Getting more value from pilot projects and understanding their limitations

One area that frustrates many legal service providers is that their solutions are often best when deployed throughout the legal department. But in-house counsel are reluctant – reasonably – to jump in with both feet, instead wanting to start with a smaller pilot project.

As you design these pilots, remember that part of the rationale is to see what the vendor can do, but the “project” nature of the pilot may be skewing the results. Some offerings are not set up to work this way, and some sellers may be taking a financial hit to prove themselves. Lean on your vendors to help create a pilot that will show their full capabilities and account for reduced value as you evaluate the results of these pilots. [Brad Blickstein, Blickstein Group, on legal service providers]