Although legal ops professionals work on all kinds of projects that practically scream out for project management processes, few say they actually use such processes to increase the chances that their projects will succeed. And while the tenets of project management may seem overly formulaic or complex, legal ops professionals and their organizations stand to benefit from using project management processes.
Only 37% of respondents to Bloomberg Law’s 2021 Legal Operations Survey said their law firm or legal department uses project management processes—and even fewer use related processes such as Agile or Six Sigma.
These lower percentages are surprising, given that project management is foundational to legal operations as a field. Effectively managing projects is key for legal operations professionals, whose responsibilities often involve people management, organizational planning, business performance, legal technology, and outside legal services—all of which impact the overall operation of an organization.
Using common project management processes can ensure that projects run on time, stay on budget, and provide needed deliverables. They also streamline projects, providing for efficiency.
Project Management Processes to Consider
Project management is broad, and its principles can further legal operations projects as well as other projects, including matter and case management. Project management processes can assist legal operations professionals to more seamlessly:
With these tools, legal operations professionals can move forward knowing that their projects are following processes intended to effectively achieve project goals, potentially leading to better and stronger outcomes for their organizations.
Bloomberg Law Subscribers can find additional resources on our Practical Guidance: Project Management for Legal Operations and In Focus: Legal Operations page.
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