Lessons Learned: A successful implementation of a knowledge management system in a major law firm

Last week I was invited along to one of Bristol's biggest law firms to hear a presentation on how they had successful implemented a new Knowledge Management System. There was some interesting lessons learned which I noted down afterwards - despite the niche subject matter, these might be useful on any project, in any sector.

1. Get the non-financial benefits right. The project wasn't authorised on the basis of it's financial payback. The project wasn't set up to reduce overall operating expenses or generate new or additional revenue and, similarly, the value of the project wasn't measured in these terms. Instead, the non-financial benefits of the project were weighted against financial investment and the decision was taken to accept the risk.
   
   
2. Maintain senior stakeholder commitment throughout. The project team had the buy-in of the top team from the outset and, critically, maintained the buy-in throughout the project. In the early stages, an external independent consultant who had particular credibility with the board, had recommended the approach the project was intending to take and this cemented the top team's commitment.
   
   
3. Look beyond your industry sector. The project team looked beyond products targeted at their sector. They consider the entire range of knowledge management products and, in the end, chose a product and an integration partner that had subject matter rather than sector experience. This had the added benefit of generating real energy on the part of their integration partner as they were keen to establish a foothold in the legal sector.
   
   
4. Use proven project management techniques. The team used proven project management techniques to assist with key decision making, particularly in the area of selecting a product and vendor. The team used weighted scoring to particularly good effect in this respect (sometimes referred to as the Analytical Hierarchy Process). The presentation noted that this kept the decision-making stakeholders focused on priorities and that it depersonalised choices.
   
   
5. Align the organisation's culture to the implementation strategy. The implementation strategy was neither big bang or a phased transition. Instead, on day one, the new Knowledge Management System was available to all users alongside the existing system. This helped the project team gain acceptance for the new system in an organisational culture that is conservative by default. As a result, all users could clearly see the benefits on an ongoing basis of the new system.