CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT IN THE AMUSEMENT PARK INDUSTRY: AN ILLUSTRATION ...

78 Pages·2011·0.51 MB·English

CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT IN THE AMUSEMENT PARK INDUSTRY:
AN ILLUSTRATION

THESIS

Presented to the Graduate Council of
Texas State University-San Marcos
in Partial Fulfillment
of the Requirements

for the Degree
Master of BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION

by

Carol L. Keyes, B.A.

San Marcos, Texas
December 2011
CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT IN THE AMUSEMENT PARK INDUSTRY:
AN ILLUSTRATION

Committee Members Approved:

________________________________
Cecilia Temponi, Chair

_________________________________
Li Feng

_________________________________
Francis Mendez

Approved:

____________________________________
J. Michael Willoughby
Dean of the Graduate College
COPYRIGHT
by
Carol L. Keyes
2011
FAIR USE AND AUTHOR’S PERMISSION STATEMENT

Fair Use
This work is protected by the Copyright Laws of the United States (Public Law 94-553,
section 107). Consistent with the fair use as defined in the Copyright Laws, brief
quotations from this material are allowed with proper acknowledgment. Use of this
material for financial gain without the author’s express written permission is not allowed.

Duplication Permission

As the copyright holder of this work I, Carol L. Keyes, authorize duplication of this
work, in whole or in part, for educational or scholarly purposes only.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I would like to begin by thanking my wonderful parents, Billy and Annette Craft,
who have always provided their continued support to me throughout my academic
endeavors. It is their continued support and encouragement that has made me the person I
am today, giving me the strength and motivation to achieve my goals. In addition, I
would like to thank my husband, David Keyes, whose understanding and support has
been a valued asset in all my achievements.
I would also like to take this opportunity to thank the members of the committee,
Dr. Li Feng and Dr. Francis Mendez, for taking time out of their busy schedules to offer
their knowledge and advice to me during this process.
Lastly I would like to thank Dr. Cecilia Temponi, whose presence in my life over
the past two years has been invaluable. She has been one of the most motivational and
influential people I have encountered throughout my academic career, continuously
pushing me and guiding me to achieve levels of success I might never have thought
possible on my own. I truly appreciate her knowledge, insight, and mentorship.
This manuscript was submitted on November 2, 2011.

v
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .................................................................................... v
LIST OF TABLES ............................................................................................... viii
LIST OF FIGURES ............................................................................................... ix
ABSTRACT ............................................................................................................ x
CHAPTER
I. INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................. 1
Industry Background ................................................................................... 1
Schlitterbahn Waterparks ............................................................................ 2
The Retail Department ................................................................................ 3
Past Improvement Initiatives ...................................................................... 4
Problem Statement .................................................................................... 11
Purpose ...................................................................................................... 12
Research Objectives .................................................................................. 12
II. LITERATURE REVIEW ..................................................................................... 14
Continuous Improvement.......................................................................... 14
DMAIC: Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, and Control..................... 22
Tools for Continuous Improvement .......................................................... 26
III. METHODOLOGY ............................................................................................... 30
Define ........................................................................................................ 31
Measure ..................................................................................................... 33
Analyze ..................................................................................................... 33
Improve ..................................................................................................... 37
Control ...................................................................................................... 38
Limitations ................................................................................................ 38
IV. ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION OF RESULTS ................................................ 40
V. CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS ................................................. 51
Conclusion ................................................................................................ 51
vi
Recommendations ..................................................................................... 53
APPENDICES
A. Project Charter .......................................................................................... 56
B. Five Whys ................................................................................................. 58
C. Check Sheets ............................................................................................. 60
REFERENCES ..................................................................................................... 64
vii
LIST OF TABLES
Table Page
1. Table 1: Sample Check Sheet ............................................................................... 36
2. Table 2: Check Sheet Totals ................................................................................. 47
3. Table 3: Pareto Analysis ....................................................................................... 48

viii
LIST OF FIGURES
Figure Page
1. Figure 1: Hierarchy of the Retail Department ........................................................ 3
2. Figure 2: Original Process Map .............................................................................. 8
3. Figure 3: Projected Process Map .......................................................................... 10
4. Figure 4: CTQ Tree ............................................................................................... 41
5. Figure 5: Current As-Is Process ............................................................................ 43
6. Figure 6: Cause and Effect Diagram ..................................................................... 44
7. Figure 7: Pareto Chart ........................................................................................... 48
ix
ABSTRACT
CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT IN THE AMUSEMENT PARK INDUSTRY:
AN ILLUSTRATION

by

Carol L. Keyes, B.A.
Texas State University-San Marcos
December 2011

SUPERVISING PROFESSOR: CECILIA TEMPONI
Continuous improvement is an ongoing effort to improve products, services, or
processes and an important aspect of successful business operations remaining
strategically competitive. The purpose of this paper is to provide a framework for
continuous improvement initiatives in the Amusement Park industry through an
illustration of the retail department at a specific water park. Efforts are directed at the
evaluation of specific processes and generation of solutions to reduce waste resulting in
overall process improvement.
x