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Next Generation Matter & Case Management
Gaining competitive advantage
Background
Berrymans Lace Mawer ( BLM ) had an in house developed system that was reaching end of life and wanted to ensure they selected and deployed a leading edge solution that would give them competitive advantage allowing them to respond quickly to the changing needs of their clients and also fully supported their best practice methods, quality management, environmental targets and standards.
Business Challenge
The firm faced a number of issues :
- Capture complex requirements, evaluate vendors and then ensure the best solution was selected
- Structuring a programme and prioritising development to address the needs of the firm from matter management to complex workflows
- Identifying and then delivering ‘quick wins’ for users
- Providing a flexible solution with a variety of interfaces
- Improving management information
Services Provided
- Business and Technical requirements capture
- Procurement services
- Programme design and initiation
- Programme management
Skills Deployed
- Business requirements analysis
- Technical design and benefits mapping
- Technology assessment
- Financial and Risk analysis
- IT development programme expertise
Our Approach
Consulting Stream assisted in capturing the requirements for all practice areas for matter and case management throughout BLM . Key clients were also interviewed to ensure the Team understood their current and future needs. The needs of BLM ranged from improving matter management and task scheduling to automating complex workflows that support litigation and claims handling. Key to the requirements was the need for a flexible solution with a variety of user interfaces. Equally, the need to improve management information was important to BLM.
The programme was initiated in November 2008 using Prince 2 and included mixed teams of lawyers, partners, consultants and IT staff working together to define the requirements. A project review board was established and an extensive supplier review was carried out by the Team prior to issuing the invitation to tender documents. This review ensured that only suppliers that could meet the extensive requirements were invited to participate. This reduced the entire procurement stage to only eight weeks. The review panel comprised of stakeholders from throughout BLM who participated by scoring the bids, attending supplier presentations and supporting the recommendations given to the management board.
After selection and negotiations were completed, the Team chose FloSuite as the matter and case management framework. They then set up the delivery programme management office and began the design, build, testing, training and deployment of the system. In less than nine months from the initial kick off meeting, lawyers have begun managing their cases on the new CMS.
Rapid deployment of the new applications was very important to key stakeholders and to that end the first modules were delivered within eight weeks of the initial Flosuite software installation. The process was aided by early and close involvement from business sponsors as the Team recognised that it was important not to underestimate the impact on people of introducing new systems.
The development was spearheaded by the in-house IT Development Team, supported by the chosen software supplier FloSuite and CSL. With a highly skilled and dedicated team, the requirements were translated into a functional technical design, were built, fully tested and deployed as a live system.
Business Outcome
The major outcome for the Firm and the IT team is a new delivery framework that can consistently translate business requirements into real delivery by combining strong project management principles, the latest web based workflow technology, wide stakeholder engagement and development best practice. This responsiveness will continue to improve how BLM works with clients, and it will enhance the services and management information the Firm is able to provide. This outcome supports BLM’s stated objective of using technology as a key differentiator to provide innovative solutions to lawyers and clients. BLM are currently also on target to achieving an 18 month pay back on the investment.
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