28th July 2008, 10:30 pm
Well conceived and implemented processes are essential to the delivery of consistently high quality products and services. Much can be learned from Toyota and its Toyota Production System. One of the pillars of the Toyota Production System is the commitment to quality control throughout the manufacturing process, rather than reliance on inspections after a vehicle has already been produced. Called “jidoka,” this principle grants all front level employees the authority to stop the production line in case of abnormalities. According to Jeffrey Liker and David Meier in their book “The Toyota Way Fieldbook,” a continuous and system-wide focus on quality control using the principle of jidoka is one of the key reasons that Toyota’s manufacturing process has achieved consistently superior results compared to other automobile manufacturers.
Jidoka can be applied just as effectively in a service process, such as large scale document review. Continue reading ‘“Halting the Line” Improves Quality’ »
24th July 2008, 11:53 am
A few years ago, the overwhelming majority of lawyers in the United States were skeptical about the prospects of using common law trained attorneys in India to handle certain legal and legal support tasks. But now the LPO industry is in an accelerating growth phase. More and more corporate legal departments and law firms are seriously considering and choosing LPOs as a means for reducing legal bills and overhead. And with the increase in actual and potential demand, the industry is seeing a significant growth on the supply side. New LPOs of all different kinds are seemingly popping up every day. Some claim to be full service, while others present a more focused suite of services. Some are managed entirely in India, while others have western management teams. With all of these new choices, corporate legal departments and law firms face greater difficulty choosing the right LPO partners. Continue reading ‘Should LPOs Be Offering to Fix Your Kitchen Sink?’ »
16th July 2008, 12:10 am
The American Conference Institute has organized an “LPO Summit” to take place September 15-16, 2008 at the Marriott Eastside in New York City. The organizers have designed the conference for those considering the possibility of offshoring legal services to India as well as those looking to improve and expand current offshore arrangements. My colleague Michael Geske, Aphelion’s Chief Operating Officer, is speaking on a panel at 12:00 pm on September 16 addressing “Ethical Considerations When Outsourcing Legal Services.” Mike has already written on the topic, and in the time he has spent with Aphelion, Mike has quickly become an expert on the ethical questions attorneys often raise when considering the LPO model. Mike will provide a comprehensive overview of the issues presented as well as several practical solutions to eliminate lingering ethical concerns.
