This two-day program is delivered by the Legal Lean Sigma Institute LLC. It includes lectures, exercises, simulations, videos, discussions, group and table-team work, and demonstrations covering key process improvement (PI) methodologies (such as Lean, Six Sigma, and the award-winning Legal WorkOut™), tools and concepts. It also introduces participants to project management (PM), explains how PI and PM are different, and demonstrates how they are employed together. We incorporate case studies from law firms and legal departments to enhance understanding and provide highly relevant examples from the law.

The course is constructed so that each table-team selects a legal or business process to use for the workshop components of the course, then engages in exercises that facilitate the ability to learn and apply concepts and tools in the context of that process.. Participants will be polled about the processes on which they most want to focus in advance of the course. Every attempt will be made to group those with a similar interest together.

After the program, all candidates who successfully complete the course will receive a Yellow Belt Certification in Legal Lean Sigma® Process Improvement and Project Management.

Objectives:

• Explain the basic concepts and terminology associated with processes, process improvement and project management.

• Describe the key process improvement toolkits (Lean, Six Sigma), the main concepts behind each, and alternative approaches (Plan Do Check Act, Kaizens, Legal WorkOut®).

• Articulate the benefits of combining Lean Sigma and project management within a law firm/office or legal department.

• Identify the key stages of project management.

• Explore different approaches to project management.

• Outline the structure, roles, and responsibilities of a PI project team.

• Detail the structure, the common tools, and the key deliverables in the five phases (Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control) of executing a process improvement project.

• Apply common tools used in process improvement and project management.

• State the benefits of efficiency and financial aspects of process improvement and project management, including budgeting, total cost of ownership, and scope changes.

• Make the connection between process improvement, Design Thinking, and innovation (Human Centered Design Thinking, Legal Lean Sigma® Design; Define, Measure, Analyze, Design Verify).

• Indicate what is required to move beyond carrying out process improvements opportunistically and make the case for carrying out process improvement systematically.

• Outline options for structuring for success and getting started.