CHALLENGES
Size up the challenge
Look at a challenge in different ways to determine the better problem to solve
Preview how this activity will happen in this two-minute video from the template. Turn on closed captioning to read instructions in your preferred language.
When looking at a potential challenge, you want to question why that challenge is important to people, as well as how you might approach tackling it, so you can connect ambitious goals with realistic tactics because problems can range in size from visionary to extremely narrow in focus.
There are different reasons why you might want to size up your challenges.
You can break down a larger effort into manageable components that will allow you to make some quick progress. You can inspire people to think more boldly about the big benefits your project can deliver.
There are different ways to size up a challenge. You might:
Do a cost/benefit analysis
Limit any work to a tightly defined deadline
Compare your challenge to previous projects
Estimate the effort required
What makes a good approach? One that:
Captures multiple perspectives
Expands upon the initial challenge to discuss goals and benefits
Narrows the focus to multiple ways it may be solved
Gives you the ability to choose the right challenge
We recommend you:
State your challenge as a directive
Generate many benefits as to WHY the challenge is important
List all the ways HOW you might accomplish these goals
Group similar items together
Order connected items from most conceptual to most concrete
What does sizing up a challenge look like when complete?
In this example, a sales team in a business consulting start-up discussed an initiative to create a client acquisition process. Note how the key WHYs connect directly to tactics describing HOW those benefits might be delivered. The team used their answers to help brief design concepts which were then evaluated by how well they met the identified goals.
Are you feeling ready to start sizing up your challenges?
HOW?
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