December 2005 Circle Update

There was some carry-over from the October meetings, in that the two workflow vendors (Xpitax and MphasiS) who had presented to Circles #1 and #2 in October were also available for the November meetings. As before, both vendors presented excellent information on their job tracking software available for firms to use. These systems are by-products of the outsourcing experience both these vendors sponsor, but do not require any outsourcing by member firms.

In addition, Mr. Tim McNamara, an attorney with the Kansas City law firm of Lathrop and Gage LC spoke to BTC #7. Having previously visited with BTC #1 he amplified his comments for this group and talked about using a risk management approach to email management and other forms of document retention. In short, it centered around "if you do this, these are the risks, if you do that instead, here are the other risks." The Circle members were fully engaged and there was a robust discussion at the end of his presentation. The entire staff of Boomer Consulting, Inc. would like to thank Tim for his excellent contributions to the Circle program!

Each of the Circles used the second day of their meeting to focus on topics of specific interest to that Circle, and presented by Circle members.

BTC #3 had a session on Securing Client Data. Some of the topics addressed in this session included ways of encrypting and securing email transmissions (and the availability of secure Internet portals as an alternative), security risks associated with Instant Messaging, and network storage issues such as password management policies. The discussion also included backup strategies, devices, and media as well as the special risks associated with a mobile workforce carrying notebook computers. While a topic of this nature could have taken the entire meeting, this discussion generated some good "take-aways" for members to add to their 90 Day Game Plans.

In addition, BTC #3 had a round-table discussion of firm-wide training strategies. Most of these firms do not have full time Learning Coordinators and thus have to adopt different strategies to achieve the learning and training culture they are seeking. The session featured three firms who shared their experiences, followed by a general discussion among the group. While techniques differed from firm to firm, it is clear that this Circle values organizational learning and is doing something about it!

Circle #7 used their second day to address the subject of document management. Two firms, one using the Thomson GoFileRoom product, and another using Doc-It, talked about their implementation strategies, workflow decisions, and lessons learned from their experience. Once again, there was a robust discussion afterwards, since almost all firms in that Circle are somewhere in the process of paperless document management. The clear lesson learned, one that we have heard over and over again, is that success is not dependent on the software a firm selects, but rather the willingness to re-engineer processes, establish policies, and train people to the new standards.

The month of December will see the meetings for BTC #5 and #8. Check back here next month to see what these two groups accomplished. And, if your firm is not yet a member of the Boomer Technology Circles but you would like to join this group of great firms getting better together, then contact Eric Hunt (erich@boomer.com) at 888-266-6375.