Greenwoods Legal LLP strategic IT review
Helping develop a technology roadmap for the future
Law firms usually commission us to conduct a strategic IT review for a number of reasons, the most common being:
• when the core technology needs a review;
• technology is not working as well as it should;
• a project has perhaps not gone according to plan;
• suppliers have over promised but are under delivering;
• or maybe the infrastructure is simply creaking under pressure.
However, this was not the case for Greenwoods Legal which works with national and international clients from offices in London, Cambridge and Peterborough. Greenwoods had a documented technology vision. Its approach was a desire to know if that vision was possible and if so, how to achieve it.
Following a series of internal discussions and meetings, the Senior Management Team was aware of areas needing specific attention. Further internal discussions had enabled the creation of the firm’s vision for its IT provision, which was to be focused on improving multiple key systems such as DMS, CMI, and CRM.
The requirement
Greenwoods needed Lights-On Consulting to ratify this vision, as well as understand the “AS IS”, and provide advice on the potential “journey”.
The process
The Lights-On unique and proven strategic review follows a concise and defined process:
1. The law firm completes a comprehensive self-audit process.
2. We conduct interviews with the customers of IT (staff and partners).
3. We analyse the results of the interviews using a tried and tested approach that ensures an unbiased and objective conclusion.
4. Lights-On presents the results to the firm in a plain English report.
This report sets out a practical plan of projects that is based on the identified level of importance to the firm as identified during the IT review process, together with relevant external forces such as cyber security or solutions heading towards end of life.
It also includes an outline of how the solutions highlighted within the internal IT review, and the solutions highlighted by Lights-On and from any other additional discussions, could / should combine to support the firm to realise its vision.
The first step
As an immediate action from our report, Greenwoods completed a number of ‘quick wins.’
One of these was to tackle the logistics of the Microsoft price increases that everyone was subjected to in March 2022.
Other immediate projects demonstrated the firm’s continued commitment to improving the technology used. Improving the perception of IT is a valuable move to gain the hearts and minds of staff which is beneficial to longer-term strategic projects in the future.
The vision
To understand Greenwoods’ current IT landscape and future ambitions, Lights-On spent a lot of time talking to the Senior Management Team about the vision for the firm. This ‘getting under the skin’ of the firm, coupled with the results from a host of information-gathering sessions, allowed us to align the technology-set with future business strategy.
Underpinning this approach is our goal to ensure that any money spent on technology meets a client’s long-term business goal. It is essential any proposed and recommended projects that follow a Strategic IT Review, align with the overall vision for the firm.
Our consultants have extensive experience of the legal IT marketplace, and the knowledge of product roadmaps. This means we always ask the right, specific questions that delve deep into what firms want to achieve.
Results
Like Greenwoods, some firms want a high-level review of the IT infrastructure, the software, and if necessary, conversations with suppliers to help re-align relationships. The internal IT Review gave us the foundations on which to build our own Strategic IT Review. This enabled us to see exactly what Greenwoods wanted for the future based on the solutions listed at the outset.
Greenwoods needed our expertise to help execute the vision, provide practical step-by-step actions, and provide vital market knowledge.
We thoroughly enjoyed this project with Greenwoods.
“As a result of this process, Greenwoods is confident it is heading in the right IT direction. The Senior Management Team has an actionable plan that will support the delivery of the Firm’s IT vision, and the results of Lights-On’s report provides a clear technology road map to support our strategic plans for the future.”
Robert Dillarstone, Managing Partner