Issue link: https://epubs.iltanet.org/i/74024
It's Not About the Tool: Assessing an Ongoing Project Management Implementation both risks and rewards relative to actual performance against budget. While the new protocols for budgeting and time entry might seem like ends unto themselves, a team's ability to perform successfully against the budget is the ultimate metric of meaningful change for the project management initiative. To this end, the project manager of a given matter typically has responsibility for monitoring and advising on the status of the budget against actual costs. The time interval for these reports might vary depending on the phase of the matter (e.g., more frequent reporting would be needed if a phase were highly active) and the client's internal reporting expectations. Humans Master the Tool (Not the Other Way Around) Our implementation issues focused on the adoption of new behaviors: new ways to budget, enter time and report on the budget against actual fees and costs. These process-oriented changes would be necessary regardless of the types of tools available to assist in developing budgets and reporting on performance against them. Although the firm has now developed a sophisticated project management tool that will bring our knowledge and best practices together and ease implementation, the key practice-oriented human behaviors will drive the success of the initiative: thoughtful budgeting, seamless communication with clients and consistent reporting to ensure that teams are performing as expected. This is why we are constantly reminding ourselves and our practice teams that "It is not all about the tool." Opportunities FRESH Career Posted DAILY! ILTA's Career Center is your best resource for making online employment connections in the legal market. The feature-rich site offers several opportunities for connecting law firms and corporate legal departments with top talent, along with quick and easy job posting and online job activity reports. It provides job-seekers free and confidential résumé posting, automated weekly email notification of new job listings, online application for positions and the ability to save jobs for later review. Employers can post and edit their job listings at will, select features to highlight key positions, receive email notification of applicants and search résumés. Visit the Career Center at iltanet.org under the Services tab. ILTA White Paper 35