Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/1037
the quarterly magazine of ILTA 13 Peer to Peer I frequently owe them a free lunch, I routinely invite the controller and my network administrator. A smaller, better balanced membership allows us to focus on the important policies and procedures required at the firm. And there are no members who simply have their own agenda. PEER 3: Good point about members with personal agendas – you know, members more concerned with how technology will affect their own practice than that of the entire firm. You need a balanced committee that will challenge the partner who is thinking mostly about himself or herself. PEER 8: Me, I'm not a big fan of tech committees; but if you've got to have one, avoid having too many techno- geeks on the committee – to keep from going down rabbit holes with discussions about bits and bytes. You want partners who have clout and will help you carry out tough decisions, especially if you want to make radical policy changes. The techno-geek partner won't help you much in that area. Case in point, at my previous firm, death of the tech committee happened when the committee did not approve mandatory passwords on the handhelds for all the lawyers. Actually, most of them were indifferent to the idea, but one of the techno-geek partners saw it as an inconvenience and talked the others into going along. Despite risk management implications, they still chose personal convenience over protecting the firm, and when the pros and cons were relayed to the managing partner, he became a bit unnerved once and wanted to know what the point of the committee was if it couldn't make the right call on something so obvious. Also, you absolutely must have a project sponsor for each major initiative. Make him or her accountable for the outcome of the project. That gives each member some true insight and appreciation into the entire lifecycle of a project. PEER 1/LEADER: I've heard some different ideas about what the committee should focus on . . . PEER 2: I think it should identify the overall business objectives of the firm and ensure that IT is aligned with those objectives. In addition, it should set policy for the firm's information systems and use of technology and perform financial oversight. The partners on the committee have a fiduciary responsibility to the rest of the partnership to ensure that the money is being invested wisely and that projects are being completed on time and not sitting on a shelf somewhere. PEER 9: I love our tech committee! The firmwide chair is a "regular user," very pragmatic. He also serves on the executive committee, so he's in tune with the broader business objectives and financial plans. Plus we have a good balance of normal users and techno-geeks. And it is one of the few administrative committees in which associates serve alongside partners. Our charter is to assess and make recommendations as to the firm's technology resources and needs, and oversee implementation of its efforts in the area of computers and legal technology. We usually meet as a committee twice a year. We also have an informal technology steering committee – all staff – that takes a deeper dive into the financial and administrative implications of proposed initiatives. This steering committee consists of the executive director, CFO, CIO and enterprise IT services director. The other directors associated with IT, including PMO and security, consult as needed. PEER 6: At the beginning of each fiscal year, our committee's core group – the people actually presenting each month – put together the initial budget and list of projects for the coming year. The committee can ask questions, make suggestions and get information to be champions of technology to the rest of the firm. As issues come up with policies implemented, the shareholders on the committee are tasked with supporting the policy and helping their colleagues understand the benefits to them, as well as any resulting cultural changes. And as new tools are implemented, the shareholders are generally in the pilot groups and have influence on how applications are customized. PEER 1/LEADER: Thanks, everybody! Wish we had more time for discussion, but it's time to wrap up this session. I've heard lotsof great input today. Let's see how well I can sum it all up. Most of you seem to think a tech committee is a good • idea. While you • 've had varying degrees of success, for the most part, a smaller, well-balanced membership seems to work best. Larger groups, if managed and chartered properly, can • work, too. Focusing on bigger issues is better than chewing on bits • and bytes. The makeup of your committee depends on your own • firm's size and needs The committee should support the success of the firm • 's technology, not "control" it. ILTA