The quarterly publication of the International Legal Technology Association
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/21494
CASE STUDIES Paul Hastings Training Success Story by Jeanne Marie Boswell, Director of Technology Training at Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker LLP DEFINING THE GOAL We would eliminate paper expense reimbursement pre- approval forms in all offices, simultaneously. ARTICULATING THE TRAINING PROBLEM Before launching electronic pre-approval forms, we faced some issues when planning our training for our Web-based expense reimbursement system: • The topic of expense reimbursement pre-approval forms was small and self-contained, though applicable to a broad audience spanning seven time zones; • It was “need-to-know” information that might not be needed for a week, a month or more; • Our existing software solution assumed knowledge of certain firm policies and procedures that resided outside the software itself; • Users would need to learn how to use the new form and know the firm’s pre-approval policies; and • Because the pre-approval feature could not be activated selectively, all 18 offices would begin using it on the same date. This, in turn, meant that hundreds of secretaries and lawyers would need training at the same time. IDENTIFYING THE SOLUTION The obvious solution was a pre-recorded e-learning demonstration. Not only would this address the first challenge: how to reach a large number of widely dispersed 40 www.iltanet.org Peer to Peer users, but it would also provide a solution to the second challenge: how to provide training at the moment it was needed. Working with the project stakeholders in accounting, we prepared a 15-minute script on creating, tracking and submitting electronic pre-approval forms. We also drafted a one-page quick reference card for those who prefer step-by-step instructions. “Usage statistics showed a high volume of hits immediately before and after the rollout of the electronic pre-approval form.” After numerous rewrites and retakes, we completed the tutorial and handout. The “know-how” portion of the project was done, but knowing how to generate the form was only the half of it. Secretaries and lawyers also needed to be knowledgeable of the firm’s pre-approval policies. The documentation regarding business development, recruiting and general expense policies was scattered about the firm’s intranet. Our final hurdle, then, was to