#LPMHQ is a positive, progressive educational space for current and future legal project managers, process improvement specialists and pricing professionals. We focus on providing a learning environment to share ideas and best practices. There is no membership required. #LPMHQ is open to both practicing lawyers and business of law professionals including legal operations professionals from law firms, in-house legal teams, alternative legal service providers and consultants who have an interest in learning or sharing their relevant experiences. We strive to be open minded and discuss ideas with people sharing different views. You get out of these chats what you put in. So be candid. Come ready to share.
WELCOME TO #lpmhq Topic: Making the Business Case for LPM
Please introduce yourself, where you are from & what you do in legal. The chat starts... RIGHT NOW!
Q1: 1st understand what PM is & is not. It is NOT a panacea for everything. Begin by defining, sizing & understanding what org problem u r trying to solve in re to legal service delivery. Then & only then consider options to address those problems. Is it LPM? #LPMHQ#LPM#Legal
Q1: 1st understand what PM is & is not. It is NOT a panacea for everything. Begin by defining, sizing & understanding what org problem u r trying to solve in re to legal service delivery. Then & only then consider options to address those problems. Is it LPM? #LPMHQ#LPM#Legal
This is fundamentally the most frustrating part in talking #LPM. What's the difference between #LPM, practice management and process improvement. It's SHOCKING to me how many people don't understand the differences. #LPMHQ
Q1: 1st understand what PM is & is not. It is NOT a panacea for everything. Begin by defining, sizing & understanding what org problem u r trying to solve in re to legal service delivery. Then & only then consider options to address those problems. Is it LPM? #LPMHQ#LPM#Legal
Agree with Kim - the key is to come to a common understanding of what you want LPM to do for your legal department. Once you have a that agreed, then you can move to the next step of actually implementing! #LPMHQ
Q1: Getting Started. How would you convince decision makers in a law firm or corporate legal department to adopt LPM? How would you describe the value proposition of LPM to them? #LPMHQ
WELCOME TO #lpmhq !
Please introduce yourself, where you are from & what you do in legal. The chat starts... WE ARE UNDERWAY! #LPMHQ
Today's topic is Making the Business Case for LPM
Agree with Kim - the key is to come to a common understanding of what you want LPM to do for your legal department. Once you have a that agreed, then you can move to the next step of actually implementing! #LPMHQ
A1- Personally, i am jaded by the "we must achieve quick wins" philos. As a service providers, we know that client must engage seamlessly wtheir clients to maintain comp advantage. Firms shld align our services with that core value regardless of the type of matter- w/lpm #lpmhq
A1- Personally, i am jaded by the "we must achieve quick wins" philos. As a service providers, we know that client must engage seamlessly wtheir clients to maintain comp advantage. Firms shld align our services with that core value regardless of the type of matter- w/lpm #lpmhq
A1: "Clients are demanding LPM" is not enuf reason to justify investing $$$ to launch an LPM program. Bldg a biz case takes work. Uncover what clients really want & what your org needs. Don't misconstrue "efficiency" as a demand for LPM. Do your homework. #LPMHQ#LPM#LPI#Legal
A1- I always like to think that Process improvement is defining what and how you are going to do it and PM ensures that you are actually doing what the client wants you to do (at the cost you told them) #LPMHQ
Smartsheet is my favorite #LPM tool. I've found so many uses for it, in addition to project plans, tracking who starts on our team and my favorite-- our Ops Kanban (Priorities) Board. Is smartsheet the go-to for #LPM in #Legal? or is there an emerging technology #LPMHQ
A1 Heard today- "Trying to talk to law firm partners about innovation is like trying to talk to a dinosaur about meteors." It was simultaneously hilarious and disheartening. #LPMHQ
A1 I agree that the problems first must look at what problem we are trying to solve. Here is a good article about tech somewhat missing the mark in healthcare. https://t.co/lzcLkSnwHR#lpmhq
WELCOME TO #lpmhq ! WE ARE UNDERWAY!
If you're just joining us, please introduce yourself, where you are from & what you do in legal. #LPMHQ
Today's topic is Making the Business Case for LPM
Once again. Q1: Getting Started. How would you convince decision makers in a law firm or corporate legal department to adopt LPM? How would you describe the value proposition of LPM to them? #LPMHQ
Agreed. There are diff toolsets for LPM and LPI. Don't confuse the two. I believe project management and process improvement are very much needed in legal but know what does what and what you're trying to solve for. #LPMHQ
Smartsheet is my favorite #LPM tool. I've found so many uses for it, in addition to project plans, tracking who starts on our team and my favorite-- our Ops Kanban (Priorities) Board. Is smartsheet the go-to for #LPM in #Legal? or is there an emerging technology #LPMHQ
Agreed. There are diff toolsets for LPM and LPI. Don't confuse the two. I believe project management and process improvement are very much needed in legal but know what does what and what you're trying to solve for. #LPMHQ
Well first off kudos for applying true project management - planning and managing the work. The triple constraint of scope, schedule, budget should help guide the selection of proper LPM tools and an understanding of your culture and maturity. #lpmhq
A1: It's tough to implement a firm-wide LPM initiative, finding those individuals that feel the need to make a change in how they work and helping them succeed (even if it is a small win) is slowly bringing more LPs into the conversation. #LPMHQ
That's a slippery slope. LPM can't solve everything. Some roles are glorified admins & some r filling in the gaps that should be performed by other depts (IT, Marketing, Practice Management). Shouldn't the biz of law be elevated where nec 2 meet client and partner needs? #LPMHQ
A1: Word of mouth is key. Once you've "won over" your influencer partners, thy will hopefully share w naysayers or the uninitiated. Have your pitch ready. Here's what we do and how we can help. Do you homework. Dig into the naysayer's practice to identify pot pain points. #LPMHQ
Q2: Continued Investment. How would you ensure your organization continues to invest in their LPM program? How do you demonstrate evidence based value of your organization's LPM program? #LPMHQ
Agreed - it always starts with a group of true believers and then can grow from there. It is best to publicize those successes you get to bring others into the mix. #LPMHQ
Yes, but not every firm has a stable of non-legal professionals to draw from. LPMs are often jacks of all trades during the implementation phase.
#LPMHQ
Yes, but not every firm has a stable of non-legal professionals to draw from. LPMs are often jacks of all trades during the implementation phase.
#LPMHQ
A1: Hi Andrew! That's a great point and the change mngt challenges 4 significant w/out an evidence-based need 4 change. Hard 2 justify change when firms are having some of their most profitable years. We may feel the earth moving but 4 many practicing lawyers, they don't. #LPMHQ
A2 I usually start by simply using early adopters feedback in that it's made it easier to practice as evidence. Later on, I think you can look at increased realization and client satisfaction. #lpmhq
Q2 - ultimately you have to show improvements to profitability, happy clients, repeat clients, new clients attributable to #lpm need to plan for these outcomes and how to demonstrate from the start of your initiative #lpmhq
Very true Jennifer and it's hard to justify building a stable without proof. Does that take us back trying to mature LPM as an org capability instead of roles? Or a combination of both? #LPMHQ
Once again. Q2: Continued Investment. How would you ensure your organization continues to invest in their LPM program? How do you demonstrate evidence based value of your organization's LPM program? #LPMHQ
A2: It's so important to define and agree upon WHAT success is, and some way to measure it, in order to prove value and the need for continued investment #lpmhq
#LPMHQ A1 - The key is to get positive influencers involved early who show others how it works. Every practice area has different nuances so you have to pay attention and broadcast successes in each. Whether you do all practice areas or a small set, depends on your rollout goal
Honestly it's both Lauren. We did start with whoever was willing, but as it has grown and more partners talk about improving the way they work, we now have a couple of practice areas that are starting to push at the group level to do more. #lpmhq
A2 I think showing an improved process of reducing busy work for partners by using LPM (who can then bill more) is also viable early proof before you have large data sets to point to. #LPMHQ
A2 - totally agree. We all know for firms it's $$$. So how it helps you attract and grow the right clients and talent could be one measurement but you have to clearly connect it to your LPM program if that's what you're going to build your LPM growth strategy on. #LPMHQ
In a law firm - reduction in writeoffs is a good metric, but somewhat hard to measure. Client satisfaction is always a good metric. Best to have a base measurement so you can show how LPM improved it #LPMHQ
I would say no. Using LPM as a way to improve the process of how matters are managed doesn't mean work was just passed to a lower cost worker. In my world as we implement LPM and process changes non-billable work many times evaporates more than shifts. #LPMHQ
