Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/34417
AN UNCONVENTIONAL ALLIANCE: LESSONS FROM A LEAN SIX SIGMA PILOT comprehensive reference of alternative language. Instead, the team had to continually ask questions about the causes of turning drafts throughout the transaction and how to inform other contributors, including clients, about how information could be managed within the new framework. As documentation was completed during the pilot, the team also realized that just as they wanted to start using these materials in their current deals, the larger practice group might also want to use a particular document outside the context of the overall approach. This discussion underscored the importance of orienting and educating the practice group as a whole on the benefits of introducing the framework to clients and the challenges of using the documentation on a piecemeal basis. A NEW FORM OF LEVERAGE From a knowledge management perspective, Lean Six Sigma has the potential to add a different kind of leverage to a legal practice, because it transforms lawyers’ tacit knowledge into actionable, explicit knowledge and develops their capabilities to apply insights and process thinking more generally in other areas. However, one should not underestimate the level of commitment necessary to see this type of project through, given the amount of reading and practical application required to learn Lean Six Sigma concepts and articulate the team’s specific deal management approach. Especially from the perspective of continuous improvement, the long cycle times of most successful transactions create additional challenges to the further refinement and deployment of Lean Six Sigma strategies. Compared to the implementation of knowledge management software, Lean Six Sigma projects unpack a process in ways most technology deployments do not. Instead of perceiving solutions as automating or optimizing certain steps of a process that a software application can control, these methods prompt questions about which activities add value from a client’s perspective and how the overall flow of information drives the cost and quality of production. Furthermore, instead of implementing a solution driven by the constraints of capital budgets or leasing cycles, a Lean Six Sigma approach provides the means for a team to improve on an ongoing basis by incorporating lessons learned as projects are completed. Much like the early years of Toyota, when Taiichi Ohno would ask new employees to stand in a circle on the factory floor until they could observe waste in a process, the pilot provided us with an opportunity to observe the invisible and gain fresh insight into deal and knowledge management. Through dialogue and the practical application of these tools, the team was able to resolve the tension between the need to improve their current practices and the desire to create a marketplace advantage for their clients. Of all the lessons learned during the pilot, it’s clear that the pilot’s success was due in large part to the leadership, subject- matter expertise and team dynamics that formed consensus on numerous points. ILTA www.iltanet.org Knowledge Management 45