The quarterly publication of the International Legal Technology Association
Issue link: https://epubs.iltanet.org/i/43128
A SIX-STEP TRAINING REGIMEN FOR "GO LIVE" WEEK 'coach' to help you through the planning process." • Regularly scheduled conference calls for status updates from each party involved in the transition. This helps you track progress against your initial timeline and determine what adjustments need to be made. If this isn't done early and often in the process, any adjustments could set you back weeks. • Frequent updates to people throughout the firm about where you are in the process and what they can do to prepare for the new system. Managing a software transition comes on top of your normal workload, which often makes it difficult to find the time to devote to it. Overcome that challenge the same way athletes do — set a specific time of the day or week to focus on your go live preparation. WORK WITH A COACH World-class runners don't go it alone, and neither should you. Your software vendor should provide you with a "coach" to help you through the planning process. Tap into the expert's experience, and ask for best practice procedures when you face an area of uncertainty. As you go forward with your training, ask questions so you don't get stuck and can keep moving toward the goal. The coach should also help you formulate a training plan, which is crucial in getting everyone in your firm ready to use the software. "Your software vendor should provide you with a Coaches are experts and bring valuable knowledge to the table, but they also need to have a certain skill set in order to effectively steer you through this transition. They should be available when you need them and should listen to you carefully so they understand your unique issues. They should also be able to keep your team focused on the most important matters during meetings and conference calls. If they are not getting information needed for the transition, they should be able to demand it without alienating staff throughout the firm. Remember, they're running this race too, and you can't afford to have them drop out. FIND A TRAINING BUDDY A coach is important, but a training buddy can be just as valuable. If you are training for a marathon and you have a buddy who is training with you, you're more likely to continue and stick to your program. Find someone at your firm who will use the new software for similar functions. Watching them put the software into action could help you better understand the program's capabilities yourself. For example, have your buddy enter a check request. Then, acting as the accounts payable clerk, process the request and print a check. You could set up a "dummy" client, have an attorney add some time entries, and then follow up with a billing cycle. As a team, you can take a process from start to finish. It's always good practice to have a buddy for backup on the major processes required to run the firm anyway. A buddy from headquarters is highly recommended for those employees in another office. Peer to Peer the quarterly magazine of ILTA 43