When you send a memo in an interoffice envelope do you feel as though you might as well drop the message in a bottle and toss it out to sea?  Is it still taking hours for that "rush" document to reach its destination?  Automating your business processes can offer huge benefits.  Transferring information electronically routes it faster and allows you to track its progress more easily.  A well-defined workflow strategy can also identify bottlenecks quickly so they can be removed and system efficiency restored.  But before you implement a new or revamped workflow process, take a look at your current methods for handling documents and information.

Typical Workflow Process
Common workflow processes in law firms involve activities such as purchasing, processing new hires, conflict checking, e-filing, setting up file folders and new matter intake.  All workflow processes, whether done manually or electronically, have certain things in common:

• A work order or request is initiated.
  Supporting information is provided, usually by the initiator, and in some instances, supplied by those to whom the work is routed or derived from a database.
• Additional information in the form of comments, approvals and documents may be bundled with the work order as it is routed.  By the time the order is completed, it may have input from several sources.
• The requested work is done, completing the work order.

Analyzing Your Current Workflow
If you want to do less work overall in implementing a new workflow system for your firm, start preparing well before your workflow developer writes the first line of code.  A good way to begin is to ask the same questions a good investigative reporter would ask:  Who, What, Where, When, Why and How.  Your questions may vary according to the workflow system you're examining at your firm, and here are a few examples:

Who?
Who is requesting and who will approve the work order?
Who has the information needed, who enters it and who will use it?
Who should receive copies of the work order?

What?
What data is collected?
What systems are used to look up the information or receive the data?
What information is required or optional?
What questions involve yes/no or multiple-choice responses?  Do some require more descriptive answers?
What expectations will there be with respect to service?
What is the desired result of this workflow process?

When?
When is the information entered, and when is it due?  Are specific turnaround times needed?
When is the information committed or locked so that it can't be changed?
At what stages and in what circumstances will the work order be approved, rejected, cancelled, routed differently or finalized?  When is escalation necessary?

Where?
Where is the work order archived?
Where are in-route decision points positioned in the workflow?
Where is the work order routed at each decision point?

Why?
Why is this work order important to the firm?
Why do the steps in this workflow process need to be in a particular order?

How?
How does the work order travel through the workflow process?  Interoffice mail?  E-mail?  Snail mail?
How is the data entered and validated?
How is the progress of the work order tracked?

Refining Your Workflow Design
After you've asked your questions and analyzed the results, it's time to assemble and refine your workflow design.  You can flag areas that might need extra attention as you're planning your workflow automation on paper.  Examine your design carefully.  Are some sections of your proposed routing structure unclear?  Consider where the process starts to get convoluted or confusing.  Is there a point where issues arise in no particular order and it's difficult to tell who has done what?  If so, additional investigation or establishing some clear business rules and practices may be in order.  It may seem tedious, but without this thorough preparation, you could end up automating chaos.

Rewards of a Successful Workflow Design Process
Before designing your new workflow system, research and analyze your current processes thoroughly.  Preparation beforehand will save you time and money before development starts and the meter begins running.  It may also cost your firm significantly more money if the developer attempts to build the workflow and do the research at the same time.

If you do your homework, you'll be ready for the developer to begin actual programming.  All your detailed preparation will definitely pay off when the implementation of your workflow design proceeds as smoothly as your information does once the new system is in place.

About our author . . .

Lindsay McCall, PMP, has been a manager in the IT department at Morrison and Foerster since 1989 and has served as a Senior Project Manager for the last five years.  Lindsay has managed a number of workflow automation development projects over the years which have involved business process analysis.  Before joining Morrison & Foerster, Lindsay spent nine years as a technical analyst at Wells Fargo Bank.  He can be reached at lmccall@mofo.com.