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20 P E E R T O P E E R : I L T A ' S Q U A R T E R L Y M A G A Z I N E | S U M M E R 2 0 2 0 inactive trust accounts, and a revamp of our intranet. • Talent Opportunities is about lateral hires and recruitment. The Effects of IT Strategy Planning Significantly, we were ready for whatever was coming our way. Most importantly, our people were equipped to go from day 1: everyone in the firm already had a laptop they had brought home. The laptop planning was part of a well-thought-out device and crisis management plan, developed far in advance of the pandemic. After the order, our IT team raced to release Microsoft Teams (we already used Skype) as a collaboration and communications platform for our people and clients. Everyone involved in Saturn was forced to use this platform for interacting. Timekeepers and firm members who had never used Teams or Skype quickly learned the ropes. Our Training team rolled out eLearning on our productivity tools within a few weeks. Sarah Vahabi, Knowledge Integration Coordinator, PM on Service Delivery vertical: The introduction of the Saturn Initiative quickly proved the value of the firm's longstanding investments in IT and the "one firm", cloud-first model. In a matter of days following the work from home orders, IT deployed Microsoft Teams to all our people. Not only was the firm's excellent client service able to continue seamlessly, but the tools needed to get this important Initiative off the ground were immediately at everyone's disposal. All possible because of strategic investments in the right IT and our people. Management, Communications, and Governance The Saturn Initiative was a great example of building the bridge as we were crossing it – being agile and using what we had. The Steering Committee was made up of a small group of C-level leaders, lending their influence to every aspect of the planning and execution. Within hours of the SteerCo being struck, we had created an intranet page with the verticals and leads listed, followed by a detailed list of up-and- running projects with their leads. This immediacy implied both a sense of urgency and the significance of the initiative. Emails and intranet "stories" followed. Our managing partner, Dave Leonard, was already leading all-hands meetings each Friday, announced the Saturn Initiative and encouraged everyone to get involved. He continues to report project health and highlight specific projects each week. F E A T U R E S 2. We learned as we went. Once, when I scheduled a meeting with one of our PMs, I accidentally posted it on the Team chat. At the appointed time, I received a dozen panicked emails saying people were unable to get into the meeting. "The Saturn Initiative was a great example of building the bridge as we were crossing it."

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