Visualizing the Benefits of Visio

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Mr. Smith,

 

The technological application I am bringing to your attention today is slightly different than the two products we had discussed in the previous two weeks of Google Drive and a professional blog.  The benefit derived from Google Drive from saved time for the administrative staff and new client revenue from blogging was relatively easy to trace.  The product I will be proposing today, Microsoft Visio, will provide more intangible benefits. 

 

If we were to invest in Microsoft Visio, we would potentially be better able to serve our clients as well as analyze our own operations.  The cost of this investment is fairly easy to calculate.  If we were to purchase the software for each of our 20 computers, it would cost approximately $250¹ for a total of $5,000.   Additionally, since our current systems are still running on Microsoft XP, we would have to upgrade our operating system to either Windows 7 or Windows 8.   This would either cost $140 per license² (140 X 20=$2,800) for Windows 7 Professional or $200 per license³ (200 X 20=$4,000) for Windows 8.  This would bring the grand total for the implementation of Visio to either $7,800 or $9,000, depending on the operating system we would choose to upgrade to.

 

Now that you have a full understanding of what the cost would be, I would like to specifically address what Microsoft Visio can bring to our law firm.  As a small to midsize firm, it is extremely important that we are able to have maximum efficiency in how we intake and manage each client’s work. Using Microsoft Visio’s diagramming function, we will be able to map out exactly how our case management system works and pinpoint what inefficiencies might exist at any part of each process.  The templates that exist within Visio are very user friendly and would allow us to create this diagram with preexisting shapes, symbols, and outlays.  Creating a diagram or flowchart to illustrate the intricacies of our case management system would be beneficial for internal purposes, or perhaps as a way to explain to current or potential clients exactly how their case is handled.  If I were compelled to assign a figure for money saved as a result of a Visio implementation, I could assert that if we increased our efficiency for our administrative staff by 0.25 % we would then see a savings of $5600(0.05*224,000=$5600, 10 workers at an average hourly wage of $14/hour  for a combined 320 hours a week or 16,000 hours annually totaling $224,000). While I could assign this arbitrary value to the increased efficiency obtained from a more accurate evaluation of our work flow processes or the value gained from assuring clients their work is being handled competently, this figure is largely imagined and I would not want to base an investment decision on an arbitrary figure. 

 

Microsoft Visio could be helpful in a few other areas.   Our attorneys currently use PowerPoint during client presentations and the charts generated by our administrative staff are generally those that are available within the application itself.  Using Visio, our staff would be able to include much more professional and aesthetically pleasing graphics for these presentations.   Also, we could use Visio to update or create a new organizational hierarchy that would be able to inform all of our employees as to the exact chain of command within our organization.   Lastly, although currently our firm focuses on education and criminal law, we have discussed branching out into the lucrative field of patent law.  If we were to practice patent law, Microsoft Visio would be extremely helpful since sometimes we would either need to help our clients to create patent diagrams or modify the diagrams ourselves.   

 

Ultimately, I would lean towards recommending against investing in Microsoft Visio for the law firm.  The practical applications do exist, however the benefit we would derive from implementing this product do not exceed its cost.  Mapping our case management system would be useful, but is not something that is imminently important.  Our client presentations could be improved with a new set of graphical options, but not drastically.  A new organizational chart could be helpful, but is not necessary.  If we were to consider patent law, I would be much more inclined to indicate my support for Visio’s purchase.  However, seeing as how there is not a significant tangible benefit associated with acquiring Visio, I do not support its immediate implementation.  Thank you for your time and consideration.  

 

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1. http://www.officemax.com/technology/software/business-office-software/product-prod4580100?cm_mmc=Googlepla-_-Technology-_-Software-_-Business%20and%20Office%201Software&ci_src=17588969&ci_sku=23880533

2. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116992 

3. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832416562&nm_mc=KNC-GoogleAdwords&cm_mmc=KNC-GoogleAdwords-_-pla-_-Operating+Systems-_-N82E16832416562&gclid=CNiJ75XcrLUCFU-d4AodThcA5w