Last week we featured Karen’s monthly legal writing tip. And she really brought her training as a professional editor to the game, providing simple and clear advice on how to write for the way people read to get your message across quickly and effectively.

This week, we’re coming back to matter management boards. Since we’re just weeks away from our December 4th Masterclass on creating and using this simple and highly visual project management tool, I thought it was time for a quick primer on structuring the columns of your board.

Want to watch this tip instead?

Let’s say you want to create a board to manage a complex M&A transaction or a litigation file… Clearly the three-column To Do / Doing / Done version of the most basic matter management board won’t do. How then do you decide what columns to create?

Map your phases

It’s easy. Grab a pen and a piece of paper and create a phase map — that’s a 30,000 foot view of what your file involves. Most lawyers already see their matters progressing through a series of phases. Think in terms of big buckets of related activities and jot them down. Remember, the idea is to create a simple structure against which you can track the progress of the most important tasks and other activities involved in delivering your legal advice.

If you’re tracking the key tasks involved in an M&A transaction,… the phases might include things like:

• Information gathering and initial preparation,
• Creating the Term Sheet,
• Instructing Specialists,
• Conducting due diligence,
• Drafting,
• Negotiating,
• Signing, and
• Closing

The phase map might look something like:

If, instead, you’re managing a litigation file, then you might be used to thinking in terms of:

• Research,
• Discovery,
• Motions practice,
• Trial prep,
• Trial and/or settlement,
• and so on.

Whatever you decide those big buckets of activity are, they become the headings of the different columns that make up your board.

Think beyond UTBMS and Phase Codes

Of course, you could organize your columns around UTBMS or phase codes. Maybe that’s how you already distinguish between the parts of your matter.

But you don’t have to think in terms of UTBMS or phase codes.

The beauty of using matter management boards is that they are totally flexible. Organize and structure your columns to reflect how you typically think of the matter unfolding. How you think of and depict the life cycle of the matter is entirely up to you.

What’s most important is that the columns on your board are structured to meet your specific project management and reporting needs.

Recap

How do you decide what columns you’re going create when you set up a matter management board to help you manage and the different tasks and activities involved in file? Start with a simple phase map.

Masterclass

If you want to learn more about building and using matter management boards, join us on December 4 for our Masterclass. We’re going to do a deep dive into this highly visual project management tool and show you how improving matter management will make you more profitable and productive.

This masterclass is unique. It combines video lessons and exercises with not one, but TWO, live Q&A sessions. We’ll take you from being under water to being under control by showing you how to make your work visible with matter management boards. Join the waiting list before noon on November 18, and you’ll get a discount on the registration fee.

FREE Guide

Download our FREE All-in-One Guide to setting up your matter management board. Determining your column headings is the second in the seven step Board-Builder Framework.

And that’s it for this week’s tip. Join us next week for more on using matter management boards to build a more profitable and productive law practice.

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Thanks a lot everybody! See you next Wednesday.