#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: "You can't hire 600 LPMs, much less 6. Now what?" Thinking through your LPM strategy.
Please introduce yourself, where you are from & what you do in legal. The chat starts... RIGHT NOW!
A1 - For some of the more complicated or riskier matters(from an LPM perspective, not a legal perspective), we take a more hands on approach and do the management of the matter. #LPMHQ
Q1: How do you select and prioritize the clients/matters that LPMs are assigned to? How is LPM applied to matters that do not have an assigned LPM? Do only certain practice areas need LPM? Or only certain clients? What criteria do you use? #LPMHQ
A1 - For some of the more complicated or riskier matters(from an LPM perspective, not a legal perspective), we take a more hands on approach and do the management of the matter. #LPMHQ
A1 - Different situations require different aspects of LPM - there is no one size fits all - even the same type of matter could require a different approach #LPMHQ
Providing training to attorneys and legal-support staff is a start. You don't get the full benefits of a dedicated PM, but legal organizations certainly benefit from even small, incremental changes to make their projects more effective. #lpmhq
WELCOME TO #lpmhq !
Please introduce yourself, where you are from & what you do in legal. WE ARE UNDERWAY! #LPMHQ
Today's topic: "You can't hire 600 LPMs, much less 6. Now what?" Thinking through your LPM strategy. #LPMHQ
A1 My approach is to create process and structure around the attorneys to guide them into LPM rather than having person staffed on every matter. Kinda of like comparing a train on it's tracks to a car on a highway, process/structure does a lot w/less handling #lpmhq
(A1- select and prioritize) We are trying to increase adoption. Every opportunity to work on case management, budgets or pricing is an opportunity for hands on training, so we provide support for any request. We may have to prioritize and set reasonable expectations. #LPMHQ
(A1- select and prioritize) We are trying to increase adoption. Every opportunity to work on case management, budgets or pricing is an opportunity for hands on training, so we provide support for any request. We may have to prioritize and set reasonable expectations. #LPMHQ
A1 My approach is to create process and structure around the attorneys to guide them into LPM rather than having person staffed on every matter. Kinda of like comparing a train on it's tracks to a car on a highway, process/structure does a lot w/less handling #lpmhq
(A1- select and prioritize) We are trying to increase adoption. Every opportunity to work on case management, budgets or pricing is an opportunity for hands on training, so we provide support for any request. We may have to prioritize and set reasonable expectations. #LPMHQ
(A1 - applying without an LPM) - for small matters or where our assistance is not requested, we provide basic training to all attorneys to encourage them to follow best practices whether they are improving an engagement letter, preparing a budge or a pricing proposal. #LPMHQ
A1: Demonstrating value while also creating processes that can be scaled is a hard balance to strike, but that's the sweet spot. Simple awareness of scope/budget can be standardized and is a way to get a foot in the door #LPMHQ
A1: Demonstrating value while also creating processes that can be scaled is a hard balance to strike, but that's the sweet spot. Simple awareness of scope/budget can be standardized and is a way to get a foot in the door #LPMHQ
Repeat. Q1. How do you select and prioritize the clients/matters that LPMs are assigned to? How is LPM applied to matters that do not have an assigned LPM? Do only certain practice areas need LPM? Or only certain clients? What criteria do you use? #LPMHQ
Hello #LPMHQ community! If you're following us live, you are part of the movement! Let us know you're there. Please introduce yourself, where you are from & what you do in legal. #LPMHQ
A1: Look at your existing resources. The legal field may be slow to adopt Project Management discipline, but IT is a different story. You may have season PM's in other functional areas of your organization. #lpmhq
Repeat. Q1. How do you select and prioritize the clients/matters that LPMs are assigned to? How is LPM applied to matters that do not have an assigned LPM? Do only certain practice areas need LPM? Or only certain clients? What criteria do you use? #LPMHQ
A1 I see a lot of comments about training. Training is good, but w/out providing the structure for that training to be used well can lead to head knowledge w/out benefit. In Mfg we used to say it's not the persons fault, it's the processes fault. #lpmhq
(A1 - what practice areas) LPM adds value in any engagement. In the early days of implementation, we primarily supported litigation. However, last year (after 7 years of implementation), our EOY report identified support for every PG in the firm. #LPMHQ
(A1 - what practice areas) LPM adds value in any engagement. In the early days of implementation, we primarily supported litigation. However, last year (after 7 years of implementation), our EOY report identified support for every PG in the firm. #LPMHQ
A1: No firm will ever have enough LPM titled individuals to be on every matter. Thus, defining your org's LPM best practices that can be adopted across the enterprise is important and a huge challenge but a maturation that some firms are realizing. #lpmhq
IP Prosecution tends to need less project management and more portfolio management. That group already manages the specific deadlines like a well oiled machine!
#LPMHQ
(A1 - what practice areas) Not in my experience. All engagements involve scoping, more are requiring good estimates, and most clients what to be kept in the loop about changes or scope expansion. LPM provides the tool to accomplish these objectives. #LPMHQ
A1: Keep in mind that there are aspects of litigation that cross practice areas where PM can make an immediate and obvious impact. E.g., e‒discovery is a traditional area where PM has long been applied and is now expected. #lpmhq#ediscovery#projectmanagement#lpm#pm
Q2: How much of the strategy is to approach LPM as an organizational capability vs a defined role? What are some examples of when to have an assigned LPM and when to simply impart basic discipline? #LPMHQ
A1: That has been the million $ question 4 some firms in their approaches. If most agree that a matter is a "project," then is it safe to say that the triple constraint comes into play (creation of scope, schedule, budget)? Whether U use agile or waterfall is a separate ?. #LPMHQ
A2 - We see it as an organizational capability (supported by people with defined roles) The support the lawyers get is based on the need and the particular circumstance #LPMHQ
We favour a mentoring approach - with training, people forget it by the time they need it. With mentoring on specific matters, makes it real and useful. Still do training, but the mentoring is so much more effective. #LPMHQ
(A1) I agree with Kim - having a consistent repeatable process will make it easier for attorneys to implement even if they don't have an LPM sitting at their side. #LPMHQ
A2 - Best to have an LPM assigned on a matter that has pricing complexity or budget/scope risk. Most lawyers I have worked with are already good at managing scheduling risk on their own without an LPM #LPMHQ
If IP Prosecution does it that well, are they not practicing #LPM? Even if they don’t know it, they are. I’m not saying someone needs to come in and completely rework what they’re doing, but they could always use resources/support to stay on top. #LPMHQ
Q2: How much of the strategy is to approach LPM as an organizational capability vs a defined role? What are some examples of when to have an assigned LPM and when to simply impart basic discipline? #LPMHQ
We offer ourselves as a resource to any group at the firm for LPM needs. We do that by monitoring the approval process for engagements that are more complicated or rate challenged that could benefit from LPM disciplines, and also check budgets over a certain threshold. #lpmhq
A2: It has to be a capability and a role for certain types of matters. I agree with Rick and I've taken the "Trojan horse" approach where leading by example on LPM practices wasn't even apparent to lawyers who then adopted those successful approaches. #LPMHQ#LPM
(A2 - when to have an assigned LPM) A lot of our support is provided as a short term project - workflow development, budgeting, pricing evals and proposals and reporting. We also have LPMs who provide regular ongoing support as an "account manager" for large portfolios. #LPMHQ
We offer ourselves as a resource to any group at the firm for LPM needs. We do that by monitoring the approval process for engagements that are more complicated or rate challenged that could benefit from LPM disciplines, and also check budgets over a certain threshold. #lpmhq
You say “monitor.” I’m curious “How?” I’m usually waiting for someone to come to me with a problem that I can solve. If you have an approach to proactively find the right matters/engagements, I’d love to hear more about that. #LPMHQ
A2: TIP - PMI's Standard for Organizational Project Management is a great resource for organizations that do not have a unified PM approach and are in the process of improving their current PM framework. #pm#lpm#lpmhq#projectmanagementhttps://t.co/3o1EGFR3Ga
A2 It depends on your firms vision. I advocate more for org. capability versus role but it is a balance of both. I think size and firm financial risk are key factors to if an LPM should be specifically assigned to a matter. Or if they are assigned in a coaching capacity #lpmhq
Oh we’ve gone total Trojan Horse at this point. We did a whole design thinking exercise at our partner retreat and didn’t use any buzz words. Coincidentally, went way better than anybody (even myself) thought it would. #LPMHQ
Oh we’ve gone total Trojan Horse at this point. We did a whole design thinking exercise at our partner retreat and didn’t use any buzz words. Coincidentally, went way better than anybody (even myself) thought it would. #LPMHQ
A2: Again if you believe matters R projects & clients expect scoping budgeting and timeline, that capability needs 2B embedded across the org not just in the hands of titled LPMs. To get there requires experts to train, support lead the initiative but not alone. #LPMO#lpmhq
(A2 - imparting basic discipline) This is one of the most difficult challenges. When to train. Law students and new associates get the concept, but it may be years before the have sufficient control to implement. Still valuable, but must be repeated. #LPMHQ
Agreed - clients expect a consistent standard of service from a firm. Therefore, needs to be an organizational capability, or at least a practice group capability.
#LPMHQ
A big Mahalo to everyone's contributions today! To help ensure the #LPMHQ chat continues to evolve, here is a short Google form for you to share your ideas:
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Thank you for coming ready to share and being open. Next chat is 2 weeks! January 16, 2019, 12pm, EST. Topic: "When the rubber meets the road”
Implementing LPM #LPMHQhttps://t.co/KI5gH9QrMD
A2: Part of the challenge is assessing your culture & willingness of partners to welcome other experts into the delivery of legal services. For some firms, they remain resistant and thus standing up LPM roles that aren't expected to be in a servant role can be challenging. #lpmhq
A1 & A2 : Conversation has been focused on law firms. Corp law departments often have advantage of PM expertise in other departments but tend to fail to reach out. LPM is a useful bridge over the legal-IT comm'n gap we often face in e‒discovery and infogov #lpmhq#ediscovery
We're always looking for feedback and new topics. To help ensure the #LPMHQ chat continues to evolve, here is a short Google form for you to share your ideas! https://t.co/lGITyd74mn
A2: A great point you make! Each PG has diff needs and should be treated as their own unique bus w/n the firm. So their LPM needs will be different from PG to PG. Creating a program that takes that into account yet delivers a consist CX and Partner Experience is critical #LPMHQ
