Practice innovation partner Paul Saunders talks to Lexpert Magazine about applying Lean/Agile process improvement to law practice
Halifax lawyer Paul Saunders is quoted in the February 2016 issue of Lexpert Magazine. In the article, Innovative Agility, by Anthony Davis, Paul explains how Stewart McKelvey has begun to embrace Agile and Lean process improvement methodologies that increase efficiency and streamline work processes. While introducing the Kanban workflow method, aimed at helping legal teams visualize their tasks and maximize workflow through placing Post-it notes on a whiteboard, Paul notes that, “[people] think you are a little nuts. But when you explain the underlying reasoning, it really starts to resonate with them.”
For legal practitioners thinking about adopting various Agile innovation methods, Paul provided the tip to think like a start-up – “start-ups have an idea and a vision they want to get to. But they have to be mindful of costs.” By focusing innovation initiatives on developing a minimum viable product first, and then iteratively evolving the product based on client feedback, you end up developing a much better solution in less time than traditional methods.