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I L T A W H I T E P A P E R | P R O J E C T M A N A G E M E N T 26 Formal Project Approval Process Jumping blindly into PMO management without a formal approval process can be problematic. There are several approaches to be considered for project approval. Some firms utilize a steering committee to prioritize and approve projects while other firms use a single senior level approver. Regardless of the chosen approach, having buy-in from key stakeholders and clearly communicating how projects are approved is critical to success. Failing to achieve either of these objectives may lead to confusion, lost time, and reputational damage. Invest in Processes – Formal to Ad Hoc is not a one size fits all process Formal: Many firms have a formal and well documented methodolo in place. All projects follow the same process. Pros: the firm understands how projects are prioritized and funded. Cons: the PMO can come to act as a bottleneck, with some projects persistently deprioritized when other projects become priorities. Hybrid: Some project management methods in place and applied to projects as needed. Pros: Allows for applying PMO best practices to large projects with substantial firm impact; smaller projects are able to move forward more quickly. Cons: small projects may have a bigger impact 1 2 than originally anticipated; a small project may actually have bearing on a project that is being managed through the PMO. Ad Hoc: Ad hoc, information application of managing projects based on current needs, staff available, and knowledge base. Pros: Highly flexible; resources are able to be redeployed as needed. Cons: Little to no 'big picture' planning; high potential for projects to be duplicative or wasteful. Planning and effective buy-in from key stakeholders is critical to ensuring a successful implementation. A high-functioning PMO group is a huge win for a law firm and can improve the firm's delivery on client expectations, provide a framework for scoping and costing matters, enable successful fee renegotiations when key factors change, reduce the risk of alternative billing models, increase resilience and reduce stress for a firm's legal teams, create precedents to accelerate scoping, planning and costing, complement a firm's knowledge management team, improve teamwork and delegation across the firm, provide a competitive edge, and lead to sustainability for the future. ILTA 3 P M O B E S T P R A C T I C E S April Heimerl Senior Business Solutions Architect Fish & Richardson P.C. Holly Hannah Anne Christman Certified Paralegal Shook, Hardy & Bacon L.L.P. Brittany Ivy Business Process Analyst Supervisor Wilson Law Firm

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