Needs Analysis

Before we can recommend a strategic technology solution, we need to understand how your firm works. Kraft Kennedy has proven that the best method to gain this understanding is via the needs analysis. This is a process by which we interview a representative group of attorneys, legal assistants, and support staff to gain an understanding of the specific information requirements of your personnel and in particular of the individuals responsible for various tasks. We are interested in the culture of your firm, the firm’s goals, motivators, business requirements and success factors.

Process

The interviews are conducted in small groups to ensure an intimate and interactive environment. Our focus during this process is to pose questions of a very general nature, geared to evoke open-ended responses. As there are no right or wrong answers, participants are encouraged to speak freely regarding their responsibilities, their use of technology and their daily challenges.

The success of the needs analysis is largely based upon selecting a representative group of participants, informing the participants of what to expect during the interviews and how much time to allow. We assist your management team in this preparation by providing guidelines for how to organize the interviews and prepare the participants.

In addition to the interviews, we request you provide any documentation which will enhance our understanding of the firm and its goals. We provide a list of suggested documentation well in advance of the needs analysis so that we have sufficient time to review and gain the required knowledge of your firm before starting the interviews.

The Team

The interviews are conducted by two members of our senior consulting staff. Because we recognize that attorneys have unique business requirements, we feel it’s important that one member of our team be a lawyer who has practiced law.

Technology Audit

Depending upon the firm’s requirements, the needs analysis is often coupled with a technology audit. The audit is conducted by members of our senior technical staff and is used as a baseline from which our recommendations are founded. Please refer to the Technology Audit section for more information about this process.

The Results

At the conclusion of the interviews our team prepares their recommendations for both technology improvements as well as process improvements. These findings are presented to your management team by our needs analysis team. The presentation usually consists of an executive summary document combined with a slide presentation, which covers critical areas such as functionality, availability, capacity, self-sufficiency and ROI.

Next Steps

If your law firm is like most, the decision about improving or changing technology requires careful consideration. The information provided to your management team at the conclusion of the needs analysis should be sufficient for your team to determine the most critical areas on which to focus.