Tiger Eye: Choosing the right knowledge management technology for your law firm
Introduction:
With remote workforces and hybrid work environments set to become commonplace in the post-COVID era, we have seen a number of law firms renew their focus on improving knowledge sharing, knowledge access and collaboration. This is often due to the absence of informal knowledge sharing by the water cooler in remote working environments, which frequently impacts productivity and efficiency.
A Knowledge Management software solution should make the dissemination of knowledge easier and faster for people by providing them with the tools that they need. But how do you find the right Knowledge Management solution for your law firm? At Tiger Eye, we have partnered with a range of firms to improve their knowledge collation, curation and sharing, as well as their collaborative capabilities. So, we have used our experience to put together this guide to choosing the right law firm KM technology for your organisation, your Knowledge Team and your end-users.
How do you start your knowledge management solution search?
Start with the problem, not the tool
1. Start with the firm’s knowledge problem
Firstly, it’s important to bear in mind that Knowledge Management is a broad practice. Ask any Knowledge Manager or law firm Knowledge Leader what the average day in their role looks like and you will be offered a vast range of answers, but most will conclude with the same statement: for legal Knowledge Teams, no two days are the same. These departments, teams and individuals have a whole host of responsibilities, because Knowledge Management is not a single-problem practice. Capturing, collating, curating and connecting know-how is a sophisticated, continuous task.
So, as with any legal technology project, don’t start with a solution in mind – start with an identified, measurable business problem. Some technologies on the market may claim to be one-stop-shops for Knowledge Management victory, but in reality, every firm’s KM needs will vary. For example, at Tiger Eye we have worked with clients to provide technology to support knowledge sharing, knowledge validation, knowledge searches, taxonomies, knowledge integration and much more. Whilst some technologies such as knowledge repository solutions will solve a common core problem, it’s unlikely that one solution will meet every law firm’s every knowledge need. Besides, the focus-point for every firm’s KM technology adoption will vary.
Collecting and analysing requirements can be a time-consuming task, but in effectively carrying out this critical step, firms can ensure their investments drive real business value. This helps law firms to avoid trying to do everything at once – an approach which leads to a significant level change in a short time span, which can lead to feelings of overwhelm amongst teams. Whilst KM is a continuous practice requiring continuous review and refinement, it’s best to first focus on the firm’s core knowledge need which can act as a foundation for future Knowledge Management innovations.
2. Get to work on the firm’s knowledge ‘job to be done’
After collating your requirements, your team can work on outlining details about the core issues the project aims to resolve. This means pinpointing exactly who experiences the issue, how they experience the problem and why it should be resolved.
For example, in the case of law firm Knowledge Management technology, you may start with the issue of dispersed information siloes, which leads to the end-user problem of lengthy search times – with many cases where no knowledge, information or useful data is presented to the searcher, even after a time-consuming exploration of databases, drives and folders. With the issue of knowledge connectivity and the organisation’s flow of information, the ‘job to be done’ in the mind of the lawyer is for their practice to ‘be supported with knowhow’ – with the right data, information and knowledge readily accessible at the right time, in a user-friendly way. Reviewing this, we can conclude that this knowledge issue is related to business efficiency, with ineffective workflows leading to time waste – which impacts the bottom line.
Following this structured process ensures that the firm logically moves from the issue to the potential resolution without ‘jumping’ from an issue to a solution which is unsuitable for the task at hand. This process grounds the selection of a law firm’s Knowledge Management technology in effective processes, workflows and operations – concepts most every member of staff can understand.
3. Collate the business case for the firm, knowledge team and end-user
The initial three-step ‘who, how and why’ findings can be collated into a succinct business case which can then be shared with stakeholders, decision-makers and organisation leaders. However, to truly demonstrate the benefits of such a solution, first-person testimonials and internal research can help to bring the problem to life – and help leaders to better visualise the benefits of investment. This helps to ensure the business is united and on-board with the mission of the new adoption.
With this, many Knowledge Management teams, or Information Professionals, begin to research the issue with end-users, liaising internally with the team to see whether the identified problem is widespread, and whether staff have found their own creative ways around such hurdles. Holding internal workshops, surveys – or even just one-to-one chats with lawyers – the firm can understand how processes can be improved and set about outlining key performance metrics for any improvements made. This means narrowing down what needs to be done, how the firm plans to get there, and how the team can prove that they have made progress.
Where the problem is identified as a common issue, Knowledge Management teams can request quotes and feedback on the issue, but they can also collect qualitative data on the ‘must-haves’ for the solution – and the end-user’s own ideas for innovation. This approach to collaborative problem-solving is a strategy growing in popularity, and a scheme which Richard Robbins (former Knowledge Leader at Sidley Austin) highlighted in his recent KM Conversations interview with our team. If you would like to find out more about this approach, you can watch the interview here via our website: ‘KM Conversations: Exploring KM Strategy with Rich Robbins’. This tactic can help firms to create an effective picture of how the software might work, but it can also help to ensure that those involved – fee-earning lawyers – take ownership of the changes at hand, rooting organisational innovation in day-to-day obstacles.
4. Begin the solution search
Before going out into the market, we recommend that firms try to work with their IT team to analyse existing infrastructure and explore the idea of repurposing existing technology to respond to the identified need. The IT team might not have the perfect tool for your needs, but an ongoing collaboration between IT and KM will ensure that all reviewed solutions are suitable for the firm’s architecture and set-up. It’s worth bearing in mind however that most in-house developed law firm Knowledge Management solutions take years to build with firms’ limited resources, and often such systems do not fit the use case as effectively as readily available tools. Yet, whilst an IT/KM partnership is highly effective, be cautious when following the in-house developed route.
After exploring all internal avenues and liaising with all stakeholders, the firm can begin reviewing the market and seeing what vendors have to offer. Your law firm’s IT team will also be able to highlight any key integrations needed for the project that the KM team might have missed. For example, integrating Knowledge Management solutions with existing document and email management systems such as the iManage DMS will help to reduce the number of clicks needed for end users to access and share knowledge, but will also make for an easier implementation, building on existing infrastructure in existing environments. We recommend opting for customisable technologies that meet your needs, aims and infrastructure, but which can be tailored to perfectly suit your unique way of working.
Although this may seem like a comprehensive approach, it’s best to have an abundance than a lack of information before you start searching for the right Knowledge Management technology for your firm. Without effective research into the business problem at hand, legal technology search is like firing an arrow in the dark and hoping it hits the bulls eye. Starting with the who, where and why, your team can successfully search for the right solution, clearly driven by your organisation’s need and vision for improvement.
However, this structured approach also helps in the long run, when it comes to implementing, adopting and launching the solution internally. As we have discovered in our many years as a trusted iManage implementation partner, a comprehensive, well-researched business case for legal technology adoption can prove essential in encouraging time-poor, fee-earning staff to learn, understand and utilise the law firm’s new technology. If you would like to know more about the importance of effective communications within law firm change management, we recommend listening to our recent KM Conversations interview with Sharon Ford, Change Management Manager at Perkins Coie. You can watch ‘KM Conversations: Law Firms and Change management’ on demand via our website.
It’s important to remember that it can take law firms a long time to find the right solution for their needs. Every firm is unique, and a firm’s use-case will be particular to an organisation’s end-users. So, we recommend that firms liaise with vendors who are open to questions and happy to take their time guiding you through the information gathering and review process.
Conclusion:
Most successful law firm Knowledge Management technology adoptions have something in common: focus. This means focusing on the issue at hand, the firm’s vision for the future, and the end-user who the solution is designed to benefit. KM is essential for capturing organisational lessons learned throughout the firm’s journey, collating critical know-how so fee-earners can focus on more high-value tasks. In the same way, investing time, energy and resources into the technology selection process ensures that Knowledge Managers can build a strong foundation and focus on more innovative tasks.
Tiger Eye are the leading iManage Partner for Knowledge and Technical Expertise. If you would like assistance with your Knowledge Management technology selection, contact Tiger Eye to learn more about their knowledge tools for iManage including Tiger Eye Blueprint: the knowledge curation, collation and collaboration solution seamlessly integrated with iManage Work.
To find out more about the ways in which other law firms have approached KM projects, implementations and key knowledge themes, explore Tiger Eye’s KM Conversations series via their website.
