Our article on preparing data covers what to clean and decide before anything moves. This one starts after that: how to move in phases, what to test and how to retire the old system.
It gives no timeline, because that depends on the firm, the tools and the amount of data.
The problem
A migration can look finished when the data has been copied. The trouble shows up afterwards: a deadline that did not carry over, a document that will not open, a person who sees what they should not.
If the old system is switched off before anyone has checked, there is nothing to compare against.
What is known
We found no independent figure on the failure rate of case management migrations, and we give none.
What is certain comes from how the work is done. The new system has different fields and rules, so every record is mapped, and every mapping is a place where something can be lost. Testing finds those places while the old system can still answer.
A plan in phases
- Decide: name the owner, the people who test, what moves and what is archived, and what counts as done
- Prepare: clean the data and write down the mapping from old fields to new ones
- Trial: move a copy of the data into a test version of the new system and compare it with the original
- Test: run the firm's real work through the test version, with the list below
- Train: let the people who will use the system practice on the test version before the real one
- Switch: freeze changes in the old system, make the final copy and begin work only in the new system
- Retire: keep the old system read-only for a period the firm and its attorney set, export what must be kept, then close it
What to test before you switch
- Every open matter shows the right client, contacts, status and responsible person
- Every upcoming deadline and calendar entry matches the old system, checked by a person
- A conflicts search finds the same results as before
- Documents open from their matters, and the folder structure is what people expect
- An invoice or a billing run produces the same totals as the old system for the same time entries
- Each role sees what it should and nothing else, including confidential matters
- Email, e-signature and other connected tools still file things to the right matter
What to look for when you implement it
- A rollback plan: what the firm does if the first days go badly, and until when it is possible
- A short list of known differences, so staff know what changed and who to ask
- Whether the old vendor lets the firm export everything, in what format, and for how long after the contract ends
- Do not cancel the old contract until the export is checked and your attorney has said how long records must be kept
- Keep a signed record of who approved the final data and the switch