What problem are you solving?

This week I've been at CiviCon 2025, where we've heard about an amazing number of new extensions, core features, and inspiring stories of organizations getting great results with CiviCRM.

But in the face of all these wonderful new ideas, one presenter asked a smart question: "What problem are you solving?"

It's a smart question because it can help you avoid the classic problem known as Shiny Object Syndrome — a variety of the "mispaced priorities" problem — in which you can find yourself trying lots of new solutions because they look awesome, without pausing to consider what you're actually hoping to get for your efforts.

If you're remembering to count the value first, you're probably less susceptible to Shiny Obect Syndrome, because you've made a healthy habit of

• defining the problem;

• defining the value of solving the problem — in other words, the cost (in funds, time, good will, or lost opportunity) of doing nothing about it;

• and only then considering solutions which can resolve that specific problem with an investment that's less than the expected value.

Count the value first, and the cost second. And always be able to define exactly what problem you're trying to solve.

All the best,
A.