How to Build Your Legal Technology Roadmap in Three Steps

Technology integration streamlines legal operations and helps legal teams demonstrate their value to the broader organization. However, barriers to adopting legal technology persist and it’s important to develop a legal technology roadmap to address priorities strategically and overcome these obstacles, according to a Thomson Reuters article.

Typically spanning three years, a roadmap details how technology can meet the department’s strategic needs and priorities. Developing a technology roadmap involves three key steps:

1. Determine the strategic priorities for the legal department. According to Thomson Reuters’ 2020 State of Corporate Law Departments report, the main priorities are improving functional effectiveness, increasing efficiency, and safeguarding the company. It’s crucial to assess the department’s specific challenges and align them with these priorities.
2. Analyze existing processes to identify inefficiencies that technology can address. This involves listing current systems, responsibilities, and common requests, then focusing on high-cost, time-consuming, or repetitive tasks. Benchmarking metrics should be recorded to measure success and refine requirements.
3. Decide whether new technology is necessary or if existing processes can be optimized. Start with small, manageable projects to achieve quick wins and build momentum. The chosen technology should deliver tangible benefits such as cost savings or time efficiency, which should be reported and reallocated for further improvements.

With a well-structured legal technology roadmap, legal departments can strategically address challenges and enhance operational effectiveness. Aligning priorities with technology and process improvements not only improves efficiency but also underscores the department’s value to the broader organization.