How much work could you get done on a major initiative if you set aside 90 days to work on it?

The above is a question I like to ask association teams. Though it’s not likely you’ll be able to totally clear your calendar, think about the power of being able to steadily focus on a worthy goal.

The sprint is a tool borrowed from Agile project management methodology. Emma Blake, accountant and e-commerce mentor swears by the timeframe writing, “It is long enough to achieve some real success, but not so far away that your team gets demotivated because they can’t see the finish line across a 3-month window.”

Similarly, Brian Moran, author of The 12 Week Year: Get More Done in 12 Weeks than Others Do in 12 Months says, “We mistakenly believe that there is a lot of time left in the year, and we act accordingly. We lack a sense of urgency, not realizing that every week is important, every day is important, every moment is important.” A sprint is a way to create a sense of urgency.

Here’s how to harness the power of a sprint:

1. Identify a goal.
2. Identify who should be involved.
3. Assemble a team (for most associations this will be a cross-departmental team).
4. Develop a meeting schedule (regular short meetings are best).
5. Create a milestone map, which is a simple outline of actions to be taken and when they will be taken by. (Click here for a sample.) 
6. Go!

In addition to creating a sense of urgency, a sprint is a great way to test ideas and concepts to see if they are worth pursuing. Get as much planning and research done as possible in 90 days and then launch a minimum viable product or conduct market research to confirm (or disaffirm) your hunches. The shorter timeframe will help you go further, faster and possibly prevent you from investing time and money in programs and services your members don’t want or need.