In a world where law firms do business with clients halfway across the world, gears turn to keep departments working without a glitch, and managers chart schedules by the minute, handling tight deadlines without jeopardizing quality is a top prerogative and an embedded part of today’s competitive legal market culture.

At Nora.Legal (Based in Michigan, with a broad” US, Canadian and UK presence, we can support all your legal research and writing, and legal support needs with accuracy, reliability and efficiency), we have developed a method to this madness and have learned what it takes to deliver high-quality content at record speeds.

To never compromise on our clients’ interests, we follow a few best practices as part of our operations planning management.

1.    Never commit to a deadline you cannot meet

It is always important to understand your own potential before saying yes to a deadline. What you can do before you sign the dotted line: a) Mentally chart out the project, b) Ask as many questions as you need to set the expectation, c) Invest in an honest conversation with the team you will lead or be a part of, d) Be reasonable, not aggressive.

2.    Set clear priorities and plan your time

Collect a list of all your tasks and rank them by estimated effort. Knowing how to prioritize work is important, and it is essential that your deadlines take this into consideration. Focus on client work as opposed to internal work. If you have the option, take advantage of every set of hands at your disposal.

3.    Leverage project management tools to stay organized

Automation and technology-based tools provide a huge advantage and help one stay attentive to deadlines. Maintaining a calendar and using Gantt charts to keep an eye on projects is an excellent way to manage tight deadlines. One can also set up reporting targets to stakeholders, to track progress and incorporate changes, while preparing to submit work to clients.

4.    Delegate smaller tasks

Dividing the project into smaller tasks and then delegating them to subject matter experts makes for better results. There is increased focus on each sub-task and putting the project back together becomes easier. It is all about synergy within the teams.

5.    Use a soft deadline and avoid the eleventh-hour fire drill

It is important to review the work multiple times before submitting it. A client noticing an error or an obvious spelling mistake is embarrassing. Ensure you have more than a single soft deadline to review the work many times before delivering it to the client.