A family of four, for instance, drives to one of the Walt Disney World parks. They excitedly get out of the car and head to the gate to begin their Disney day. But later, as they leave the park, they realize they don’t know where their car is. The husband—who thinks he knows it all—is embarrassed. The wife—who told the husband he should write down the row they parked in and was ignored—is frustrated. The 11 year old son—who pleaded with dad to stop before leaving the park—is doing the “have to go the bathroom” dance. The baby daughter—tired and too young to understand what she just experienced—is crying in irritation.

There are a few additional problems they face trying to find their car. The snap above showcases a full Magic Kingdom parking lot with thousands of cars in it.They’re looking for their car, but they drove a rental. Many of them are rentals. They mostly look the same. They are often the same color. Then they see a parking lot or security host. All their frustration explodes and dad hollers, “What did you do with my car!?”

Is this an unusual situation? Not at all. It happens all the time, even during this COVID mandated era of reduced attendance. The first time it ever happened was likely an eye opener. In the excitement of the morning arrival, it turned out that people don’t necessarily remember where they parked. They do, however, usually remember what time they arrived. So Disney, in its obsessively process driven way, came up with a solution. The parking lot cast members document the time of day when each row was parked.

In response to being accused of grand theft, the cast member doesn’t get angry. He or she instead asks the guests what time they arrived. Mom immediately responds, dripping with husband pointed distain, “8:32 am.” With that small piece of information, the Disney cast member is able to tell those guests specifically which row their vehicle is parked in. It’s a simple, elegant solution and it works most every time.

What about you and your business? Do you experience any repeating problems? And, when you do, do you identify and try out a potential solution. If it doesn’t work, do you keep trying different solutions? And, when you find one that works, do you make it permanent?

People think the Disney experience is magical. It’s not. It’s process, relentlessly identified, tested and codified. Do that and you can make magic too.