Six Questions to Consider Before Kicking Off 2027 Practice Group Plans

Whether your firm calls them practices, sections, or departments, a planning process should do more than produce a completed document. It should connect firm strategy to group priorities, give attorneys a roadmap for where to focus limited business development time, and create accountability for progress.

But before you send them the practice group planning template, here are the questions you should ask.

1. Why are we asking groups to plan?

Start with the “why,” not the template. What does the firm want the planning process to accomplish? Is it revenue growth, deeper client relationships, succession planning, expansion in priority industries, cross-selling, talent development, or something else? Make the value clear to attorneys: a useful plan helps the group prioritize, coordinate efforts, and understand how individual contributions connect to broader goals.

2. What does each practice leader want to accomplish?

Before starting any plan, have a conversation with the practice leader. Ask how the group is functioning today. What does that leader want to accomplish in the next year? Where do they see the greatest opportunities? What has changed since the last planning cycle - new laterals or retirements, changes in key clients, competitors or markets, regulatory trends, or shifts in firm strategy or investment? Where has there been buy-in or resistance?

3. What should every group be expected to address?

Look first at the firm’s overall strategic priorities. Identify the 3–5 elements every group must consider for the firm to achieve those goals, and make those the common foundation.

4. Are all groups starting from the same place?

A group that already meets regularly, works toward shared goals, and has engaged leadership may be ready for a more robust plan than one still learning to function as a group. Consider a core framework with a flexible approach: everyone addresses firm priorities while additional planning elements reflect the group’s maturity, opportunities, and needs.

5. What data can inform the plan?

Don’t plan on instinct alone. Use available financial, relationship, and activity data to identify momentum and risk. Revenue, profitability, and matter trends provide important context; CRM activity, new relationships, introductions, pitches, and other leading indicators can reveal where opportunities may be developing.

6. How will we know whether the plan is working?

Don’t rely solely on revenue to measure progress. Identify desired outcomes and the activities that indicate movement toward them. If the goal is to expand three client relationships, progress might include conducting a gap analysis, introductions to new decision-makers and cross-practice introductions, with new matters and increased revenue as long-term outcomes. Establish check-ins to review progress, reinforce accountability, and adjust the plan as circumstances change.

This article was originally published on JD Supra, more here.