Dunedin Airport, tucked away in the deep south of New Zealand, has just introduced a hugging quota at the drop-off zone.
Three minutes of hugging per car, max.
Presumably, all the hugging needs to (like a prison sentence) be served concurrently, other than sequentially, so that people don’t load their cars up in order to game the system.
This isn’t really about hugging.
It’s about managing the limited drop-off parking space, which was being “wasted” by huggers, dilly-dalliers, and other slow movers. That limited space was a bottleneck. And the hugging rule? Well, it’s a bottleneck solution.
Even better, it’s a solution with a smile—the best kind.
Here’s the interesting part:
This bottleneck must have obvious to everyone. Cars queued up, people complained, some almost missed their flights.
But not all bottlenecks are so easy to spot.
But people know they’re there. And they often propose solutions to address these hidden bottlenecks - “You know what we should do …”, “Why don’t we …” - even if they never use the word “bottleneck.”
So, although the obvious way to find bottlenecks is to look for queues and listen for complaints, bottleneck detectives also listen out for solutions.
They’re often very rich, but overlooked clues.
By the way, have you signed up for my free Bottleneck Detective Bootcamp course yet?
If not, before you do, why not do something really friggin’ clever:
- Sign up two to four of your colleagues
- Work through the course together (it’s about 90 minutes all up, spread over 2 weeks)
- Compare notes at the end.
It’s totally free, surprisingly fun and hugs are optional …
Cheers,
Clarke
*Personally, as a reluctant hugger, three minutes feels far too generous!