Introduction
100-Day Challenges
What are 100-Day Challenges?
How are they different from traditional projects that last 100 days?
And why do we believe that they enable unusually high performance levels in teams and organisations?
The following two videos will help answer the questions.
Summary of the videos
Here’s a table that summarises the features and builds on what we saw in the two videos.
Crisis
100-Day Challenge
Sense of Urgency
Fast: 100 days from start to completion of the project
Success, or even survival, is far from guaranteed
100-Day Goal feels almost impossible to achieve
“All hands on deck” – all focused on the crisis
Right team is assembled, all committed to the goal
People ignore red tape, hierarchy, and approvals
Evolving 100-Day Plan, with lots of experimentation built into it – not business as usual
Let's dive into the roles and events in the 100-Day Challenge...
The 100-Day Challenge project involves 3 interconnected events (workshops), each building on the other. In the second video you were introduced to these events. We will dig a bit deeper into each workshop below.
The graphic below shows these three workshops (Start-Up; Refresh, and Scale-Up) as part of a relay race.
The graphic shows a race track, with a stretch of terrain before the Starting Gate, and a stretch beyond the Finish Line. Below is a narrative that tracks the movement of the athletes on the race track, from pre-start to post-finish.
The Challenge Strategist holds the baton in the terrain before the Starting Gate. She is responsible for getting the right team to the Starting Gate and for recruiting a Team Coach.
Once the Team is at the Starting Gate, the Challenge Strategist hands over the baton to the Team Coach to get the team ready for the race. As part of getting ready for the race, the Coach helps the Team pick a Team Leader.
Once the race gets underway (the Team leaves the Starting Gate), the Coach passes the baton to the Team Leader. Both Challenge Strategist and Team Coach stay on the sidelines of the track, cheering and supporting the Team and smoothing the track for them.
Once the Team gets to the Finish Line, The Team Leader hands over the baton to the Challenge Strategist, so she can organise the follow up work: additional 100-Day Challenges, etc.
The start, middle and end of the race are occasions for Workshops facilitated by the Team Coach. These involve the Team and others, including the Challenge Strategist and possibly other leadership stakeholders.
The 100-Day Team operates outside the existing organisational accountability structures. It is commissioned by a group of leaders who typically represent multiple organisations. So, the 100-Day Team is accountable to this group of leaders.
To learn more about these workshops, click on each box
Pre Start-Up Workshop
Focus: Challenge Strategist consults with leadership stakeholders to decide on the focus of the Challenge
Team: Challenge Strategist consults with leadership stakeholders to select and recruit 100-Day Team members.
Coach: Challenge Strategist recruits Team Coach to support her and to guide the 100-Day Team
Start-Up Workshop
Goal: The Team sets its 100-Day Goal
Plan: The Team develops its initial 100-Day Plan
Process: The Team elects a Team Leader, and it develops a Team Operating Agreement.
Refresh Workshop
Goal Revisited: The Team assesses progress, and it confirms or adjusts the 100-Day Goal as needed.
Plan Adjusted: The Team adjusts its 100-Day Plan for the remainder of the race.
Team Dynamics: The Team assesses its own dynamics, and it adjusts the Team Operating Agreement as needed.
Scale-up Workshop
Celebrate: The Team celebrates achievements and shares lessons learned
Sustain: The Team recommends ways to sustain the impact
Amplify: The Team and leaders map out options to build on the 100-Day Challenge
Post Scale-Up
Path Forward: Challenge Strategist & Team Coach help leadership stakeholders decide on the path forward
Governance: Leadership stakeholders, guided by the Challenge Strategist, recruit Challenge Strategists and Team Coaches to guide and support future 100-Day Challenges and other related projects.
