CroatiaStatistical Training

Courts Session 6, January 18th, 9.00 – 10.15

An Electronic Case Management System - Introduction

With funding from the European Union

DEVELOPMENT OF MONITORING INSTRUMENTS FOR JUDICIAL AND LAW ENFORCEMENT INSTITUTIONS IN THE WESTERN BALKANS 2009-2011 Phase three – Training

Case Management System (CMS)

Do not underestimate the implementation of an Electronic CMS. Be careful not to be too ambitious.

Start with a complete, detailed and accurate description of the workflows (and do not forget a good description of terms used and the flow of entities like offenders and cases through the system)

Probably in Croatia you will have realized this already!

Case Management System (CMS)

You already have (partly?) implemented a Case Management System for the courts.

• Why did you want a CSM?• What will it be used for?

Case Management System (CMS)

Possible advantages of and use of a CMS:

• Efficiency on the ‘work floor’• Uniformity in procedures• Better quality of the data processed• Planning of resources within court• Better communication with other courts, ministry,

statistics office, prosecution etc.• …?

Case Management System (CMS)

Possible pitfalls of a CMS:

• High costs!• Possibly more workload for clerks• Too much freedom in ‘personalizing’ a CMS• Lazy entering of data (using defaults)• Quality control lacking• …?

Case Management System (CMS)

• In the Netherlands we started development of an Electronic CMS in the early ’80’s for both prosecution and courts

• It took about 4 years and many millions• And it failed miserably• Only in about 1990 we had a working Electronic

CMS• In 2002 a redesign was needed• This took about 4 years and many millions• And it failed miserably

Case Management System (CMS)

Lessons learned and recommendations:

I realize that you have already begun implementing a CMS. So some of the following lessons learned and recommendations could be familiar to you, or come too late … ;-)

But these are the lessons learned and recommendations based on my experience with the Dutch CMS.

Case Management System (CMS)

Lessons learned:• A CSM is both an organizational challenge and a

complicated IT project• There is an enormous gap between IT professionals

and legal professionals:– IT’s want to redesign everything– IT’s want to make it beautiful with lots of features– IT’s do not understand the real needs of an organization– Legal professionals do not understand the implications of

what they want in IT terms– Legal professionals think their workload will disappear when

they have a computer

Case Management System (CMS)

Lessons learned:• Implementation of a CMS has a very steep learning

curve: It takes a lot of effort and training to be able to work with it.

• It is a sad truth that software systems never seem to work correctly, certainly not in the beginning

• It is a sad truth that developing software systems takes always longer than suspected.

Case Management System (CMS)

Recommendations:• Invest a lot of time and effort in describing exactly

and formally the work processes.Before even thinking of developing software

• Hire a group of highly competent IT professionals and train them first in getting to know all legal processes.These people should become the project management.

• The project does not end when the software is delivered. Only when it is successfully implemented.

Case Management System (CMS)

Recommendations:• Start small and slowly increment the system.• Do not hire a software company to develop the

whole system. Hire programmers to do the job under the direction of your own project management.

• The only alternative is to buy standard software. But then you have to adapt your CJ system! And implementation is a big effort anyhow.

• Be aware that maintenance of the system is not to be underestimated. It is a big investment as well.

Case Management System (CMS)

Recommendations:• Seriously consider to have one system for both

prosecution and courts. Essentially you are doing the same thing: processing cases and making decisions on cases.

CroatiaStatistical Training

Courts Session 6, January 18th, 9.00 – 10.15

An Electronic Case Management System - Introduction

With funding from the European Union

DEVELOPMENT OF MONITORING INSTRUMENTS FOR JUDICIAL AND LAW ENFORCEMENT INSTITUTIONS IN THE WESTERN BALKANS 2009-2011 Phase three – Training