The quarterly publication of the International Legal Technology Association
Issue link: https://epubs.iltanet.org/i/230349
case studies Replacing an End-of-Support Extranet by Ruth Winston of McGuireWoods Extranets are now a common way law firms Easy As 1-2-3! collaborate on client matters, and when the time comes to change products, it can be challenging. After all, client documents are at the core of the legal profession, and with a new extranet product you've got to map many of them to something new and different while maintaining business as usual. Since many original solutions will be unable to meet future demands, it's a challenge your firm might soon be facing. McGuireWoods is a global law firm with over 900 attorneys in 19 offices, and we've been doing business via extranet for a dozen years. When the owner of our current product, eRoom, announced end-of-support dates for the self-hosted version our firm uses, it was time to research a new solution. First, understand your business case. Planning is critical before approaching lawyers, paralegals and secretaries for their product requirements. At McGuireWoods, a business case establishes high-level scope, sets goals, defines a solution approach, states summary requirements and describes benefits, constraints, assumptions and risks. The business case is at the top of the traceability matrix, guides budgeting and is the first thing the business systems analyst consults when the actual project kicks off before interviewing the business sponsor and subject— matter experts. Second, identify stakeholders. Stakeholders and team members are identified based on which business groups and IT domains are impacted by the project. Because of the magnitude of an extranet replacement, we formed an advisory team across job roles, practice groups and offices. We used access statistics to identify power users. This kind of cross-functional engagement promotes quality in requirements, builds consensus and limits the time commitment of any particular group or person. Third, do the prep work. For this project, our practice support group worked with the assigned business systems analyst to: A Complex Challenge The process to replace eRoom promises to be complex. As an IT research firm told us, "There is no product that provides a direct transition from eRoom. All options will require business tradeoffs and/or significant IT work." How can technologists keep the legal side of their houses safe and happy when forced to move such a core part of their business to a new extranet? McGuireWoods followed a rigorous, business-focused process for eliciting requirements — as we do for all large projects. With a business-centric approach, we don't change how people work to fit technology; instead, we buy or develop technology that fits stated business needs. When the business identifies the "what" before IT determines the "how," stated business needs will be met. Since the days of product support are numbered on our existing extranet, the firm ordered an assessment ahead of requests for proposals to plan for the transition well ahead of the end-ofsupport dates. 28 Peer to Peer • Identify pain points • List commonly used features • Map pain points to features • Document current state work flows • Research industry trends The Business Speaks The advisory team wanted almost all their currently used features carried forward with specified improvements, along with some new