P2P

85 I L T A N E T . O R G I G is not just a strategic framework for the effective management of information in an enterprise, it's also the mechanism through which the interests of its constituency – information - can be addressed and advocated. IG is not just structural, foundational, hygienic, "eat your vegetables" info management, it also encompasses the active usage and inherent and strategic value of information in both the risk management and business growth senses. Any IG program usually involves a degree of process and technolo tool changes for practitioners and their support ecosystems. Unsuccessfully managing these changes has proven to be the downfall of too many IG initiatives, which then has the effect of undermining the overall IG strate due to lack of demonstrable successes. The stakes are high and as a professional, you want to ensure that your firm is best positioned to succeed. Incorporating Change Management (CM) in the developmental stages will accomplish that goal. The optimal way to get there is to involve the stakeholders in the preliminary stages of development of both the strategic IG framework and the subsequent initiatives and gain a good sense of some of their associated pain points to ensure that at least some of them are being alleviated. In the project management world, this means developing both a "pre-project" plan as well as a comprehensive communications plan, both of which should incorporate generous measures of CM principles. So, what are some of the key CM principles? Leadership Ownership Recognition of the importance of an IG strate by firm leadership, and their directional ownership of individual initiatives coming out of that strate are crucial to effective implementations. Leadership should evaluate the capacity of the organization to change and confirm that the firm is ready, willing and able to change. This can commence by ensuring that the existence of the IG strate is an integral element of firm strategic statements. Since information, and its co-dependent agent knowledge, are the essential elements of any professional services entity, inclusion of the IG strate should be an intuitive and seamless affair. As an example, for many years the Big Four have been highlighting their Information Governance and Management framework and accompanying progress in their strategic reports. Be Evolutionary and Systematic Integrating a data driven approach to Change Management planning and recognizing that it will need to be adapted over time are key to achieving the "ownership by the people" model. Start by defining what measurable success of the project looks like. Success might look like a 10% annual reduction of admin hours spent managing (storage, maintenance and retrieval) the information associated with a practice, area of law or even the phase of a type of matter (e.g. patent prosecution, estate planning, document productions). Then ensure that these measurables are realistic (!) before getting started and communicate them. Over the course of the program, track and update all stakeholders on the progress toward achieving the measurables. As the project evolves, assess the initially defined measurables to ensure they are on track and adjust them as necessary. In fact, insights may be gleaned that are more interesting and rewarding than the initial project, and should not be ignored. Different Strokes for Different Folks Change affects the overall culture of the organization or firm. Change affects each group or constituency in the firm in different ways. These are your stakeholders. Change affects individuals differently, because it is very personal,

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