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Increasing Importance of PM for lawyers
• Growing Role of GC’s– Handling the merger of their firm with another– Selling or acquiring assets or shares– Going public– Negotiating complex agreements
• Increasing constraints– Strict budget– Aggressive timing – Tight resources
Increasing Importance of PM for lawyers
• Increased complexity
– Cross functional teams
– Massive number of individual tasks to be completed
– Difficulties to align priorities
– No hierarchical power
– Globalization of the markets
– Highly matrixed environments
– Strategic for the company (its future, its revenues)
Importance for GC’s to develop PM skills
Requirements for a successful PM - Defining the project and clarifying the responsibilities – Key question – WHO ?
• Who is in charge ?• What are your responsibilities ? Do you have decision making
authority ?• Who is on the team and in charge of what ?• Who are the sponsors ? The team leaders ?• Is everyone who is performing work for the project identified?
– Clarify ambiguous roles and responsibility • PM should be officially announced in writing by the top
management• Make sure everyone you need is on board
Firstname Name Title Site E-mail address Mobile Phone number Complete Site Adress Postcode
Company’s name
Department 1
Department 2
EXTERNAL LAWYERS
CONSULTING CONTACTS
Project organisation
Requirements for a successful PM - Defining the project and clarifying the responsibilities
• Key question – WHAT ?– What is the scope of the project?
• Clearly define the scope and objectives of the project • Make sure everyone understand the scope of the project
– What resources do you need?• Internally • Externally
– What are the major deliverables?• List the main deliverables• List the key milestones
Requirements for a successful PM – Organizing and planning the Project
• Key question – WHEN ?– Schedule is very important – not too many but not too few meetings – How often the teams will meet ?– Identify dependencies: which teams need to deliver first?– Appoint someone to maintain the project file
• Important issues– Make sure to organize regular sponsors’ meetings – Identify timely workstream’s issues– Anticipate any impact on the schedule– Inform – fluidity of information is vital
Requirements for a successful PM – Organizing and planning the Project
• Key question – HOW ?– Track each task by listing each of them– Make sure someone update the list regularly– Define one owner per task– Homogeneous information: communication is key
• Make sure to consult as broadly as possible• List also external tasks
– To be done by the vendor / acquirer– Administrative approvals
• Track and take adaptive action if required
Conclusions - Qualities to be a good PM
• Manage expectation• Good leader – motivator• Big picture oriented• Effective communicator• Good organizer• Goal oriented • Anticipate risks• Good understanding of other departments issues
Conclusion – close out the project
• PM requires a lot of energy – make sure to :
– Celebrate the project completion (closing diner, tombstones)
– Recognize everyone’s contributions – Learn – what did go well / what did not?– Share tools – if useful for other projects (avoid to
reinvent the wheel for each new project)