This problem of knowing where to start and focus QA in order to make the biggest difference is more difficult for a legal firm, or any service firm, than say manufacturing industry where QA started. In manufacturing, QA is aimed at more easily definable outcomes and more easily definable risks of those outcomes not being achieved. For example if a desired outcome is fewer faulty units coming off the production line then the QA focus is on why those faults are arising in the first place and on removing the underlying causes. In the provision of legal services the link between input and faulty outcome is more complex and not so easily definable with the result that QA efforts can easily become misdirected or lack sufficient focus to make any big difference. The risk-driven approach takes as its starting point the most fundamental of desired outcomes and removing the most significant obstacles to achieving that fundamental outcome.
Satisfied clients are the lifeblood of a firm.
Client satisfaction is the fundamental desired outcome every firm strives for in everything it does. Profit and personal satisfaction are not ends in themselves but consequences of satisfied clients. The ultimate expression of client dissatisfaction is a professional negligence claim. The LawCover Risk Management project 2 has demonstrated the most common reasons clients' expectations are not fulfilled. These were summarised in last month's column.