Peer to Peer Magazine

PEER TO PEER: THE QUARTERLY MAGA ZINE OF ILTA 8 BEST PRACTICES TRANSPORTATION: The unnecessary movement of things from one location to another. Examples include: • Excessive paperwork handoffs • Incorrect use of electronic files • Multiple deliveries to one client • Records retrieval • Sending hardcopies when not needed INVENTORY: Work in progress or materials in excess of what is required to deliver client service. Examples include: • Conflicts awaiting clearance • Documents awaiting signatures • Inactive cases • Overstocked supplies or equipment • Piles of files on desks and chairs • Unread email MOTION: Any movement of people that does not add value to the client. Examples include: • Excessive keystrokes necessary to find documents • Looking for files • Poor office layout • Searching through piles of folders • Unnecessary travel to meetings WAITING: Idle time or delays between steps in a process. Examples include: • Documents waiting to be worked on • People late for meetings • Slow replies to email • Slow boot-up or application start times • Waiting for feedback or signatures • Waiting on hold with the helpdesk That kind of thing works in corporate, but it will never work in a law firm. I've heard people working in legal say things like that before, but with downward pricing pressures and new legal services entering the market, it might be time to consider a Lean approach to law. Lean translates into satisfied clients, lower overhead, more profit and less cash required to run the business, which should drive firms to investigate Lean methodologies. Where do you start? The TIMWOOD list of seven deadly wastes can help you identify and eliminate activities that do not add value to the client or business. TIMWOOD FOR LEGAL The mnemonic device TIMWOOD identifies types of waste common in corporate settings. As you read through the list, coupled with examples, see if you can identify TIMWOOD occurring in your firm. About the Author As a Senior Learning Consultant with Traveling Coaches, Mike Sweeney advises clients on improving the efficiency and effectiveness of firm learning programs. Mike is a certified Lean Six Sigma Green Belt and the recipient of ILTA's 2014 Technology Advocacy Professional of the Year award. Contact him at msweeney@travelingcoaches.com. Find the TIMWOOD, Eliminate the Waste According to a 2007 iSixSigma study, process improvement methodologies like Lean Six Sigma are in place in over half of Fortune 500 companies, where they have produced a savings of over $420 billion. T I M W DEFINITIONS FOR VALUE AND WASTE Lean focuses on maximizing value for clients while minimizing waste. "Value" is something for which a client is willing to pay, that meets client expectations and is done right the first time. Value can be delivered to external and internal clients. "Waste" is everything that does not create value (non-value-added activities). By eliminating waste, we add capacity to focus on delivering value. One critical part of Lean is that the client defines value. Once that value is defined, you ask three questions: 1. Would the client be willing to pay for this activity? (client-value added) 2. Would the partners be willing to pay for this activity? (business-value added) 3. Are your answers to 1 and 2 "no"? (non-value added/waste)

• Cover