Digital White Papers

December 2013: Business and Financial Management

publication of the International Legal Technology Association

Issue link: https://epubs.iltanet.org/i/231030

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AGILE — A NONTRADITIONAL APPROACH TO LEGAL PROJECT MANAGEMENT continuous improvement aspect of Agile and Lean are critical elements to our program's success. REPEAT Depending on the project, there may be several iterations or sprints in order to complete the work. The project team checks the backlog and discussion notes, and begins again. Prior to the next sprint, the team will prioritize the tasks remaining in the backlog. It is important to consider the uncertainty of the task, the risk of including or not including the task, the value of the task and the cost of implementing the task. The product owner's input, along with feedback from the client, will make prioritization of the tasks a manageable process. Being agile ensures the sprints are value-driven, not project plan-driven. SUCCESSFUL — "IN SPITE OF" Though we had no formidable legal project management prototypes to model, we have been able to leverage our early successes and attorney relationships to gain the trust of legal teams to demonstrate our value. We have grown from a team of five to eighteen, the largest law firm LPMO in the world. Several members of our team are certified as PMPs (Project Management Professionals) through PMI, certified Six Sigma Green or Yellow Belts and have achieved their Scrum Master Certification or are Agile certified. These multiple disciplines provide us with a unique view and approach to our legal project management program. Our services have been employed in every practice department within the firm. Under our SeyfarthLean program, our journey continues and with the complement of agile thinking and practices, we foresee continued success and even greater adoption across the firm and, more important, enhanced client satisfaction. TRIED AND PROVEN Agile is not a magic bullet. It is, however, mature and scalable. The trick is to know your audience and culture. From your experiences, select a combination of the best project management approaches that are most appropriate for the project — whether Agile or Waterfall or a hybrid of the two. The most important elements for legal project management success is to align the right resources, tools, processes, methodologies and approaches to effectively deliver results. Legal Project Managers play an integral role in the success by utilizing their strengths in aligning these elements. Agile project management in the delivery of legal services will continue to grow organically through education, relationships, practice, success, failure and reflection. It is important to be flexible and not afraid to fail. If a particular approach or tool is not working, do not be afraid to change course and try new strategies until you achieve your goal. Start simple. Try. Reflect. Improve. While Agile is flexible and responsive, the most important lesson is to be flexible about Agile. Kim Craig, PMP, Global Director of the Legal Project Management Office at Seyfarth Shaw LLP, is responsible for developing and leading the world's largest law firm LPMO and has helped shape the project management discipline in the legal profession. Kim is extremely passionate about sharing her experiences, and she empowers others to be successful in this space. Contact her at kcraig@seyfarth.com. Jenny Lee, PMP is a Senior Legal Project Manager in the Legal Project Management Office at Seyfarth Shaw LLP, which leads the continuous improvement of client-service delivery through the application and education of legal project management across the firm. Her knowledge, training and experience compliment her ability to successfully lead projects in partnership with firm attorneys and clients. Contact her at jlee@seyfarth.com.

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