The quarterly publication of the International Legal Technology Association
Issue link: https://epubs.iltanet.org/i/11430
BEST L PRACTICES Quality Assurance: “A Sure” Path to Success aw firms that successfully increase their efficiency in spite of limited resources are the most likely firms to thrive in the decade ahead. Most technology projects are justified in the context of improving the bottom line through gaining new efficiencies. Unfortunately, in many organizations, the processes by which those projects are prioritized and managed lack the fundamental constructs necessary to create truly successful outcomes. Inefficiency begets inefficiency. So while many projects may wind up delivering partial value, rarely do their final results meet the expectations with which they were commissioned. Fortunately, there is a solution: a program focused on quality can not only improve the on-time/on-budget success of a project, it can also provide a much better work product. Three main benefits of an effective quality program are reducing overall costs, reducing deployment time while improving adaptability, and improving the overall quality of service. REDUCE OVERALL COSTS It’s no secret that better-defined requirements help ensure a more successful project, and they can drastically reduce overall project costs. A well-designed quality assurance (QA) program places particular emphasis on identifying faults as early as possible so that extensive rework is not required to meet the project goals. This is accomplished through “testing” requirements by utilizing diagrams, storyboards and wireframes to get effective review feedback from key stakeholders. Many law firms will focus on reducing administrative costs in the next decade by automating business processes such as conflicts checking, new matter intake and reimbursement requests. Any mistakes in the requirements that make it through development in these efforts will at best cause extensive rework and delay the implementation, at worst open the firm up to costly liabilities. Establishing regular “quality gates” at well chosen project milestones can drastically lessen the chance of problems later. 16 www.iltanet.org Peer to Peer Creating configuration management standards is another area where an effective quality program can provide cost reductions. The improved organization, knowledge, employee cross training and approach consistency make processes such as server upgrades and replacements a predictable, measurable effort, aiding greatly in cost estimation and project planning efforts. REDUCE TIME TO DEPLOYMENT / IMPROVE ADAPTABILITY An effective quality program has repeatable processes, makes use of templates and trains resources so that each project isn’t a re-invention of the process wheel. This consistency will result in well-known expectations for deliverables and thus reduce the amount of time required to “get it right.” Furthermore, changes in core systems are easier for all parties to consume because the methods to implement them are familiar and easy to understand. For instance, the thriving law firm of 2020 will have instituted a consistent process for managing and installing software patches, upgrading infrastructure components and sun-setting out-of-life technology. A critical component of that process makes use of reusable lab testing assets (equipment, data and test procedures) for each new release or implementation. Performance test tools can be employed to simulate expected user load on a production-ready system to be sure it is scaled and configured appropriately before release. And immediately after deployment, automated test scripts can be executed to certify the environment is fit for user access, which greatly decreases the possibility of that “post downtime crisis.” Lightweight versions of these “smoke tests” can even be executed on a daily, early- morning basis to monitor mission-critical applications and alert technicians to problems long before the first user logs in for the day.