Simkins case study
Simkins was founded in 1962 as one of the pioneering firms for the entertainment and media industry and continues to be a market-leading, forward-thinking law firm that provides a full range of legal services. They have around 65 users in one office in central London.
In 2023, Simkins engaged iTrain Legal to help with the transition from Elite Enterprise to Aderant Sierra. Simkins enlisted iTrain’s expertise to facilitate the change and training processes.
Case Details
Company: Simkins LLP is a leading media and commercial law firm.
Product: Aderant
Training service: Systems Change
Format: UAT, Train the Trainer, Quick Reference Guides, End User Training, Go-Live Support
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The Challenge
Transitioning to a new Practice Management System (PMS) like Aderant posed substantial challenges for Simkins:
System and Process Differences
Aderant presented a significant departure from Simkins’s previous system, necessitating thorough training to acquaint employees with the new interface and instruct them on modified business procedures. Considering the firm’s diverse practice groups and client needs, support materials and training sessions had to address a wide range of user scenarios.
Time Sensitivity
With a coordinated rollout across the entire firm, all 65 users needed role-specific training within a tight timeframe. Training had to be conducted as close to the go-live date as feasible to ensure knowledge retention. The urgency was heightened by the system’s continual evolution leading up to the go-live milestone.
The Strategy
iTrain implemented a strategic approach to address Simkins’s challenges:
Consultation
The project began with a thorough consultation phase, enabling iTrain to grasp the intricacies of Simkins’s organisational structure, user responses to change, the previous system, and the planned configurations for Aderant. Close cooperation with diverse Simkins teams, such as finance, IT, and HR, laid the crucial groundwork for project advancement.
User Acceptance Training and Testing
iTrain developed comprehensive test scripts and delivered several User Acceptance Testing (UAT) sessions involving selected users. These UAT sessions took place onsite in a classroom setting. This methodology guaranteed the detection and resolution of any issues or defects prior to the go-live date.
Train the Trainer Training
iTrain conducted Train the Trainer sessions to enhance the skills of Simkins’s internal team. This enabled the internal team to provide support during the go-live phase and sustain training efforts during business-as-usual operations after iTrain’s involvement ended.
Support Materials
Simkins acquired a customised resource package of Quick Reference Guides from iTrain. These resources were specifically tailored to align with Simkins’s unique business processes and customised Aderant system configurations, offering vital assistance to users transitioning to the new system at point of need.
End-User Training
Simkins received a customised training program from iTrain, tailored to specific roles. The training sessions took place on-site at the London office over a two-week period, with approximately 8 individuals per group. The training was divided into bite-sized modules, each focusing on a particular process such as file opening, time recording, and billing.
Go-Live Support
iTrain offered post-go-live support for the week following the launch, providing on-site assistance, workshops, and handling ad-hoc requests. This ensured a seamless transition to Aderant for Simkins.
The Results
The partnership between Simkins and iTrain resulted in a successful outcome by a smooth transition to Aderant. Challenges stemming from system and process disparities, as well as time constraints, were effectively addressed through strategic planning, comprehensive training, and ongoing support. iTrain’s expertise and support resources played a pivotal role in aiding Simkins’s users in adjusting to the new system, thereby minimising disruptions and sustaining productivity throughout and beyond the transition. This successful deployment underscores iTrain’s dedication to facilitating training during intricate transitions for legal firms such as Simkins.
Customer reviews of the case
“For a small firm, on a tight budget, we determined that there were a couple of areas to ensure the successful delivery of a project of this scale which our internal resourcing capabilities could not meet. Firstly, we engaged a consultancy firm to provide project management and secondly, engaged with iTrain, a recommendation from the consultants, to provide the required training. iTrain’s expertise and knowledge of the products combined with their knowledge of the legal sector meant that they could deliver targeted training and engage with our staff with terminology they understand.”
Nick Wright
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