Peer to Peer Magazine

24 T he "ILTA Law Firm Capability Reference Model" will be released at ILTACON2019 next month. The product of a year's work by the ILTA Enterprise Architecture Community, the model features more than 400 distinct capabilities and will be a valuable tool for any legal EA program. What is a capability model? A capability model describes the complete set of capabilities an organization requires to execute its business model and fulfill its mission. It focuses on "what" an organization does without becoming distracted by the "how." It provides a foundational perspective and is often called the "Rosetta Stone" of enterprise architecture. While the model has not been released, the sample above illustrates the top 2 levels from the July 25th draft. How is it used? A capability model serves several purposes. It is great for assessing the strengths and weaknesses of an organization, and determining where to invest resources. It is uniquely suited for seeing how systems, processes, and organizations come together to accomplish an organizations objectives. It will also highlight the interdependence of these resources, and ILTA Law Firm Capability Reference Model B Y T O M S C H E C K E R , S E N I O R M A N A G E R , E N T E R P R I S E A R C H I T E C T U R E AT W H I T E & C A S E L L P expose redundancies, such as when two systems serve the same capability. A capability model also provides a common language for organizational planning. No more hand waving and finger puppets when trying to describe what key ability you are trying to describe. The model makes it explicit. How is a reference model helpful? A reference model allows all firms to benefit from the substantial amount of work contributed by members of the ILTA EA Community. This would be difficult for most firms to do on their own. A reference model also gives firms a common language to use with their vendors. Once vendors specify how their products and services map to the reference model, they can clearly express the value and impact of their offerings. Several major legal- oriented vendors have expressed interest in using this model. Will all of our capabilities be the same? Industry-specific capability models are common, and law firms have historically been quite similar. That said, the model will be licensed by ILTA so as to allow each firm to change or extend it to its specific requirements. How do I find out more? The model will be released for public comment at an ILTACON session on Thursday, August 22, at 2:00 p.m. That session will feature a detailed look at the model. It will also present techniques to begin using the model immediately in order to manage technolo portfolios, evaluate strengths and weaknesses, and make decisions on where to focus resources. The public comment period will run through the end of the year. Input is welcome from ILTA members and vendors alike. Members of the Enterprise Architecture community will be available to discuss the model throughout ILTACON 2019. For more information, contact Tom Schecker at tom. schecker@whitecase.com. ILTA

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