IST 305 Group 8
IT at Cirque du Soleil
May 28,2014
1. Describe how IT supports the touring show life cycle (from creation through performance).
What is interesting is that Cirque du Soliel when boiled down is just a circus. When people think of a circus as the Vice President of Information Technology and Knowledge management Danielle Savoie points out technology is not generally used, but Cirque du Soliel revamps the image and makes it completely unique. In touring show life, information technology is very important because first of all it is a time saver, which is incredibly important when the show is on a schedule. When people are about to go perform they have to have very quick makeup and dress changes or else the entire show …show more content…

2. How did IT support knowledge management at Cirque du Soleil? Be specific.
Vice President of IT and knowledge management at Cirque du Soleil, Danielle Savoie's role during her tenure was to support knowledge management. The purpose of the support was to be able to capture, leverage, and transfer knowledge across processes and across projects. According to Savoie, " Cirque's shows have a lifespan of 15 years, so we had to find ways of preserving the knowledge involved, not only to enrich Cirque's memory, but also to handle changes in the show and its personnel". In order to accomplish this, the knowledge management and IT group designed and implemented Cirque Memory. Cirque Memory is a knowledge repository system for the entire Cirque du Soleil organization. Cirque Memory holds all types of information regarding Cirque du Soleil that is accessible to those who need it. It also holds everything from make-up application memory to costume memory to virtual tours.
3. Discuss the level of tension between the needs of the business and the IT capacity.
Tension existed between the needs of the business and the IT department initially due to many not being able to see the use for IT in a company that is fueled by creativity. The question was asked as to what role IT could play in a company involving the use of imagination, inspiration and creativity. Another question was what uses for the technology could be found to justify the high costs