By Grace Yurish
The New Hampshire Bar Association (NHBA) is enhancing its license renewal process by adopting Lean, a process improvement methodology focused on providing increased value for customers by reducing inefficiencies and optimizing operations. This initiative aims to create a more user-friendly and efficient renewal experience for members, while also alleviating the administrative burden on staff.
“We want to make the renewal process clearer for people,” says NHBA Executive Director Sarah Blodgett. “Every year, we have quite a few members who do not renew on time and end up being assessed a delinquency or – worst-case scenario – having their membership suspended. Last year, 525 members did not complete their renewal by the deadline. We want to make the process itself easier and help people comply with the New Hampshire Supreme Court rules.”
Originally developed within Toyota’s manufacturing system in the 1950s, Lean has since been adopted across various sectors, including government, healthcare, and legal organizations. In New Hampshire, the Judicial Branch and other organizations have successfully used Lean to improve efficiency and eliminate waste.
“Lean is a collection of tools,” explains Lean Black Belt Joe McCue, who has worked with numerous organizations to implement the Lean philosophy. “It’s also an operational and management philosophy that works to empower and equip people within an organization to solve problems and provide more value using fewer resources. The idea is to use Lean tools and philosophy to create more efficient processes, serving clients and customers in a better way.”
A Continuous Improvement Approach
McCue, who serves as both the Wellness Coordinator and Lean Coordinator for the New Hampshire Department of Transportation, explains continuous improvement is one of the two key pillars of Lean.
“It’s the mindset that no matter how good you are today, you can always get a tiny bit better tomorrow,” he says. “It doesn’t have to be huge gains – just one percent better every month can have dramatic effects over time.”
NHBA Controller Jennifer McManus, who leads the initiative, says, “That’s the most interesting part of Lean: it’s a never-ending process. This licensing season, we will make tweaks that we think will help improve the process. After this season is over, we will stop, review what we’ve done, adjust where we can, and then do the same thing again next year.”
The NHBA’s adoption of Lean stems from the program’s proven success within other Granite State organizations. The New Hampshire Judicial Branch, for example, has used Lean to streamline court processes, reduce case backlogs, and enhance service accessibility. Blodgett brings firsthand experience with Lean from her previous role in the Judicial Branch, where it was instrumental in improving operational efficiency.
“When I worked as a Circuit Court Administrator, I had the opportunity to work with the Estates Electronic Filing Center (EEFC),” Blodgett says. “The EEFC was responsible for processing every E-filed probate case in the state. Thousands of complex probate matters were filed every year, often by self-represented litigants. Due to these huge numbers, we worked to streamline the process and were fortunate enough to work with Joe McCue on that project.”
Current License Renewal Challenges
Attorney feedback has highlighted recurring issues with the license renewal process, including confusing communications, complex invoice structures, and lengthy procedures.
“The process hasn’t been reviewed in a number of years,” McManus says. “When Sarah joined the NHBA, we thought it was a good time for us to take a step back, look at the process, and evaluate how cumbersome the process is for members to go through it. I think some benefits of the improvements will be better customer service, easier navigation for members, internal improvements for Bar staff, and simply eliminating unnecessary barriers.”
To gain a clear overview of the current process, the NHBA’s Lean team mapped out the license renewal steps using sticky notes to visualize each phase.
“That was a real eye-opener,” says Blodgett. “We have an overall idea of the renewal process, but when it’s all written down, you realize how many different steps there are and how many people have a role in the process. It also helps to highlight pain points for both our members and staff.”
Collecting Member Feedback
To ensure the upcoming improvements are beneficial for members, the NHBA plans to collect feedback. In Lean terms, this is referred to as “the voice of the customer,” and it is essential to understanding the wants and needs of the members.
“We really need member feedback to tell us what we can do better and what parts of the renewal process are especially painful or challenging for them,” Blodgett says. “We will send out a survey to members who have recently completed their renewal in order to capture timely feedback. This input is critical to the success of Lean.”
McCue underscores the importance of this step.
“The survey is an attempt to better understand what the attorneys are going through, what their pain points are, and where they’re getting frustrated or confused. Once we understand that better, we’re much more likely to fix the problems they’re seeing – not just the problems the internal team is seeing.”
The NHBA plans to track improvements through metrics such as call volume during the renewal season and the number of renewals completed prior to the assessment of delinquency fees.
“If we can get more members in compliance, then I think this will have been a success,” Blodgett says.
As the NHBA continues to implement Lean, member feedback will play an important role in refining the renewal process. By actively listening to members’ experiences and adjusting based on their input, the NHBA aims to create a more seamless, efficient, and user-friendly renewal process. Members are encouraged to whitelist communications from the Bar and keep an eye out for the upcoming survey, ensuring their voices are heard in shaping improvements.