You need a Brain Dump

August 15, 2005 on 9:01 pm | In Tech Tips |

One of the best things I did this past year was create a Word document out on my server called “The Brain Dump.”  Onto the Brain Dump I “dump” every idea that pops into my head about how we could run our law firm better.  Some are good, some are bad, some are ugly.  Then, I regularly remind others in my Firm that the Dump is there, encouraging them to both read it and add their own ideas.

I’ll give you a couple (of the 50+ ideas) actual examples:

About once a month I get a client who says “why a power of attorney” when they sign the POA/Declaration…I think they are worried that POA means we can sell their children or something.  Maybe we need to tweak the language in the letter that explains what it is…maybe we need a separate sheet that goes with it that says “a POA means this…”

 

I think our patent search report letter should include an indicator of whether or not the patent is expired.  [One of our staff] knows how to quickly look it up… it is easy.  We just need to train staff and incorporate this concept into our next revision of the search report letter.

Yes, I know that the two “ideas” I chose to divulge are pretty simple, but even these simple ideas are important..  If something needs to be fixed or improved…write it down, even if you don’t have the time to fix it right now.  Then later (when we have time or feel like delegating tasks) we “Get ‘R Done.”

One missing link is that my simple Word document system really needs to be converted into something with an RSS feed so that when someone in the office adds something, the changes are sent automatically to all interested parties in the Firm. 

Now comes the part where I ask for help…I need a software solution for organizing the ideas.  Here’s what I need: 

  • It must have an RSS feed
  • It must be secure
  • It must be user friendly
  • I don’t want to mess with installing software on a server

Ideas???

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7 Comments

  1. Short of installing Movable Type on your server, I think your only option is email. It doesn’t have an RSS feed, but it has all the other options.

    Comment by Josh — August 16, 2005 #

  2. Wiki wiki wiki wiki wiki ;-)

    Comment by Millard Fillmore — August 16, 2005 #

  3. Check these out. They are not exactly what you are looking for but they meet all your specs:

    1. http://www.basecamphq.com/
    2. http://backpackit.com/
    3. http://www.jot.com/

    They are in the order in which I think they are suitable for your task. All three have free trial versions.

    Comment by Joe — August 16, 2005 #

  4. The folks at Mindjet have talked about building RSS support into MindManager for quite some time. I know you can add an RSS feed to a map, but I think they’re working on allowing maps to generate their own feeds. You could organize your ideas on a mind map and everyone could subscribe….

    Call Hobie. Take him to coffee. ;-)

    Comment by Matt Buchanan — August 16, 2005 #

  5. My alternate suggestion would be squirrels. Get a flock of trained squirrels to wear bulletin boards onto which you could write messages and edit etc. Whenever you needed anything - just bellow “Come here you darn squirrel.” Poof - all your problems are solved.

    Comment by Millard Fillmore — August 16, 2005 #

  6. Check out Webnote http://www.aypwip.org/webnote/

    You could have everyone in the office know the name of the workspace and load it up. It isn’t secure though.

    Comment by Jared Nipper — August 17, 2005 #

  7. You already use blogging software, which I am guessing by the presentation, is MovableType. MT does RSS by default.

    So instead of the Word file, set up a private blog for your staff and blog your brain dump.

    Comment by Tom — August 22, 2005 #

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