The Challenge: A law firm found its existing DMS was clunky, time-consuming, and inhibited attorney workflows. Implementing a new DMS that enabled immediate productivity with minimal user disruption became one of the firm’s highest priorities.
The Solution: Our first step was to deploy a comprehensive and collaborative approach to the vendor RFP process. Rather than isolating requirements gathering to a select few lawyers and technology professionals, we conducted several dozen interviews with attorneys and staff to gather functional requirements. Listening to users explain how they work not only helped us ensure we selected the right solution but also created a partnership with users from the very beginning. This approach continued throughout the project, with significant user involvement during all phases.
After selecting the platform that best met user requirements, we faced the bigger challenge of migrating users from the existing DMS to the new DMS simultaneously across eight offices. To make the process seamless, we conducted extremely detailed planning and testing, including multiple test migrations. We used a minute-by-minute go-live schedule as the transition began; constant communication was critical. We triaged and prioritized issues immediately to avoid any significant delays. Once the technical cutover was complete, our attention shifted to usability and support. In addition to a comprehensive training strategy that included training before and after the cutover (see case study 4), we provided an arsenal of floor support to answer questions and ensure users were acclimated to the new system.
The Results: Our goal was to have 1200+ users leave the office on Friday afternoon with the old DMS still in place and have access to the new system on their updated workstations by the following Monday morning. We exceeded that goal by completing the transition more than 24 hours ahead of schedule. Additionally, training and support enabled users to be immediately productive with the new system in place. Case study 4 explains our training and user-adoption initiative.