Law firm IT resources are distributed over a wide range of efforts, ranging from “keeping the lights on” to the implementation of a new application to support the business of the firm.  One of the most difficult tasks is staffing the new project efforts — and keeping the project team in place for the duration of the project.  Project staffing conflicts arise that result in a tug of war.  Skirmishes may stem from changing priorities, crises, scope creep and staff fatigue.  The key to success is to have a project staffing process and stick to it!

Setting a Project Process Foundation
Establish a foundation for project efforts.  Review the foundation with staff and management and then stick to it!  This list contains building blocks that are a good starting place for your foundation:

• Insist that every project has a sponsor and a business need.  You can think of the sponsor as the person who goes to firm management for more money or resources.  Business need is the reason for the project.  It may be technology updates to stay current, a new DMS, library consolidations, etc.  All projects should help the firm make money, save money or run more effectively.
• Establish a project definition based on size, scope, reach, staffing needs, budget, etc.  Each firm will have a different project definition based on the firm’s goals and IT management.  Not everything is a project, but non-project tasks consume IT resources.
• Keep a skills inventory for the IT staff.  When someone takes a class, gets certified or picks up a skill you need to catalog it.  Work out a simple spreadsheet to track “who knows what” for future reference.  It will help you if you have to juggle resources.
• Create a project tracking / planning tool.  This should be the place where you can see who is promised to project efforts, daily maintenance, classes or vacation.  Have an assistant keep the data updated no less than once a week.  Verify the information with the staff or their managers to avoid over-promising.  This may sound like a lot of work, but it will save you time when you’re under the gun for resources.

Staffing a New Project
Use your “project process foundation” as a guideline for ramping up new efforts.  Consider the skills on hand, the potential for outside resources and the project budget.  I advise all of my clients to use the resource triangle to size an effort.

Meet with the project sponsor and ask them to consider the triangle — and pick any two of the points.  Using those, you can determine the size of the third.

Here are two examples:

1.  The project has a $50,000 budget and must be completed in 10 weeks.  You consider your staff skills and availability over the next 10 weeks, outside resource costs and project hardware / software costs.  Now you should be able to describe the level of functionality that can be expected.
2.  The project has a well-defined functionality requirement and budget.  Now you should be able to determine how long the project will take based on current staff skills and availability.  If the budget is not sufficient to get outside resources, let the sponsor know that the project will take longer than he or she expects.  Perhaps more money or less functionality is needed.

You get it!  Now use the triangle to set expectations.  You come armed with a skills inventory and staffing allocations to back up the sizing of the third triangle point.

When you staff a new project remember this rule: “Availability is not a skill!”  Don’t assign project work to the only person in IT who is not already overburdened with promised deliverables.  Consider that not every person has the strong leadership skills needed to be a project manager.  Do not assign the PM role to a network engineer because this is a network project unless that person has strong leadership, organizational and communications skills.

Consider Using Consultants
Consider going outside of the firm to staff a project, particularly if the consultant / vendor brings these to the project:

• Specialized skill set
• Advisory capacity
• Strong experience in performing the task
• Backfill for IT staffing shortfalls
• Technology transfer to your staff
• General “scar tissue” so that you can benefit from the consultant’s experience

Dealing with a Changing Landscape
Unless you operate in a perfect world, changes outside of your control will test your ability to staff projects.  Here are some change agent examples:

• An ongoing project is growing in scope or spawning new projects
• You are faced with a “my project is much more important” demand from a person in the firm with the muscle to back up that statement
• Staff changes — someone leaves the firm or takes an extended absence
• A real crisis

This is the place where most IT managers get into staffing trouble.  There may be a tendency to always please the sponsor, resulting in over-promising and staff overtime.  You can get away with this once or twice, but your staff will soon realize that you are more anxious to avoid saying no to an attorney or manager than you are to considering their time outside of work.

Bad News?  Be Honest!
Another pitfall is the tendency to avoid the honest reporting of bad news.  When you approach a project sponsor with the news that the project will be late or lack functionality, you may think that you’re putting yourself and your staff in a bad light.  Consider that the alternative may be a last minute call to the project sponsor explaining that technical difficulties will cause the project rollout to be delayed.  Now both you and the sponsor look bad — and that could have been avoided by an early warning to the sponsor, coupled with a remediation plan.

Juggling IT Resources
Follow these few simple steps, and let everyone know about the process.  Keep track of projects and staffing.  Staff time promised to a project may slip and compress over time.  Keep those changes in your project tracking / planning tool.  You will eventually be faced with moving staff around, but you’ll be better armed to make decisions.  Use honesty as the best tool when dealing with sponsors.  Over time you’ll develop a reputation to staff and management for fairness and candor.  Use consultants when they bring something to the effort.  Keep focused — good luck!

About our author . . .

Susan Handman is President of SGH Computer Project Consulting LLC, working with law firms to define project processes, tracking and general project management.  She is a frequent speaker at ILTA regional meetings where her “Juggling Bowling Balls and Eggs” approach to project management provides time-tested rules for managing IT efforts.  Susan can be reached at  sghconsulting@comcast.net.