Legal Document Management Press Release
Interwoven, Mission Critical Systems bring big-firm solutions to small, midsized firms
In today’s increasingly complex and data-rich environment, developing an orderly process for document access and retrieval rivals the importance of document content itself. Document taxonomy, the organization scheme law firms use to manage and archive their documents, is therefore becoming a high priority of forward-thinking firms.
Fast document finding and sharing, using standardized policies, procedures and security measures allows the proactive practitioner the ability to focus on billable work, not document processing, archiving and retention tasks. Document taxonomy complements a document management system by standardizing the way documents fit into the system.
To help law firms address both form and function of stored data and records, Denver-based Mission Critical Systems has launched www.legal-document-management.com,an informational site discussing document taxonomy, organization, and management.
Mission Critical Systems is a leading integrator of legal document management systems in the Western and Central United States, having implemented iManage Worksite Enterprise Content Management for clients ranging from 15 to 500 employees.
“Document taxonomy isn’t sexy, but it’s often the difference between frontrunner status and being left in the dust,” notes Steven Nichols, director at Mission Critical Systems. “That said, it needs to be as simple as possible to fulfill its role. If it’s overly complex, user adoption will suffer. If it’s too basic, fast finding and sharing will suffer. You’ve got to locate the sweet spot, then consistently maintain it.”
Gene Smith, MCS president, adds, “Document taxonomy improves adherence to document retention policy, enforces firm standards, and helps the firm act more cohesively. It also systematizes document production for better collaboration, uniformity of work, and more robust knowledge management.”
A case study for successful document management implementation through better document taxonomy is also available on the site. A firm working with MCS / iManage needed to import legacy information for 317,000 documents. The first step was document taxonomy, creating firm-side standards for filing documents and policies for retention, simplified document classification and upgraded email handling. Streamlined training and education accompanied the rollout featuring 180 users.
“This project featured a complex migration with very simple user requirements—achieving positive results rapidly without unduly impacting the workforce. The objective is to make the system fit the company, instead of trying to force the company into a predetermined parameter,” notes Steven Kurutz, MCS senior project manager. “This stands in stark contrast to many implementations that don’t consider taxonomy adequately before deployment. It’s this type of shortsighted process that causes poor user adoption, lack of standardization, and ultimately failure.”
For more information, contact Steven Nichols: steven.nichols@mcstech.net.
