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How to Formulate or Refresh your KM Value Strategy

John Gillies, Director of Practice Support, Cassels Brock & Blackwell LLPSally Gonzalez, Senior Director, HBR ConsultingSteve Lastres, Director of Library & Knowledge Management, Debevoise & Plimpton LLPFacilitator – Patrick DiDomenico, Chief Knowledge Officer, Gibbons P.C.

August 24, 2011

ADMIN_ 20114790

Contents

• Sample Project Plan*• Strategic Interview Questions*• KM Strategy Document Outline*• Prioritization Model*• Reading List

* Prepared by Sally Gonzalez, Senior Director, HBR Consulting

Sample Project Plan

• Define Scope of KM– Communicate the range of potential KM initiatives– Agree focus areas for strategy– Document, report out, and socialize definition

• Understand Current State and KM Business Drivers– Collect existing documentation and information/metrics– Understand the firm’s business strategy as it relates to KM– Understand lawyer needs (interviews/survey)– Understand administrative department needs (interviews)– Understand client needs and expectations– Understand competitive positioning– Document, report out, and socialize findings

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Sample Project Plan (Cont)

• Formulate Strategic Goals for KM– Envision the future state – Document, report out, and socialize strategy

• Create the Implementation Roadmap– Identify candidate programs– Analyze candidate programs – Create program definitions– Prioritize initiatives and eliminate distractions– Develop roadmap for implementation– Document, report out, and socialize roadmap and plans

Strategic Interview Questions - Sample

• Questions about the business, market place, & external drivers– Which of the firm’s current knowledge management services do you think are

essential to [the firm’s / your practice group’s] present business success and market position? How do they contribute to that success? What are the most important benefits that are derived?

– How is [the firm’s / your practice group’s] revenue divided between billable hour work vs alternative or fixed fee arrangements? What trends do you see for the future?

– Do you foresee changes in the legal marketplace that would impact the firm’s current mix of knowledge management tools and services? How should the firm respond and how would these responses improve the firm’s business position?

– Are competitors of the firm offering knowledge-based services that the firm cannot currently match? What trends do you foresee for the future? What, if anything, should the firm do to overcome/avoid these gaps?

– Are important clients asking for knowledge-based services that the firm cannot currently satisfy? What trends do you foresee for the future? What, if anything, should the firm do to overcome/avoid these gaps?

Strategic Interview Questions -Sample (Cont)

• Questions about the firm’s culture– Successful KM initiatives often involve changes in the way lawyers work. What

“things” (i.e., motivators) are most effective at getting lawyers to change the way they work? Are there different factors motivating different populations—i.e., geographic regions, practice areas, etc.?

– Do you think the firm/your office/your practice group has a knowledge sharing culture? How would you rate the firm on a scale of 1 to 10, where 1 is knowledge sharing averse, 5 is neutral, and 10 is fully committed to knowledge sharing?

• Closing Question– If you were an all-powerful being and could do three things that would improve

the firm’s approach to knowledge management and make it more effective in supporting the firm’s business goals, what would those three things be?

• SEE ALSO: http://bit.ly/KMinterview for sample questions from Oz Benamram, CKO, White & Case

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KM Strategy Document OutlineKey Components

• Executive Summary• Definition of KM• Current State Report• Strategic Vision for KM

– Business Drivers– Strategic Focus (What KM will look like at the firm at the end of the

planning window)– Key Enablers (People, Process, Technology)– Risks and Benefits

Strategic Document OutlineKey Components (Cont)

• Implementation Plan– Program Statements (Mini-Project Charters)– Prioritization Outcome– Roadmap (Quick Wins and Longer-term Initiatives)– Next Steps

Prioritization Model

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Set Prioritization Criteria

Support for firm’s strategies Economic paybackBeneficial behavior changeKeeping up with competitorsMeeting clients’ needs

Investments neededComplexity of workClarity of requirements Familiarity with technologyRequired behavior changesAcceptance

Ease of Implementation

Valueto theFirm

© Sally Gonzalez

Ease of Implementation

Valueto theFirm

Project Project Project

Project

ProjectProject

Project

Project

ProjectProject

Project

ProjectProject

Project

Position Projects Relatively

© Sally Gonzalez

Project Project Project

Project

ProjectProject

Project

Project

ProjectProject

Project

ProjectProject

Project

Ease of Implementation

Valueto theFirm

Set Priorities

Field ofGain

Field ofDreams

Field ofDistraction

Field ofPain

(Just Say No!) (Maybe…a Few)

(Quick Wins)(Strategic Imperatives)

ResourceThreshold

© Sally Gonzalez

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…Deliver Over TimeField of Dreams Field of Gain

12 Months

18 Months

6 MonthsStart

© Sally Gonzalez

Reading List

• Forming a KM Strategy at Your Firm; ILTA KM White Paper; Oz Benamram and Sally Gonzalez http://www.mygazines.com/issue/34417/20

• The Knowledge Management Strategy (Chapter 8), from Knowledge Management and the Smarter Lawyer, by Gretta Rusanow,

• Plotting and Sailing a Course: Creating and Implementing Law Firm Knowledge Strategy, from Effective Knowledge Management for Law Firms, by Matthew Parsons

• Blog - Knoco stories: From the knowledge management front line - What do your staff want from KM? (September 16, 2010) http://www.nickmilton.com/2010/09/what-do-your-staff-want-from-km.html