Some of you are likely sick of hearing about the need for law firms to innovate; others are wondering what on earth that actually means; still more of you are struggling to figure out how to move a culture steeped in tradition and governed by a loose group of partners to drastically different ways of thinking and operating. It probably feels like an uphill battle.

It can seem puzzling to understand innovation in a purely services-based organization. Innovation seems to make sense when we are thinking about products, like the iPhone, or other technologies like Twitter, Facebook, Google search, etc.  But innovation in SERVICES? What does that really look like?

Let's not kid ourselves. Innovation isn't an easy thing to do.  But comparatively, Law Firm innovation can seem so difficult it might seem like an oxymoron.

As I ponder the conundrum of innovating inside of law firms, it has caused me to pause and reflect upon what has prompted the innovations Elegrity has made in our 15 years working with law firms and other corporations.

In these reflections, I realized there are varying factors that have prompted our innovations. "Necessity is the mother of invention" jumps out quickly. Survival in the technology business is based on innovation. No innovation, no business. So there is that. But then I realize that necessity has served more as a motivator than the actual root cause of innovation.

Continued reflections highlight the fact that some of our innovations are based on adapting and integrating innovations of other technology companies to produce innovative solutions - that is, taking tools and actually building something from them.  Sort of like taking the various components that make up a house and then architecting and building a unique, one of a kind creation.

Still, though, this doesn't get to the crux of it. Then it occurred to me - if I look back on our years of work with customers and prospects, what are the things that THEY perceive as 'differentiators' of Elegrity's products and services? Now, the 3 key factors come into focus.

3 Key Factors for Innovation

1. We listen INTENTLY to our customers and prospects. Not just to what they are saying, but 'through' what they are saying - looking for root causes behind their pain points, not just to the symptoms themselves.
2. We have EMPATHY for our customers and prospects and their specific challenges and strategies. We know that to help them implement their strategies and overcome their barriers, we have to take our experience and solutions and morph them to match their specific needs.
3. We DELIVER value through meaningful collaboration with our customers and prospects. And for our law firm customers specifically, we consciously do so incrementally, helping executives introduce fundamental business shifts in palatable bites based on the culture of their firms. We see ourselves as true business partners to our clients. We care about their business and their success. We know it is our responsibility to bring our experience and knowledge to the table to combine with theirs - and so, we innovate together, collaboratively, over the long term.

In the last couple of years, specifically, I have learned to stop thinking about innovation. Instead, I trust that it will naturally occur as we LISTEN with EMPATHY to our customers, prospects and THEIR customers and prospects. True empathy means we must be students of their industries and the changes they are experiencing. As their needs and business environments change and evolve, so must our our services and solutions be reinvented, restructured, adapted - INNOVATED.

So law firms - fret not as innovation is infinitely achievable. If you listen with empathy to your customers and prospects;  if you study the environments in which they are operating and apply your unique experience to help them anticipate what challenges they will face, or new strategies they must think about incorporating - YOU WILL INNOVATE - naturally.

The Bottom Line

Innovation is an outward-looking result, not an inward-looking one.  Oh, and by the way, overly paying attention to what other law firms are doing is an inward-looking approach – not to mention the fact that it fosters a follower mentality. Both of which are dangerous threats to innovation.

Read more about Elegrity’s thought leadership for law firm innovation and competitiveness by downloading our complimentary e-books and whitepapers on the subject.  Here are a couple of starters:

There is no doubt that Conflicts of Interest is a crucial risk management concern for law firms. Ensuring appropriate parties are checked for conflicts, that the conflicts clearance process is audited and associated concerns (such as ethical walls) are evaluated and managed are all needed loss prevention aspects in a law firm.

That said, conflicts processes are only part of, not synonymous with, the holistic New Business Intake process.  In the old days, law firms bought a conflicts of interest package and then wrapped rudimentary New Business Intake procedures around the checking and clearing of conflicts.

Sadly, some firms are stuck in this old way of thinking - that somehow New Business Intake and conflicts processes are essentially equivalent - or at minimum that conflicts checking and clearing is the central concern of New Business Intake.  Neither is correct in 2013 - but as a result of this thinking, we see firms falling into the trap of making the same choices in 2013 that were made in the last 'era' (circa 1999-2002).  The difference today is - making these faulty assumptions costs firms MILLIONS of dollars (no exaggeration)....

The facts in 2013 and the future are as follows:

1. The needs (and value) of a properly implemented and evolvable New Business Intake process are substantially cross-functional and NOT centrally focused on conflicts.  In fact, financial and marketing considerations are far and away the most central themes of a transformed New Business Intake process.  These financial considerations also include multiple risk management considerations (LOSS PREVENTION), which necessarily include, but are by no means limited to, conflicts of interest.

2. New Business Intake is a process that will be forever evolving - primarily in areas that are not directly conflicts-related.  

3. New Business Intake is one of DOZENS of client/matter related processes.  Cross-functional considerations continue across these additonal related processes - and again, are not conflicts-central.

Unfortunately, the same vendors that persuaded firms to the old dead-end approaches are still at it - leading unsuspecting firms into the same rabbit holes they did before.  Why?  Well, because they have a new conflicts system to replace the old conflicts system, of course.  

But your firm doesn't have to fall into the same old traps.  New Business Intake and the other dozens of business processes that occur for your clients/matters are decidedly more about making money than checking conflicts.  And we haven't even started to talk about the other entities we need to manage (legal projects (matter delivery); employees; vendors; contracts...).

Recognizing that all business processes at your firm must be considered from a cross-functional perspective is the first step towards moving towards the required new sustainable business model for law firms.

Don't let the fact that a vendor has pulled support for your conflicts system because they want to sell you a new one cause you to make a decision with long-term detrimental financial consequences.  

There is a new and better way...

The old ways simply won't cut it - don't let your firm go down the same rabbit holes.  Elegrity helps law firms think and operate in accordance with the new world, not the old.  

Join Us for a Free Webinar to See the Future of Law Firms

On February 6, we will be re-running our very popular webinar as first presented at the Thomson Reuter's Law Firm Leaders Forum in November 2012.  Come and join us for this encore presentation and move your firm into the future, not the past.

Make sure the investments you make today are still paying you dividends 5 years from now!

In future blogs, I'll expose additional rabbit holes that you and your firm can avoid.

After nearly a decade of successfully delivering Business Process Transformation solutions to Fortune 100, Fortune 500 and law firms of every size, we at Elegrity have learned (and continue to learn) first-hand what it takes to achieve true success with BPM.

Most of the time, this law firm BPM blog focuses on discussions regarding how to apply the discipline of business process management to meet challenges to law firm profitability and loss prevention.  By now you know my opinion - these are hard-core business projects - technology simply serves as the facilitator of the business.  Well, simply - hmm.  Is it really that simple?  Not if you don't have the right technical toolkit, that's for sure.

On Thursday, August 30 at the ILTA 2012 conference, I'll be presenting a session "Mastering Business Process Transformation in Law Firms".  This blog provides a preview of some of the discussion we'll have around required technology during that session.

What Your BPM Technology Must Provide

BPM suites aren't enough.  Forms aren't enough - I don't care how cool or 'simple' they seem to be to build.  The fact is, as your law firm matures in its implementation of BPM, the workflow itself should start to become 'indetectable', or a natural part of the flow of work. That kind of transparency requires application functionality.  Stilted form-based workflow stagnates - every time - it is frankly unsustainable over the long-term.

Here's the truth from the real-world of what your firm's BPM platform of choice had better provide

1. Scalability.  Not just multiple processes - multiple collections of processes (or cradle to grave lifecycle management as Elegrity calls it). Thousands of users (don't be fooled - good BPM doesn't bound itself by your firm's boundaries or number of timekeepers).  This scalability must be provided while at the same time being lightweight - both on the back-end and the front-end (client side). 
2. Sophistication, but Highly Configurable.  You can't be limited by the capabilities of the form builder or workflow engine - you need the ability to get out of those boxes.  To extend, add-on or supplement. Relationships between data and processes themselves must be managed.  Single process thinking is a dead-end.
3. Modularity.  Re-use, re-use, re-use.  I can not over-emphasize the criticality of modularity in every aspect of every process implementation.  User interfaces (NOT FORMS), system interfaces, data, business rules, etc.  EVERYTHING.  If your platform fails you here - you are headed for stagnation.  Your firm won't be able to continue its transformation not just from a time and money standpoint - but from an organizational change management standpoint.  See my previous blog on the criticality of 'Consistent Change'.  This level of modularity requires intelligent abstraction of all aspects of the solution.
4. Security.  Last, but not least by a long shot, you need an extensible, configurable and law-firm aware security framework that can be applied cross-process, cross-lifecycle, cross-application.  It pains me to see this aspect get either butchered or consume more time and effort from IT teams than they ever could have known.  Don't underestimate this.

One of These Things Doesn't Look Like the Others...

I suppose the neglect of the technology aspect of law firm business process improvement in this blog is my fault. Its not that I don't think about it, believe me!  I and our team spend all day thinking and working on it, as a matter of fact - constantly looking for ways to improve our Law Business Management System platform.  

That said, we have what is probably an unfair advantage - we built our LBMS platform from the ground up to embed our years of substantial real-world and practical experience of delivering sophisticated business process management to thousands of users world-wide - and at the same time embedded our legal industry business understanding directly into the platform. As a result, our platform isn't like any other (remember that phrase - "One of these things is not like the others?") - well, that's LBMS.  You can read more about LBMS on our product pages and in the following free whitepaper about its uniqueness.

Progress Comes After It Starts Hurting

Recently I had ankle surgery, and I was dreading the pain I know physical therapy will bring - but then that familiar phrase 'No Pain, No Gain' popped into my head.  

I remember the first time I really understood what that phrase meant- 8 years old, at the end of a grueling gymnastics class and holding my legs above the ground for a seemingly interminable amount of time as my dance teacher seemed to march around the room enjoying our pain. Then she said something that stuck - she said that if you only do something until you get tired, or it hurts a bit, then you never really make any progress.  It's the work you put in after the weariness sets in where you get the forward-progress.  No pain, no gain.  Got it (granted, I still don't like it).

Good Law Firm BPM Hurts Too - But It Gets Better

All this reminiscing collided with my current world - in which I spend a lot of time helping our customers get through the dreaded pain of introducing the sometimes fundamental changes that go along with good business process transformation.  I empathize with operational teams who struggle to hold the line on the now-codified, no longer 'skirtable' policies that are embedded into the natural flow of work in whatever process they have just transformed (e.g., New Business Intake; Lateral Hire; New Employee Onboarding; etc.).  And when the pain gets really bad, very often the natural reaction is to 'undo' the implemented requirements that they diligently detailed and we diligently implemented.  

The benefit I have is that we have done this over and over again - and, also, that the screaming isn't directly in my ear - to be fair.  But consistent experience shows that there are 45-60 days of organizational 'angst' that occurs when you introduce a sizable process transformation into the firm.  And if this is the first one your firm has experienced, then it's a bit tougher than every subsequent one you will do.  So almost all of the changes to requirements that get brought up during the 45-60 days of 'angst' are reactionary in nature - usually the result of the vocal disclaimers of literally a handful of individuals in a sea of hundreds. 

No Different than Amending the Constitution...

My rule is this (since we are talking about law firms anyway) - the requirements that you detailed and were implemented are like the Constitution.  They were thought through and reviewed over and over and with great diligence and keen focus.  And just like the Constitution - they can be modified.  But those 'Amendments' should go through equal, or greater, diligence and thought as the original Constitution.  Otherwise, you might end up implementing a bunch of Prohibition-like Amendments and experience a 'backwards slide' that could have been avoided.  

So to all of you courageous process transformation teams who are working hard to help your firm move forward boldly into the world of the new legal industry - hold steadfast and ask yourselves this...is the need for that back-out change you're considering going to naturally disappear after 45-60 days when the organization 'settles into' the new way of operating, or is the change really going to benefit the firm?  95% of the time, if you can just hold on, you won't need to change a thing. 

No pain, no gain.  Boy I hate that phrase - especially because it's so often true - and it certainly is true for good process transformation.  

Sure, the title sounds like a hoax - but I'm not kidding.

In our work with law firm prospects and customers, we see return-on-investment numbers of $500K (and often more) coming right back into our customer's hands within a few months!

We know this to be true, because we diligently calculate Return-On-Investment in collaboration with our clients and prospects as part of our standard scoping process for New Business Intake projects and then we deliver on every New Business Intake process improvement and transformation we scoped in timeframes that are 50% FASTER THAN OUR COMPETITORS.  As a result of our expertise, our customers achieve incredible ROI timeframes (meaning they get that expected return of hundreds of thousands of dollars 50% faster than their peers, and 100% faster than their peers that are still sitting stagnant!).

How Do You Get The $500k?

Of course, the specific value of your firm's New Business Intake process has to be based on your firm's current state and defined 'transformed state', but $500k is a fair middle ground.  So let's just use that for now.

The actual value of your firm's New Business Intake transformation must be calculated for your specific situation, but you find the value across the following key areas:

1. Loss Prevention

Every time you embed risk management or compliance-related policies, procedures or oversight into your New Business Intake process you *should* be achieving loss prevention.  If that's not true, then why do you have the policy to begin with, right?  Your executive team can definitely ascribe value to this type of loss prevention, so this is low-hanging fruit for inclusion in your ROI.

2. Time-Value-Of-Money

If you get paid within 15 days of delivering a product or service you actually make more money (in a sense) than if you get paid within 90 days of delivering a product or service.  This is known as 'Time-Value-of-Money'. 

Transform your NBI in ways that lead directly to acceleration of cash flow and/or collections, and you've just achieved real monetary increases.  Just ask your CFO - they'll tell you!

3. Value of Bandwidth Increases

Efficiencies better be achieved by your New Business Intake process transformation - or don't do it!  These efficiencies ultimately result in increased bandwidth for various types of resources throughout your firm (attorneys; marketing teams; risk management teams; secretaries; paralegals; department chairs; etc.). 

These bandwidth increases have REAL DOLLAR VALUE - this means these resources are released for leverage on other HIGH VALUE ACTIVITIES.  This return comes back in increased revenue, additional loss prevention and enhanced overall profitability.

There are so many more areas that a well-done New Business Intake transformation provides, but hopefully this short synopsis peaks your interest.

So the question is - if your firm is sitting on its hands 'living with' the old New Business Intake - are your executives aware they are losing $500K or more from the bottom line?   Maybe we should tell them, what do you think?

Elegrity offers unprecedented no-commitment process transformation workshops to qualifying Law Firms internationally - which result in amongst other things, a validated Return-On-Investment calculation specific to your firm.  Download our flyer below or call today to see how we might help your firm win $500k!

In my previous blog, I discussed at a high level why organizations (corporations and law firms alike) who have implemented ERP systems require Business Process Management (BPM) to achieve success.  Note - this isn't a 'might need' scenario - it's a 'must-have'.  It just varies in terms of when the realization strikes the firm.  In fact, in some cases, law firms utilize BPM in lieu of ERP. 

Ok, so wait.  ERP Alone = Not Good; ERP + BPM = Success; BPM Alone = Success.  What gives?  Do you need ERP or not? 

The question of 'whether to ERP or not' doesn't have anything to do with Business Process Management.  That's because ERP systems are not BPM Systems (more about the ones that say they are later).  They are application and data management systems.  ERP provides functionality surrounding the management of information regarding various 'things' - like suppliers, employees, clients and matters.

BPM systems, on the other hand, are WORK, ACTIVITY AND DATA GOVERNANCE systems.  BPM provides functionality required to organize and coordinate the involvement of people and information (business systems including ERP) in the business processes that make-up your firm.  These processes may be departmental, but most often they are cross-department, cross-geography and sometimes cross-organizational.

Why is BPM So Important?

Does every organization need BPM?  In my book - most do.  Why?  Because every organization requires more efficiency, better loss prevention and greater agility than ever before.  There's no margin for ineffectiveness being filled by 'more' of anything - more people, more money.  There's no room for unexpected and uncontrolled losses to degrade law firm profitability.  There's not time to spend months or years making strategic or risk management adjustments to the running of the business.  We don't live in that world.  We live in a world of exponential acceleration, constant paradigm shifts and 'with less, do more'.  Anyone out there not living in that world?  Remember the days of the 10-year strategic plans?  Ha!  Now that gives me a good laugh.

When is ERP Important?

So - what about ERP (or 'baby-ERP' finance systems for law firms)?  Who needs those?  The answer to that question is more nuanced and dependent on specific functional requirements.  The reason its dependent on specific functional requirements is because these systems are FUNCTIONALLY-based.  That's what they do - manage data around FUNCTIONS and FUNCTIONAL areas (HR; Finance; Supply Chain).  So, if you find that you have financial or accounting needs that require specific data management assistance - then perhaps a finance or accounting module from an ERP system will do the trick.  If you find you need better organization of information relating to employees, then maybe an HRIS or HR module of an ERP system is required. 

Remember this - good data management and data governance relies on good PROCESS MANAGEMENT.  BPM ensures that the MEANING AND CONTEXT of the data is clear to end-users (because BPM is friendly - so you can ask for information with understandable questions or phrases - you don't just throw an ERP field at the user and expect them to know what it means!).  BPM automatically involves the right resources in review of the entered information BEFORE it makes it into the ERP system.  BPM systems automate the push and pull of relevant information from ERP systems to ensure accuracy and efficacy of the information as a natural part of every day work.

Coming Next...Don't Get Fooled - Know What Real Success Looks Like

Coming next...beware of ERP / Law Firm Finance System vendors who tell you they have the solution you need for 'BPM'.  They know they need BPM to be successful - but don't get fooled by their attempts to fill their hole themselves.  Also, I'll share some real-world success stories of law firms and corporations getting the most bang for their buck with BPM with and without ERP.

In the past several years, some law firms have implemented ERP systems for some or all of their financial and HR functions.  Others have begun embracing what I call 'Baby-ERP' systems which are the latest releases of some of the law-firm specific finance systems that are inching their way towards the beginning realm of ERP. 

A very common question I get asked is "Why do we need BPM [Elegrity's Law Business Management System (LBMS)] when we have X, Y or Z ERP or 'baby-ERP' or are planning to get it?"  It's a great question - and it inspired this blog (thanks to customers and prospects alike for the wonderful collaborations and blog fodder!). 

Not a New Question  

Let's start with the fact that, although fairly new for law firms, this question is not new in the larger business context.  Global corporations (non-law firms) almost always have ERP deeply embedded in their organization.  Inevitably, we get engaged by these corporations when the need for enterprise Business Process Management (BPM) is recognized (and the fact that the ERP system cannot deliver it).  Some of these corporations recognize the need for BPM early, saving themselves more money over the long term than I can calculate.  Others recognize it only after years of pain and extraordinary cost. 

 I hope to help our law firm customers and prospects learn from the corporate world so you can save yourselves the experience of the pain of getting the role of ERP wrong in your firm.

Key Reasons BPM is Required with ERP  

Here are the key reasons I and other experts believe BPM is required even if, or perhaps especially when, organizations have ERP:

• ERP is focused on management of data held within the ERP system in various, but siloed, functional areas.  ERP systems may offer ‘embedded’ or functional workflows, but they provide no or very poor enterprise workflow that is considerate of cross-functional needs or the needs or uses of non-ERP business systems!  BPM supports both functional and enterprise process transformation scenarios.
• BPM is far more agile than ERP systems, where BPM requires on average 3-6 months to implement, ERP takes 20-24 months (minimum). Change management (key to agility) follows a similar pattern, with BPM empowering enterprises to implement change 85% faster - now that's what you call agility!
• ERP needs BPM to help realize its full value.  BPM helps ERP by allowing it to stay functionally focused while providing for the cross-functional, cross-system and cross-boundary needs of organizations.

I concur with all of the above - but I will add one more that I believe is crucial:  END-USER ADOPTION.  

Working with an ERP system is somewhat akin to flying a 747 -what if you sat down in front of the pilot's console on your next flight on a 747?  Do you think you could get going right away?  HARDLY.  It takes years to learn how to work all those controls.  The same can be said for ERP systems.  That's why you leave using the ERP system to the back-end core operational teams, and implement nice and friendly BPM in front of them for the end-users.  In this way, you achieve incredibly fast adoption rates.  ERP alone?  Well - get ready of hundreds of hours of costly training, with questionable results.

Stay tuned for future blogs in which I will explore ways ERP vendors and IT departments attempt to overcome ERP's lack of business process management capabilities - and the dangers of misplaced investments of both time and money.

I sat down this morning to look at a mid-tier firm's existing New Business Intake process - with the intention of having a starter 'transformed' process documented for them in a matter of a couple of hours.  

Current Analysis Paralysis - Not a Good Starting Point

Before digging in, I read my email - and quickly find an email that goes something like this from a law firm - "We know we have to change our process, but we are still working on documenting our current processes."  Immediately I go into the 'no, don't do it!' mantra, because I know how much time, money and effort they will waste by focusing on current state, versus the transformation of their processes.  But at the same time, I know they do this because they believe if they don’t, something will get missed and they’ll be left with gaps.  So, I'm constantly looking for new ways to relate for them why a focus on the future, not the current state, is a substantially more effective approach.

Transforming Business Process Is Just Like a Remodel of Your Home

So today, it occurred to me...what if firms could see that business process transformation is like remodeling their house?  Let's say you want to remodel the main floor of your house.  What might that look and feel like?

Why a Remodel? 

First and foremost, there must be reasons you want to take on the project.  These might be a mixture of increased usability, financial and risk mitigation.  Something like this:

• Usability - The rooms are too closed. We can't see the kids when we are in the kitchen cooking.  We aren't getting the best use of our space right now, we think we could actually increase the usable space if we had a more open floorplan.
• Risk - There's been some water damage and we think we are going to need to go up into the ceiling and roof to fix it.  Seems like while we are there, we might as well use the opportunity to make improvements at the same time. The stove isn't properly vented right now either, which is concerning.
• Financial - This remodel would substantially increase the resale value of our home.  In the short-term, I think it would help us get a better refi, and we'll save energy costs as well, because we can put in more energy-efficient windows and appliances.

What and How Much? 

Next, you need to know what you would need to spend, and what your remodeled house would look and feel like in the end.

• No one in the family is an architect, so we'd better get a good one to help us. 
• We arrange for them to come over and consult with us, take a look around - and eventually draw up for us what our remodeled home will look like and outline for us the associated break-down of costs.

Go or No-Go? 

Now armed with knowledge of what 'could be' and what it would cost, you need to decide whether to go forward or not.

• Does the remodeled floor plan sufficiently meet our outlined needs (or even exceed our expectations because the experts pointed out things we never even considered - after all, they do this on multiple homes every year - so they see and hear a lot more from home owners than we do)
• What is the estimated cost - is it worth it?  Can we afford to do it all at once, or can we break it up into more feasible chunks?  What is the return-on-investment we expect in the short and long term.  Is that enough to move us forward?
• What will life be like for our family during the remodel.  Do we have to move out, or cook on a hotplate in the living room for a while?  How long?  Can we handle it?
• We talk to some friends that have remodeled and get the real-life low-down on what it was like and whether they felt it was worth it in the end.
• Finally - we have a family meeting and reach our 'Go-No-Go decision'.  We picture yourselves in that new, open and spacious floor plan and we agree 'Let's do it!' 

The Focus is on What You Will Have AFTER the Remodel!

Now, let's think about where in the above thought process the CURRENT DESIGN OF YOUR HOUSE gets considered:

• By you - when you are figuring out what works and doesn't work for you and your family right now.  How long does it really take you to think about this?  Probably not very long...you live there every day, and already know what you love about your house and what is frustrating or could be better for you.
• By the architect - architects know that their designs have to be realistic.  They can't just throw out any design of your home they want - they have to work with what you've already got in place. Where are the support beams, pipes and wiring, what are your preferences in terms of maintaining current fixtures, etc.  That said, where do they spend most of their time?  On the TO-BE design.
• In the budgeting and planning - the cost break-down will naturally include the components that have to change - and will identify what changes will take more money and time than others.

So clearly, the current layout and architecture of your home gets thoroughly considered at every step of the above process...but where is the majority of the FOCUS spent?  On the 'To-Be' - what your REMODELED HOME would look like.

Business process transformation is no different.  Your time and effort has to be on the future process, not the current.  You don't have to, nor should you, spend focus time on documenting current process.  Instead, you should be going through the process of transformation - and the current state will naturally make itself known all the way through.  Oh, and just like with your remodel - unless you are an experienced business process transformation architect, you should bring an expert in to help you envision that to-be so they can bring you industry-wide and developing best practices and guide you safely through the transition.

If you want to experience accelerated transformation without getting caught in 'current state analysis paralysis', participate in an Elegrity iPOW (Interactive Process Optimization Workshop).  We offer one-of-a-kind law firm process transformation workshops that accomplish more in 6 hours than what most firms are accomplishing in a period of weeks, or worse, months of time.  Let us help you and your firm get a real understanding of that remodel!  We will arm you with all the information you need to make safe, informed decisions without wasting time and money along the way.