Developing a short list of Focus areas for 100-Day Challenges
Developing a Short List of Focus Areas for the 100-Day Challenge
Your Design Challenge: Selecting a focus area sounds simple, but it is the most common stumbling block in the 100-Day Challenge model. It requires you to distinguish between Vision (the dream), Strategy (the plan), and Results (the tangible outcomes).
The Golden Rule: You must distinguish between Impact (The End) and Activity (The Means).
Deep Dive Video
The Trap: Activity vs Impact
The single hardest thing for leaders to do is to stop prescribing solutions.
- Activity-Oriented (Wrong): “We need to run a 100-Day project to conduct awareness campaigns.”
- Impact-Oriented (Right): “We need to run a 100-Day project to increase the number of survivors reporting cases.”
Why this matters:
If you tell a team to “run a campaign,” they will succeed by printing posters, even if no one reads them. If you tell a team to “increase reporting,” they might run a campaign, or they might discover that the real issue is that the reporting office is locked on weekends. Focus on the destination, and let the team figure out the route.
Leaders in the social sector find it difficult to restrain themselves from telling 100-Day Challenge teams to focus on a particular solution or activity or a bunch of activities. Help them to resist this temptation.
Can you spot the difference?
Click on the Impact-Oriented Focus between A & B
The Menu of Option for GBVF
For those working on the National Strategic Plan (NSP) on Gender-Based Violence and Femicide, here are some of the proven focus areas tailored by sector. (NSP Pillar references included).
Courts
- Backlog: Reduce the backlog of cases (Pillar 3).
- Speed: Reduce the average time from filing to resolution (Pillar 3).
- Retention: Reduce the rate of case withdrawals (Pillar 3).
- Service: Improve the client experience/satisfaction scores (Pillar 3).
Municipalities
- Economy: Increase the procurement from women-owned businesses (Pillar 5)
- Support: Increase the number of support services that survivors of GBV actually receive (Pillar 4)
- Public Safety: Reduce the incidence of GBVF in “hot zones” (Pillar 2)
- Schools: Reduce incidents of gender-related bullying in schools (Pillar 2)
- Workplace: Reduce incidents of sexual harassment within offices (Pillar 5)
- Safety: Increase the number of safe spaces/shelters (Pillar 4)
TVETs & Universities
- Break the Silence: Increase the number of students coming forward to report incidents (Pillar 2 & 4).
- Heal the Wounds: Increase the number of survivors accessing counselling and support services (Pillar 4).
- Create Deterrence: Increase the number of perpetrators facing disciplinary action (Pillar 3 & 5).
See the previous Deep Dive on the “Strategic context of GBVF in South Africa” for additional background on the NSP pillars.
Contextualising the Focus
How “Impact” looks different by sector:
In Business
It is straightforward. The goal is profit (Revenue minus Expenses). Typical Focus examples:
- Increase sales in X segment;
- Reduce cost of Y product;
- Speed up time-to-market.
In Social Impact & Government
Here, “Revenue” is replaced by “Social Good.” The metrics are harder to define but equally critical. Typical focus examples:
- Improve access (e.g., school registration);
- Reduce negative outcomes (e.g., dropout rates);
- Change behaviour (e.g., safe sex practices).
How to Create the Short List
The Rule of 3-5
Do not walk into the leadership meeting with a blank slate, but do not bring 20 options either. Bring a curated list of 3 to 5 potential focus areas. This allows leaders to have a meaningful debate without getting overwhelmed by analysis paralysis.
Filter Criteria
To narrow your list down, ask these three questions:
Relevance: Which issue is burning right now? (e.g., has there been a recent spike in specific incidents?)
Energy: I think this one is there – Where are the existing leaders with the political will to support and fix the problem?
Suitability: Does this problem benefit from the “Magic Trinity” of the 100-Day Challenge: Collaboration (needs silos to break), Innovation (needs new thinking), and Urgency?
Pro-Tip on Sequencing
Sometimes, one focus area naturally leads to another.
For Example: Universities often start with “Breaking the Silence” (Getting people to report). Once that succeeds, the system gets flooded, so the next Challenge focuses on “Healing the Wounds” (Processing the reports/care). Don’t try to fix the whole chain at once. Start with the first link.
