It’s not unusual for law firms to identify that it’s hard for users to find the information they need, especially when searching cross-functionally. They conclude that it would be better if everyone used the same language – or there was some way to link all the different vocabularies.
The answer is a firmwide taxonomy, but you probably have concerns about the effort and discipline required to create and adopt it.
- Will it take months of analysis and training?
- Will fitting everything into neat containers destroy creativity?
Creating and implementing a taxonomy does take effort. But when its done correctly, the benefits more than justify the time and resources.
The process is more than just labelling data and information or packaging it into neat boxes; it’s about understanding the underlying concepts that your taxonomy describes and ensuring that everyone is happy and able to use them correctly.
Our Think/Plan/Do/Review taxonomy methodology has a proven track record and has been successfully used by several large law firms.
How does the process work?
| THINK | PLAN | DO | REVIEW |
| What stories can you tell? | Who will lead the taxonomy creation? | Stakeholder engagement | Were expectations met? |
| Who are the key influencers and decision-makers? | How long will it take – will there be milestones? | First Draft Taxonomy | Does it meet success criteria? |
| What vocabularies are already being used? | Create draft project and communications plans | Feedback capture and taxonomy iteration | Has all the feedback been addressed? |
| What changes, and what stays the same? | What’s the MVP and who decides? | Change impact analysis | Have all the changes landed well? |
| What does success look like? | How will the taxonomy be created- does one person hold the pen or do a group card-sort? | Implement final version | Is it now ready for BAU? |
What does the process give you?
How is our process different?
With a collaborative and consensus based approach we support you to:
- ensure that there is one version of the firm’s operating vocabulary, which is centrally held and used by all.
- consult on and publicise changes or additions to this vocabulary.
- develop and agree on a taxonomy that includes definitions, calculations, disambiguation, a hierarchy of terms, synonyms and preferred terms.
- reflect feedback from business services users and lawyers in constructing the vocabularies.
- ensure database owners are made aware of the taxonomy and changes and additions to the vocabulary.
Want to know more?
Speaking the same language is a stepping stone to being able to do more with data. Whether you are thinking about creating a firmwide taxonomy or looking for help with a particular challenge, we have the skills and experience to support you.
Read how we helped a large international law firm execute their roadmap in this Taxonomy Case Study.
For a confidential discussion about your goals and how we could potentially work together , why not book a call now?