Create a Strategic Plan for Your Legal Department

As a Legal Ops professional, you’ve probably already started developing a strategic plan for your legal department for 2024. If not, a strategic plan will provide you with a roadmap to navigate the challenges and opportunities in the upcoming year with actionable steps, resource allocation, and key performance indicators (KPIs), according to a blog post by Exigent. 

Strategic plans will unify your team under common goals, utilize data for performance analysis, and incorporate technology and cross-functional processes to improve efficiency. These are 10 essential steps to follow in creating an effective road map for your legal department.

1. Perform an assessment: Review your department’s performance, considering strengths, weaknesses, and potential growth opportunities.
2. Outline goals and outcomes: Establish specific and measurable goals and defined objectives linked to motivating factors.
3. Align with existing strategies: Ensure the new plan complements existing functions or processes and aligns with company-wide goals.
4. Prioritize your objectives: Rank objectives based on importance, considering factors such as time sensitivity, budget constraints, and overall impact.
5. Document actionable steps: Transform each objective into detailed, actionable steps with outlined tasks, responsibilities, deadlines, and required resources.
6. Allocate your resources: Plan and allocate resources to ensure sustained support for every stage of the strategic plan.
7. Establish KPIs: Define measurable KPIs aligned with the plan’s objectives to track progress effectively.
8. Initiate and monitor the strategy: Utilize tools to collect and analyze data at each stage, monitoring performance, and promptly addressing issues.
9. Maintain open communication: Engage the team throughout the planning and execution phases, seeking feedback, insights, and perspectives to enhance effectiveness.
10. Be agile: Embrace an agile approach that allows flexibility and quick adaptation to changing needs and trends. Foster a collaborative environment for continuous improvement.

A well-executed strategic plan goes beyond setting goals and objectives. It is a commitment to growth and productivity, improved employee engagement, and the success of your legal department.