Choosing a Focus for the 100-Day Challenge
Choosing a Focus Area for Your 100-Day Challenge
The purpose of this Deep Dive is to guide leadership stakeholders to select one high-impact focus area. By engaging other leaders in making this decision about the focus area you will create buy-in.
Deep Dive Video
What is the Right Focus Area
What is the right focus area?
There is no right answer here, but whichever focus areas is chosen, it is important to define it sharply enough so it is possible to pick a reasonably sized 100-Day Team (8-12 members).
Why “Sharpness” Matters
If the focus is too broad (e.g., “End gender-based violence in our municipality”), the resulting team will be massive, slow, and unmanageable.
- Good Focus: Specific enough to identify exactly who needs to be in the room.
- Bad Focus: Vague enough that “everyone” needs to be involved.
There are two methods to facilitate the session
- Shortlist to One – Short Route
- Mapping initiative to One – Longer Route
Method 1: The Short Route - Shortlist to One
Best for groups with limited time or when you have already done significant pre-work.
Present the Shortlist
Start by presenting the curated list of focus areas you and the Challenge Strategist developed.
Facilitate Convergence
Ask each leader for their perspective on the shortlist.
Small Group: Facilitate an open discussion to see if the group naturally converges on one option.
Large Group: Break into groups of 4-5 to discuss, then have them present their preference in plenary.
Decision Mechanism
If there is no consensus, use a voting mechanism (e.g., dot voting) to make the final selection.
Method 2: The Long Route (Mapping Initiatives)
Phase 1: Mapping
Set the Stage
Explain that the goal is to see the “full picture” of current work before selecting a specific focus for the 100-Day Challenge. This acknowledges existing efforts and prevents the feeling that the Challenge is “ignoring” current work.
The Matrix
Prepare a large wall chart:
- Rows: Organisations/ Departments in the room.
- Columns: The 4 Results-Oriented Pillars of the National Strategic Plan (NSP). (Note: Exclude Pillars 1 & 6 as they are enablers across all pillars).
The Inventory
Ask leaders to write their current GBVF initiatives on Post-it notes (one per note) and place them in the corresponding cell on the matrix.
Tip: If an initiative spans multiple pillars, duplicate the Post-it.
The “Gallery Walk”
The participants walk the wall, read the notes, and discuss observations. This often reveals duplication, gaps, or areas of heavy activity.
Phase 2: Selection
Transition
“Now that we see the landscape, we need to decide where a 100-Day Team can make a specific, rapid impact.”
Filter by Pillar
Ask the group to select one of the 4 results-oriented Pillars to focus on first.
Filter by Impact
Ask: “Which impact area within this pillar is most compelling right now?”
- Where is progress stalled?
- Where would a win create a “multiplier effect”?
Final Selection
Guide them to a single impact indicator. If they are stuck, move to a vote (2 dots per person).
Refining the Challenge
Once a focus area is picked, use these questions to sharpen it further.
- The “Team Size” Test – Can this be solved by 8-12 people? If the focus requires a team of 20+, it is too broad. Narrow it down further.
- Define Guardrails – What are the “non-negotiables”? For example: “Reduce the court backlog, but not at the expense of due process or evidence quality.”
- Recommendations (Not Instructions) – Leaders often want to tell the team how to solve the problem. Capture these as “ideas to explore” rather than mandates. Trust the Team to build the work plan.
- The Learning Agenda – What do leaders want to learn from this sprint? For Example: “We want to know why reporting is low in this specific district. Is it safety? Culture? Lack of channels?”
Pro-Tips
Manage Ambition
Resist the urge to tackle multiple impact indicators. Remind leaders:
“This is a sprint, not a marathon. It is better to make a deep impact in a narrow scope than a shallow impact everywhere.”
If capacity allows, you can launch two separate teams for two separate focus areas, but never one team for two focuses.
Active Listening
Often, we pretend to listen at meetings, but we aren’t really listening… It is particularly important to listen well to leadership stakeholders at the one on one or group meetings. Here’s a short video on the practice of “active listening”.
