It should be articulated, clarified and examined for coherence and attainability. No two soloists will have the same vision. A vision is valid only if it truly reflects the personal qualities of the lawyer who imagines it. The vision is made a reality by the process of designing, implementing and reviewing systems. Systems are policies, procedures, rules and practices that bring consistency and predictability to repetitive tasks.
Lawyers are typically long on substantive systems and short on management systems.
Management systems should be embodied in a policies and procedures manual, which should guide the actions of everyone involved in the practice. In this way, the articulated vision can be shared with everyone involved in the practice, and everyone will be heading in the same direction. Just as there are basic principles of aerodynamics that apply to aircraft design, there are basic principles of business management that apply as forcefully to law practices as to other businesses. These principles apply to such diverse aspects of law practice management as cash flow management, communications management, quality control, customer relations, personnel management, work flow management, marketing, technology implementation, accounting management, and so on. There are many satisfactions to be gained from flying solo in the practice of law, including the creative joy that comes from taking a practice from concept to success.