Examine the task, contextualize it based on what you know, then make it more effective (meeting everyone's goals), efficient (using less time and resources), and transparent. This is the application of Lean principles to any task. Your clients are doing the same thing with their colleagues in business units and the C-suite, and they expect it of you.

Developing a Process

Revisit all the accumulated work so far, and then chart a plan for the project. A lawyer's work can be hectic and pressurized, and it's easy to fall into the trap of just doing the next seemingly urgent task. The temptation is to go straight into operational mode. After all, execution is certainly the most visible part of the job, and clients like to see something happening. But execution isn't the whole job. Industry doesn't just start operating. It plans, designs, assembles and validates.