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Going Paperless - Deloitte Principal, Jack Walker, Shares His Insights
RL: I spend a great deal of time on the road, meeting with customers and partners. I find this to be the best way to stay in touch with our clients
and the changes in the environment. Recently, a number of enterprises and agencies have asked for my thoughts, ideas, and suggestions on
how to implement an electronic document review process (i.e., going paperless). Since almost every company has considered, or is considering,
how to migrate from a paper-based review process to an electronic review process, it seems quite timely to tackle the subject in this issue of the
Bluebeam Insider. So, I contacted my friends at Deloitte who specialize in electronic document management consulting and asked for their
feedback on this subject. Below are responses to questions I posed to Jack Walker, a Principal out of the Chicago office of Deloitte Financial
Advisory Services LLP who specializes in data management and data analytics.
RL: What is the single most important issue when rolling out an electronic document review process?
JW: While most firms have defined their business and technology requirements, including visioning the future process state, and conducted an
appropriate software selection, many organizations have not adequately considered and planned for the impact of change management. What
do I mean by change management? Change management is how to empower people to make change happen. In other words, a large part of the
success of any project has to do with how to properly support, motivate, and enable people.
RL: I agree that this appears to be the single biggest challenge. In fact, we recently met with a Fortune 500 company in the midst of rolling out
an electronic plan review process. They are about six months into the project and appear to be hitting a wall - my guess is that it is insufficient
support at the top.
RL: Tell me, what part does leadership play in the success of the project?
JW: Actually, a large part. In fact, all stakeholders, or those who will be impacted by the project, have a vested interest in the success or failure of
the project. In the case of electronic plan review, productivity gains and losses in workflow management rely on the persistence of users in learning
and implementing processes using the provided technologies. While very few projects will succeed with a simple mandate from the top, there needs
to be a visible endorsement and use of the technology at all levels to demonstrate that key stakeholders are involved and support the project.
RL: How do you gain this support?
JW: Usually there is a business case for the new process and technology adoption—this is what drove the decision in the first place. Revisiting that
business case and publicizing that business case is a great place to start with all levels of employees. Presentation of the business case can be
distilled into two main areas. First, quantify the return on investment measured in dollars gained or saved, plus any indirect improvements to quality
or time savings which positively impacts the bottom line. Second, demonstrate how this project aligns with an overall business strategy or vision.
For example, you could argue that by migrating to a paperless review process, you will be able to provide better, faster, more cost-effective customer
service. Improving this customer experience will then translate to a competitive advantage in the marketplace.
JW: Next, identify and involve all the other parties who will have a vested interest in the project. Highlight the costs and benefits for them or their
group and make sure the benefits outweigh any costs. Be sure to consider and include intangibles such as personalities, work load, visibility to their
superiors, and comfort with new technology. Remember, the success of the project requires the participation of everyone involved - getting their buy-in
is therefore critical to your success. For example, one method to obtain buy-in is to visibly seek continuous feedback on how the work flow management
tools are working directly from the system users. This shows that leadership recognizes the discomfort that change can cause and is actively managing
that process, including implementing improvements, where beneficial and appropriate, to assist the users in leveraging the new technology.
RL: Interesting that you should point out comfort with new technology. "Comfort" can run the gamut from a power user who grew up with a PC to a
esigner who continues to sketch with pad and pen.
RL: How would you accommodate for such a broad spectrum in users?
JW: There is no easy answer to this question - it all boils down to proper awareness, education and training. Awareness is nothing more than making
sure everyone knows the technology exists, is available, and that benefits accrue from using the adopted workflow tools (conversely, not adopting same
tools result in organizational costs). Depending on the size of your organization, corporate communications might need to be involved to relay information
about the project and technology on a wide scale. Education, as opposed to training, is learning about the technology itself - what feature or function
does what. Training is the hands-on aspect of learning using exercises, problems, and real-world case studies.
In many cases, technology is rolled out in phases where a group, office, or region launches first and others follow. This affords the opportunity to modify
the education and training program in addition to the processes and technology. Since proper education and training empowers and enables people to
do the work required, take ample time to develop a program that works for your culture.
RL: I couldn't agree more. We have developed our own three-part training program that involves formal education in a classroom environment, one-on-one
live sessions, and an open Q&A forum where everyone participates. This gives the trainee the ability to learn the technology, apply it, then have the
opportunity to clarify and receive feedback.
RL: Do you have any final advice for our readers?
JW: Yes, just one final area for consideration - incentives and motivation. To truly improve performance and accountability, you need to measure the
results. Be sure to clarify roles and responsibilities and integrate performance management or metrics on a project level in addition to the individual level.
These metrics can be quantitative (i.e., time savings or lower costs) or qualitative (the employee can articulate how their performance impacts the goals
r objectives of the project).
JW: Also, to encourage the right actions or decisions, include rewards and recognition that link directly to the success of the project. For example, in a
recent Deloitte survey to 150 senior executives from around the world, only 10 percent of the respondents completely agreed with the statement that
"Individuals are rewarded with incentives linked to success in meeting strategic targets." Based on these results, it is not surprising that many companies
struggle with strategic and financial objectives. If the projects lack a clear link to the strategies of the company, then the people on those projects are not
tied into the overall strategy and the results are likely to fall short of expectations. You will do best to ensure all the moving parts and the people who move
them are in sync.
RL: I would like to send my thanks and appreciation to Deloitte and would like to specifically thank Mr. Walker for providing his insights into managing change.
If you have any follow up questions or would like to engage Deloitte to assist with your project, I have provided Jack's contact information below.
Good luck and remember that sometimes, change is best adopted when incremental.
Richard
Bluebeam CEO
John Arthur (“Jack”) Walker, M.S.
Financial Advisory Services Principal
Deloitte Financial Advisory Services LLP
johnwalker@deloitte.com, (312) 486-3149
Jack Walker leads the Deloitte FAS Midwest Analytic & Forensic Technology (“AFT”) practice, which provides the technical infrastructure for forensic investigations
and disputes, including Computer Forensics, Electronic Discovery, Litigation Document Hosting, Transactional Data Management and Data Analytics. Mr. Walker
has provided strategy, operations, and technology consulting for Fortune 500 companies as well as provided analytical support in a variety of litigation support and
expert witness capacities. Recently, Mr. Walker has been focused on working closely with legal, compliance, and technology departments in companies to create
sustainable litigation hold, data collection, and document review and production processes.
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