Litigant Portal Launch: A 1-Year Roadmap

Hey everyone! We're about to embark on an exciting journey – the launch of our Litigant Portal. With the incredible support of our AWS Imagine Grant, we've got a fantastic opportunity to make a real difference. Today, we're kicking off the 1-year project timeline we outlined in our grant application. This is a big deal, and I'm thrilled to break down the plan with you all. Let's dive into how we're going to make this happen, step by step, ensuring a successful rollout and ultimately, a more accessible legal system for everyone. We'll be using this comprehensive strategy to guide our work, from internal strategy sessions to the creation of the user interface.

Assembling the Brain Trust and Defining Roles

First things first: We need our Brain Trust. This is a group of brilliant Freelawproject staff members who will serve as our internal advisors. Think of them as our go-to experts for guidance, feedback, and support throughout this project. We'll be reaching out to the team to get their valuable insights on a regular basis. Mikemitchel, you're on point to help build out the list for the Brain Trust, with specific asks for each member. We're thinking monthly meetings or being on hand for questions, so their knowledge is readily available. The goal is to create a collaborative environment where we can learn from each other and make sure we're always on the right track. This collaborative process ensures that the portal aligns with our broader goals for legal innovation and accessibility. It's really about creating a team that will ensure we remain focused and accountable. This Brain Trust will provide us with the necessary expertise to make informed decisions and adapt to any challenges. We will consider the team as an advisory council, providing direction, insight, and support throughout the project. The success of the project relies on the collaboration, communication, and commitment of the Brain Trust members. We're also working on ensuring each team member understands their roles.

Visualizing the Roadmap: Creating the 1-Year Plan

To keep us all aligned and on track, we'll create a clear and concise visual representation of our 1-year plan. I'm talking about a short slide deck or an engaging infographic that lays out the major milestones and timelines. The infographic will be shared at the All Hands meeting. The 1-year plan will be clearly and easily understood by all. Here's a quick peek at the key phases:

• First 3 months: Focus on the ITC (Initial Technology Components) and getting the foundational elements in place. This includes setting up our tech infrastructure. This stage is crucial for laying the groundwork for everything else to follow. We need to create the perfect user interface to give our users an exceptional experience. This phase ensures we build on a solid foundation and avoids any significant setbacks down the road.
• 6 months out: We'll be sending out a Request for Proposal (RFP) to courts and ramping up AI development. This stage is all about external partnerships and innovation. This involves reaching out to the relevant courts and initiating AI development to enhance the functionality of the portal. It's a key milestone in our roadmap, representing a shift toward broader collaborations and more advanced features. The RFP allows us to tap into external expertise and resources. We will use the opportunity to gather essential insights, which is crucial for the development of our AI capabilities.
• 9 months out: Pilot the portal in 3 courts. It will provide us with real-world feedback and data. This allows us to gather user feedback and make any necessary adjustments before a wider launch. We will evaluate user experience, assess performance metrics, and gain invaluable insights into the portal's effectiveness. This piloting phase will inform the final stages of our project.
• 12 months out: We will wrap up with a final report on the pilot phase. We'll do a national launch and then a postmortem to analyze what worked well and what could have been better. We can then learn from this information for our future projects. The national launch will be a significant milestone, making the portal accessible nationwide. The postmortem analysis will help us evaluate the project. This retrospective is an integral part of the project, as it allows us to identify areas for improvement. This helps ensure that future projects are even more successful and beneficial. By documenting our journey, we can share our experience with other developers. The postmortem will provide insight for future project teams.

This visual roadmap will be a living document. This will be updated as needed to reflect our progress and any changes along the way. The plan will serve as a valuable reference point for the entire team.

Building Team Buy-In and Collaboration

To ensure everyone is on board and working together seamlessly, we'll draft some talking points about team buy-in and collaboration. We want to emphasize the importance of open communication, shared goals, and mutual support. This is about making sure everyone understands how their work contributes to the bigger picture. We want everyone to feel valued and understand how their contributions will help us achieve our goals. The talking points will be a reminder of our shared purpose and commitment to success. The team buy-in is essential for the smooth running of the project, promoting efficiency, and reducing the potential for misunderstandings. We will emphasize the importance of open and honest dialogue and that feedback is always welcome.

• Highlighting the impact: We'll talk about how this portal can change lives and improve access to justice. We will emphasize the project's purpose and its potential to have a profound positive impact on our society. The impact will inspire the team, helping them feel fulfilled in their work.
• Celebrating Successes: Recognize and celebrate milestones and achievements, no matter how small. This will increase morale, keeping everyone motivated and engaged. This positive environment will foster collaboration, encouraging the team to work more effectively.
• Fostering a Culture of Learning: We need to create a culture of continuous learning and improvement. We will encourage team members to share their knowledge, learn from each other's experiences, and be open to new ideas.

Setting Up Initial Issues: The First 3 Months

Mikemitchel, your role is super important here. You'll be creating the initial set of issues for the first three months. These issues will be our detailed to-do list, breaking down our goals into manageable tasks. They'll include specific deadlines, responsibilities, and resources needed. This will help us stay organized, track progress, and ensure we're on schedule. The initial issues will be a critical part of our project, setting the stage for smooth and efficient execution. These items will be regularly reviewed and updated to reflect our progress. We'll need to define what's required for the ITC phase. The initial issues are a key component of our roadmap, setting the stage for a smooth and efficient execution.

Launching the Discussion: All Hands Meeting

We're planning to kick off this entire project during the