April 27, 2022

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The quote below is something we repeatedly hear in our consulting practice! Disillusionment (and abandonment) of or with technology can result from some common assumptions, i.e. the problem this tech can solve, a lack of understanding of the time investment required, impatience in getting the tech onboarded, and a lack of clarity on the successful outcome.

Elevate’s extensive experience enables us to support our customers by advising them in how to avoid these common pitfalls. Here are a few areas where we see firms misalign:

• Problem Identification – Firms assume the problem, rather than taking a step back and spending the time to understand the real problem(s).
• New Tech – Jumping to the conclusion that tech will solve the problem and not setting clear success factors and KPIs to understand whether the chosen solution has delivered the required goals and return on investment (ROI).
• Time and Resources – The ever-present problem when working with lawyers, who often don’t have the luxury of time to spend on innovation. There is also an underestimation of the time involved in adequately gathering and testing requirements and use cases, choosing the tech, and reengineering and testing the processes around the tech to completely and seamlessly embed it in new ways of working. Correctly training and embedding a tool requires senior expertise. The opportunity cost of not investing the right resources and time before choosing and rolling out the chosen tool leads to a reduced or lack of return on the investment.
• Client Value – Building the new approach, articulating the benefits and adjusting the pricing into a go-to-market strategy.
• Standardisation – The importance of cleaning, standardising, and clearly defining templates, documents, and processes before they are reengineered to accommodate the tool.
• Ownership – Clear roles and responsibilities around ownership, maintenance, training, and ongoing management of any tech used. IT may not be the best owner of the tool; a dedicated and embedded resource working closely with the lawyers may add more value.
• Change Management and Engagement for Roll Out and Adoption – Embedding the tool and newly reengineered processes involves changing habits, which is no small task and often underestimated. There is a real opportunity cost of not fully leveraging change management when purchasing new tech, and it often leads to missed ROI.

When thinking about how best to manage and implement technology initiatives, take the time to carefully consider these crucial aspects. This will ensure you are making the right time and budgetary investments and will make a difference in user adoption!