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Critical
Steps for a Successful Data Conversion
Moving Legacy Data to Your Case Management System
Author: Matt Ryan,
Senior Consultant
Copyright © 2008 Legal Files Software, Inc.
Contents:
Executive Summary
Find The Right Location
Check The Mover's Qualifications
Make A Floor Plan
The Walk-Through
Moving Day
Conclusion
Executive Summary
This white paper discusses conversion methodology for migrating data from
your organization’s existing data sources into a legal case and
matter management software system. It is intended for those involved with
the selection, purchase or implementation of a case management system.
In many ways, selecting a new legal case management system is much like
finding a new office location. Just as an office is where your staff,
furniture and equipment reside, a case management system is where your
organization’s essential file and client related information lives.
This includes items such as matter-related contacts, calendars, tasks,
email, documents, deadlines, notes, research and data.
Therefore, it follows that the process of converting data from your existing
system into your new case management program is equivalent to relocating
from your current office to a new one. Making this kind of move is not
something you have done—or should do—very often. That’s
why you should have a detailed, well-thought-out plan to follow, as well
as an experienced moving team that can guide you through the process and
anticipate roadblocks to help make the transition as smooth as possible.
This paper will introduce you to the issues and challenges of the data
conversion process, using office-moving comparisons as examples to highlight
and explain critical factors for a successful data conversion prior to
implementing a case management system.
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Find The Right Location
Every organization is unique. And whether you’re looking for new
office space or a new case management system, the first step is to find
the one that’s right for you—the first time. Picking the wrong
one, which forces you to move to another location or system, can be a
costly mistake you will want to avoid.
How do you select the right system initially? If relocating your office,
you would first develop an inventory of your present needs and anticipate
future growth to determine your requirements. Will you require office
space spanning multiple floors in a high-rise building? Or will a single-story
space meet your current and long-term needs? By making your decision solely
based upon the lowest priced lease, you could end up in an office that’s
too small or which lacks the infrastructure or facilities to handle future
expansion. You would quickly outgrow the space and be forced to move again
too soon. That can be very costly, not too mention disruptive to your
office’s productivity. If you choose a space that’s too large,
you might overpay for unnecessary and unused space and amenities. And
in today’s competitive, cost-conscious environment, what business
can afford that waste?
Likewise, before you select a new case management system, it is important
to assess your present and future data needs. In that process, you will
create a requirements document to use as your checklist of essential elements
(basic functions, ease of customization, integration with existing systems,
etc.), which must exist in or can be added to the program you select.
This document will serve as your guide to objectively evaluate and compare
the features of each prospective system.
Scalability, however, is perhaps one of the most important—yet overlooked—issues
to consider when selecting a case management system. Scalability is measured
by the ease in which a system can handle increased capacity (i.e., more
clients, matters, users, documents, departments, practice groups, locations,
data, etc.), without experiencing performance problems.
When scalability issues are not considered and price alone drives the
purchase decision, organizations make a mistake by implementing a system
which does not meet their needs in the long run. Too often, organizations
think they’re saving money up front, but in the end they wind up
spending much more than the cost of the system (and whatever they spent
on a conversion) when they find they bought the wrong system and need
to replace it.
To avoid this common mistake, think of your case management purchase,
just as you would an office move, as a major commitment that will have
considerable long-term impact. It is important to anticipate all your
present and future requirements as best you can before you select one,
so your business ends up with the best fit for both your needs and budget.
Be sure your case management implementation budget includes the cost of
data conversion, in addition to the cost of the software, training and
other project management assistance. Choose the vendor you feel is best
suited to handle your entire project, and not the least-costly option
in the short term.
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Check The Mover’s Qualifications
Office moves are complex projects that can seem overwhelming. And it’s
understandable that you will be nervous until all your furniture and equipment
arrive safely at your new location. That’s why choosing an experienced
mover will help save you money, reduce stress and make sure nothing is
lost or damaged in transit.
Likewise, custom data conversions are no simple task. And those who say
otherwise have either not been directly involved with such a project,
or the data they converted was very basic, such as importing a list of
contacts. This may be your first (and only) opportunity to plan a successful
data conversion project, so it is important to team with a vendor that
has handled conversions similar in scope and complexity. Follow these
guidelines to help select the best vendor:
• Check the team’s roster. Ask about the
qualifications of the vendor’s team members who have been involved
with conversion projects. A seasoned vendor is more likely to possess
the experience and skills required to efficiently and competently handle
your conversion project. Your data is valuable, so don’t entrust
it to someone who is learning on the job.
• Talk to references. Ask the vendors on your short
list to supply you with the names of customers for whom they have done
similar conversions. Ask those references how their project was handled.
Was it completed on time and within budget? Ask about the vendor’s
project leadership and conversion team members. Were they qualified? Responsive?
Easy to work with? You should select a vendor who understands your data
conversion needs and who will be friendly, helpful and responsive throughout
the process.
• Get an estimate. Based on the amount, type and
complexity of data to be converted, you should receive an estimate which
either states a total price or provides an itemized list of conversion
options from which to choose, with prices listed for each additional option
or service. With conversion estimates, an old adage applies: If the price
seems too good to be true, it probably is. Most established, reputable
case management vendors will provide fair and competitive estimates. Although
their prices will differ, the bids should fall within a reasonable range.
If one estimate comes in significantly below the others, that should be
a red flag to more closely examine and compare the items included in the
bid before accepting it.
• Ask a friend. The best recommendations come from
satisfied customers. If you know another organization that has gone through
a similar data conversion and case management implementation, ask for
their recommendation (or warning) about which vendor to choose. Their
first-hand accounts can help steer you in the right direction.
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Be wary of the “Move-It-Yourself”
option
Instead of hiring professional movers to handle your office relocation,
you probably wouldn’t rent a truck, buy your own packing supplies
and ask your friends and coworkers to do the job. Although a do-it-yourself
move might be less expensive, it would also be incredibly time consuming
and exhausting, plus things are bound to get dropped and broken in transit.
Likewise, some case management systems offer do-it-yourself conversion
utilities. These self-import tools provide limited flexibility and typically
only import contact records or basic file information. While you may be
able to save money using one of these conversion tools, if you have more
complex data or multiple data sources to convert into a single case management
system, a custom conversion is your better option.
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Make A Floor Plan
Before you move, you want to make sure all your furniture and equipment
will fit inside your new space. That’s why your next step is to
make a detailed floor plan of what goes where. Every item will be measured,
labeled and listed on the floor plan so nothing gets missed and the movers
will know exactly where each piece of furniture needs to be placed.
Similarly, conversion data mapping fulfills the same purpose as making
a floor plan, and it is the most important step
in the conversion process. Not only is it an item-by-item road map which
will be followed to move your data to your new case management program,
it also defines the specific rules which will be applied during the conversion
process. These mapping rules govern how data
is moved into your case management system to match how you intend to use
the new system. For example, you may want certain fields or screens used
only in specific case types (e.g., a litigation file vs. an estate matter).
Since the vendor built the system and knows it inside out, the vendor
should write the data mapping document. At this point in the process,
it’s understandable that you will have limited knowledge of the
new case management system. Even if you did review the system’s
data structure, it would be of little meaning to you. Therefore, let the
vendor show you how (and why) things work and the ways in which the various
parts of the system are inter-related. What’s most important is
that you learn and understand how information flows through the new case
management system, its capabilities, how it can be customized, and how
integrations with other programs work. You can (and should) take advantage
of the vendor’s extensive product knowledge and benefit from best
practices they have compiled from their previous data conversions.
The data mapping process will be directed by the vendor’s project
manager and implementation team members. As needed, they will seek input
from a few key staff members at your office who understand your existing
data systems, as well as your current and future business requirements.
Additionally, IT staff from both the vendor and your firm will consult
with one another to gain an understanding of the technical environment
and requirements necessary for the data conversion and software rollout.
The data mapping process will identify all data sources to be converted,
assign a specific database field to every item and explain any rules or
logic that apply to the data during conversion. Your source data could
take several forms, such as an existing case management system, Excel
spreadsheets, Access files or other databases, which have been used by
different departments or practice groups to track information related
to their matters.
Once the data mapping is complete, the vendor’s developers will
write and test the conversion program using a sample of your data. At
this point, it is critical that you do not change the structure of your
own data or that of the new case management system. The leading cause
for data conversion failure is that changes were made at some point after
the data mapping process began. All it takes is for someone to add a field
or delete a column header, and the conversion process will not work. If
something must be changed, immediately communicate it to the vendor. Most
importantly, any changes made after the data mapping process has ended
will likely cause you to incur additional expense, adversely affect the
conversion process timetable and delay your implementation.
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Common Data Mapping Issues
During the data mapping process, you are likely to encounter some incompatibility
issues with your legacy data, including:
• Inconsistent use of a data field. Your legacy
data may contain certain fields, like “Client Name,” where
users have in some instances listed the client as “John Smith”
and other times as “Smith, John.”
• Poorly designed data structure. Your existing
database may contain some “date” fields which are actually
“text” fields in which users may have entered dates in a variety
of formats (e.g., November 19, 2007, Nov. 19th 2007, or 11/19/07).
• One field holds multiple data elements. For example,
you may have an address field where the various elements (e.g., line 1,
line 2, city, state or ZIP) are not clearly and consistently entered or
separated, making it more difficult to convert the data. Or, you have
multiple pieces of data stored in single note fields (such as a phone
log), which you want broken out as separate entries in the new case management
system.
• Multiple data sources. You may have used more than one
source, for example an Excel file and an Access database, to track different
data related to the same clients or matters. In the conversion, you now
wish to combine data from the two sources to create or maintain relationships
between that information, and there is no unique identifier which consistently
links data from the different systems.
• Documents lacking proper organization. You may
have documents stored on network or local drives that you wish to move
into the case management program’s more structured document management
system. Those documents may not currently have consistent naming conventions
or folder structures, which will make it difficult to apply logic or rules
to link the documents to the proper cases and with sufficient categorization
(i.e., pleadings, contracts, correspondence, etc.).
• Source data does not match target. Your current data
sources may track information for which comparable fields do not exist
in your new case management system. If you determine that a field is of
minor importance, you can choose to either exclude it from the conversion
altogether or convert the data in its present form to the closest field
type in your new system. Hopefully, your new system will provide the flexibility
to easily create custom data windows and fields to accommodate all your
special conversion requirements so no important data is lost.
Converting this type of inconsistent data into your new case management
system is obviously problematic and potentially quite costly for you if
a conversion program must be written to account for all possible variations.
As part of the data mapping process, you must consult with your vendor
to decide if the data in these fields is worth converting, being converted
as is, or should be cleansed prior to conversion.
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The Walk-Through
When you finally move into your new office, you want the condition of
everything to be as expected. That’s why, prior to moving in, you
should do a walk-through, armed with a list of items to check. This is
your time to do a thorough, office-by-office inspection to make sure that
everything operates as expected, the build-out was completed to your specifications
and that any scheduled repairs have been finished. If you do find something
that needs to be fixed or changed, now’s the time to mention it.
In the data conversion process, this phase is known as acceptance testing.
This is your opportunity to review your sample data in the new case management
system, checking to make sure that everything has been properly converted
prior to the final conversion and the scheduled system implementation
“go live” date.
Diligent, detailed and timely acceptance testing is critical for a successful
conversion. While the data mapping workload was split 90/10, with the
vendor handling 90 percent of the process, now the tables are turned.
It is your responsibility to dedicate sufficient time to thoroughly test
the sample converted data. Your testing team will likely comprise one
or two staff members who are familiar with your data. In some instances
with very complex conversions, a larger testing team is used in conjunction
with automated testing routines or scripts to check and verify data, as
well as to perform system stress or performance testing.
During acceptance testing, you should test the following to make sure
your legacy data reconciles with the converted data:
• Was data converted according to the mapping rules defined in the
data mapping document?
• Are there any required fields in the new case management system
which were overlooked during the data mapping process?
• Was the correct number of records from the sample data created
in the case new management system?
• Is further data cleansing required prior to the final conversion?
While the goal of the test conversion is 100 percent accuracy, it is quite
likely that some items will not convert as expected, and you may want
the vendor to run another test to verify any corrections you requested.
During acceptance testing, you should document in detail any inconsistencies
or problems, summarize the findings in a standardized format and distribute
that information to your vendor for analysis. After determining which
items are to be corrected, the vendor will revise the conversion program
to rectify those issues. If only a few simple issues are found, another
test run may not be required prior to the final conversion. However, it
is reasonable to assume that another round of acceptance testing will
take place in a timely manner, based on the number and complexity of changes
which are required and the amount of sample data that must be rerun.
It is important that your vendor plan for at least two rounds of data
review in your conversion process, with ample time for you to provide
feedback. Any vendors who say otherwise underestimate the vital role acceptance
testing plays during this phase of the project.
However, you and your vendor should agree in advance on the maximum amount
of time allotted for the entire acceptance testing phase. Otherwise, acceptance
testing can drag on unnecessarily and become a costly, time-consuming
quagmire which jeopardizes your implementation schedule. With proper planning,
solid data mapping and dedicated testers, your acceptance testing process
should stay on course—and on time.
At the end of the acceptance testing process, you (your senior management
or designate) will be asked to approve and signoff on the results. This
final version of the conversion program will be used for the “go
live” data conversion into your new case management system according
to your installation/implementation schedule.
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Moving Day
When moving day finally arrives, you want to avoid unnecessary delays
or surprises by following your well-scripted plan to move everything and
everyone with the least amount of interruption. Obviously, close coordination
and communication with your mover is required for a successful, error-free
relocation.
The same is true for your case management system “final” data
conversion and “go live” implementation. In accordance with
your conversion plan, you will extract data from your legacy system(s)
and deliver it to your vendor, who will prepare the data for conversion,
run the custom conversion program and load the final data into the new
system. The time that it takes to export, convert and re-import will vary
based on your data, but every effort should be made to minimize your firm’s
downtime. That is why, when possible, it is advisable to run the final
conversion over a weekend (starting Friday evening), so that your system
is ready to go Monday morning. You should check with your vendor to see
if it has the capability to offer this type of “after-hours”
service.
If a time window between the final conversion and “go live”
dates is unavoidable, your implementation plan should address inputting
the additional data into the new system as soon as possible.
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Conclusion
Selecting a new case management system is major commitment for your business.
And when converting your current data into that system, you don’t
want to make the wrong move. That’s why the more prepared you are,
the better your likelihood of success.
Therefore, it’s critical to first choose the right case management
system for your needs, making sure the vendor has the experience and capability
to write a custom conversion program that will make the best use of your
data. Be sure to compare suitable vendors on all required factors (especially
scalability) and check references to make sure they can handle (and have
handled) a project of your scope. While price is certainly a factor to
consider, your selection criteria should include wide range of product
features and vendor resources. You may think you’re saving money
with the least-expensive option, but you may eventually spend much more
to replace the wrong system. That’s a costly mistake to avoid.
Demand that your vendor create an acceptable conversion/implementation
schedule, take the lead during the conversion process and walk you through
mapping the data. It should be the vendor’s responsibility to create
the data mapping document and write the conversion program. However, it
will be primarily on your shoulders to view, review and approve the test
conversion data.
The final conversion and “go live” implementation should be
planned for a time (best if done over a weekend) when it will minimize
any downtime for your staff.
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