Exploring the differences between what is urgent and what is important to the affected community and your organisation can be an eye-opening experience. The Urgent vs Important exercise helps to work this out.

Download the template. First, map out where you feel the problem sits with regard to the two dimensions presented, from the perspective of crisis-affected populations. How urgent is the problem, for these communities? How important is it to them?

Next, map out another point, but from the perspective of your organisation. How urgent is the problem, for you/your organisation? How important is it to you/your organisation?

You might find that there is significant distance between these two points – some organisations do not prioritise urgency in responding to problems, even if they think they are important. If this is the case, you will want to think about how you can bring these two points closer together by making a case to your team, manager or other leadership.

This is the last sense-check you need to make before deciding whether it is worth moving on to the next section: the Challenge Brief. If you find that the gap cannot be bridged. Then you will probably need to ‘shelve’ this as a problem that your organisation should not work on. In this case, do not lose your good work. See if there are other organisations for whom there is a greater alignment of the problem and their strategy and work.

If there is sufficient alignment, you are now ready to move onto the next step.