Approved: final approval
Sourcing: research about where it is best to acquire non-inventory element
PO Submitted: secondary request to purchase item is submitted to supervisor
Waiting on Vendor: time is allotted for vendor to supply non-inventory element
Ready for Installation: element is on the grounds of the park and requires installation
Installed: non-inventory maintenance complete
Would you recommend Kanbanize?
I recommend it to any and all visually minded individuals in my field.
Thanks for sharing your story and Happy Kanbanizing!
