Tips To Structure the Planning For a New Case Management System
Posted by Gail Boyes on June 30, 2010 under Affiliate Reviews | 
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Legal Case management software benefits include:
* Saving time currently spent producing documents, searching for documents and arranging for sharing of documents between relevant parties
* Saving on the costs connected with manual systems
* Creating standardized procedures across a team
* Enabling your professionals to focus on value added services
Does legal software deliver the functionality it claims to do?
Yes, when implemented after careful planning. Success criteria include:
Identifying the aims of the project and matching these to budget and personnel
Whether you work in the public sector or private legal department you will need to demonstrate value when in investing in case management software. Select a supplier who will help you draft a clear vision of what is achievable within the project, together with a return on investment strategy and project schedule.
Creating understanding of need within the organization
It is important that you talk with all levels of your organization about their needs and expectations. For instance:
* Who will benefit from the savings in time?
* Will it make more work for some people initially?
* What support can be incorporated for those whose workload increases?
* Upfront discussion and support throughout the project lifetime will help ensure successful deployment.
* How much support is available from your provider so that management is fully aware of the project’s value?
Where does final ownership lie?
Does your organization have a named person who is responsible for the implementation and ongoing success of the case management solution, or is it left totally to the Case Management Software?. They must a skilled communicator with all levels of the organization Would a consultant be preferable?
Employee Adoption
Develop as close a working partnership as possible with the case management software provider. Do they also do training?
* Is the training ongoing and well planned?
* How easy will it be for staff to adopt the new software??
* Will the software supplier and trainer work well together at both the planning and implementation phases?
* Does training schedule extend to other systems which interface with the new case management software?
Flexibility and the right system for you
How adaptable is your new software and is it the best fit for your organization? So much case management software requires professionals to change their working practices to fit the system instead of the other way round! Can it be adapted for your organization so that the software matches your working practices? Flexible software is configurable to your organization’s established working practices. Providing fee earners with case management solutions that match their working practices means they will enjoy using it, buy into the new system and it will make their lives easier. This “buy-in” on the part of your staff will lead to increased efficiency and the possibility of handling more cases than in the past, enabling your organization to increase profits. Vendors are are invariably willing to provide case studies.
What will your needs be in the future?
Investing in a flexible case management system will usually enable you to access software updates from your provider. Similarly extra capability (eg Matter Management ) may be added as your organization develops.
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