Contract management implementation change management. In a series of blog posts early 2009 (click here, here and here), I discussed how the implementation of the Weagree Wizard entailed a change management process and I identified which steps should be taken to realise a successful implementation.
Together with Weagree’s main launching customer, ASML (a Nasdaq- and Euronext-listed multinational supplying the world’s greater electronics giants with their high-tech chip-production machines), we designed a so-called ‘mindmap’ reflecting a detailed and structured brainstorm overview of all the aspects of the introduction and implementation of Weagree’s contract drafting software.
Let me share a generalized version of our mindmap. In this post 1, I give the explanation; in blogpost Mindmap of implementing Weagree’s Wizard (2) only the mindmap.
Contract automation implementation mindmap. With ASML, we identified three dimensions of rolling out their Weagree Wizard: (i) a content-dimension, (ii) the human factor, and (iii) the process-related aspects. These dimensions can be spun out to key-elements and then further elaborated to sub-elements (et cetera). The high level mindmap could be translated into the following bulletpoints:
I. THE CONTENT-DIMENSION – YOUR MODEL CONTRACTS
a) Identify User groups & template requirements (in view of timing):
- Legal department (use of: day-to-day contracts; month-to-month contracts; M&A (NDA, bid letters, frame MOU, SPA); intellectual property rights (licenses, JDA’s, forms); real estate and construction; …)
- Procurement / purchasing
- HRM (consultancy and employment agreements)
- Tax (intra-company SLAs)
- Finance (intra-company loans)
(b) Contract drafting conventions
(c) Upgrade model contracts
- Owner per contract
- Best practice group / BU / staff
(d) Select and upgrade model contract clauses (to be collected in knowledge management functionality of the Weagree Wizard)
- Identify owner per contract clause
- Best practice groups
- Insert explanatory notes
- Admin responsibility for Wizard-drafting consistency
Note: there is no need to upgrade model contracts before implementation of a contract assembly solution (because the Weagree Wizard appears to be a catalyzer)!
II. THE HUMAN FACTOR – PERSONS INVOLVED
(a) Legal department
- General counsel / Head of Legal
- In-house legal counsel
- Best practice groups for model contracts
- Administrator (template insertion) and coordinator
(b) Non-legal (BU’s, IT, staff)
- BU’s and business line managers (scheduled according to the scope and phase of roll-out)
- Internal customers / sounding board for Q&A’s
- Involve/inform IT helpdesk
(c) Weagree
- Advice on use and functionalities Wizard
- Support on Roll-out and Use
- Model contract upgrading services
- Template insertion services
III. ROLL-OUT AND USE – THE PROCESS-RELATED CHALLENGE
(a) Training
- Three to four day-parts for inducing and training a template administrator
- Intro presentations to internal customers
- Optimise Q&A-questions and template setup
(b) Preparations for use
- Deliver ‘demonstratable’ content (initial input for teasing your peers and illustrating capabilities)
- Insert model contracts and build Q&A’s (this involves: preparing model contracts; building Q&A’s (questions, answers, options); allocating the templates to user groups)
- Establish contracting house style
(c) Start using!
- Presentations to stakeholders: legal department members; Head of Legal, and senior management (non-users!); and, group-by-group, key business managers (if desired: subject to approval)
- Update notices to all stakeholders (i.e., about improved model contracts and new contract clauses)
- Use template Q&A’s for intake of new cases
(d) Incorporate in daily work (anchoring new approach in the culture)
- Continue optimising template Q&A’s
- Legal department meeting – permanent agenda item
- BU / business line meetings
Roll-out – technical matters
(a) Hosting and security (Internal vs. Weagree)
(b) Daily backup
- Created contracts (via DMS vs. via hosting)
- Model contracts
(c) Second stage: build interfaces & web-services
- Sharepoint / DMS
- CMR
- Company entities book
Obviously, each case differs from the other. Also, for law firms another approach would likely be more effective. Nevertheless, this mindmap may serve as a starting point for establishing your roadmap to automated contracting. Weagree is of course available to help your company with it.