Crafty Counsel Video Series: Contract Management Technology

About the Crafty Counsel Partnership

Founded in 2019, Crafty Counsel is a media platform centered around the in-house community and their experiences. They bring together in-house legal professionals from across the globe to share their ideas and experiences on various topics, including things like legal operations, innovation, culture, and contract management.

ContractWorks sponsored the Crafty Counsel series “Contract Management: Peace of Mind”, and Mark Rhodes, Managing Director (Europe) at ContractWorks, joined the conversation to share his thoughts on choosing a solution based on your specific contract management needs. 

Video 1: The High Growth Company

Eleanor Kearon, Head of Legal • Onfido

It’s common for companies that are growing rapidly to invest in contract management software. Contract volume is likely increasing, sparking the search for a solution to help keep things organized and streamline processes for efficiency. 

But what happens when you realize the solution you chose doesn’t align with your future needs? In this interview, Eleanor Kearon, Head of Legal at Onfido, discusses how her team dealt with that problem.

Watch Video 1: The High Growth Company.

Video 2: The Enterprise Solution Part 1 - The Opportunity

Amy McConnell, Head of Legal Operations • Vodafone Business

For large organizations with complex contracting processes and workflows, an enterprise solution is needed to handle every step along the way, from initial request and negotiation through to signature and reporting. In this video, Amy McConnell, Head of Legal Operations at Vodafone Business, explains the issues they were facing before implementing a solution, and how they introduced enterprise contract lifecycle management software across the business.

Watch Video 2: The Enterprise Solution Part 1 - The Opportunity

Video 3: The Enterprise Solution Part 2 - Investment and Processes

Amy McConnell, Head of Legal Operations • Vodafone Business

Launching and managing an enterprise-level contract management solution requires a significant investment of time, money, and human resources to recognize value in the long run. Amy McConnell describes her experiences navigating this process at Vodafone Business, and shares how she would manage the implementation differently if she went through the journey again. 

Watch Video 3: The Enterprise Solution Part 2 - Investment and Processes

Video 4: Building Contract Management Tech In-house - The Opportunities

Alex Galtieri, Deputy General Counsel • Colt and Anthony Lyons, Group Legal Counsel & Company Secretary • Mako Trading

Alex Galtieri, Deputy General Counsel at Colt, and Anthony Lyons, Group Legal Counsel & Company Secretary at Mako Trading, share some of the opportunities around building your own contract management solution, the importance of training, and lessons learned to help others who are considering going down this path to solve their contract management challenges.

Watch Video 4: Building Contract Management Tech In-house - The Opportunities

Video 5: Building Contract Management Tech In-house - Pitfalls to Avoid

Alex Galtieri, Deputy General Counsel • Colt and Anthony Lyons, Group Legal Counsel & Company Secretary • Mako Trading

In part two of their interview, Alex Galtieri and Anthony Lyons share their different experiences around building tech in-house, and the challenges they ran into along the way.

According to Alex, his team was involved in two separate journeys to build a contract management solution in-house, and neither attempt ever reached the finish line. As Alex describes, it was “a classic case study of how not to do things.”

On the other hand, Anthony discusses how his team was able to successfully build a solution internally by keeping the scope of the project narrow and focused.

Watch Video 5: Building Contract Management Tech In-house - Pitfalls to Avoid

Video 6: How to Pick a Contract Management Tool

Mark Rhodes, Managing Director (Europe) • ContractWorks

Anyone who has looked into purchasing contract management software knows that there are hundreds of solutions to choose from. So how do you pick the right one?

ContractWorks Managing Director (Europe) Mark Rhodes talks about the importance of understanding your own needs before looking at solutions, and how ContractWorks fits in the contract technology landscape.

Watch Video 6: How to Pick a Contract Management Tool

Video 7: Understanding the Different Contract Tech Options

Mark Rhodes, Managing Director (Europe) • ContractWorks

This video series has demonstrated that there are multiple ways to address contract management issues within an organization. 

Some businesses choose to build their own solution. Other businesses adopt software like ContractWorks that empowers teams to quickly and affordably solve for specific parts of the contract management process. And some larger enterprises may elect to roll out a more complex solution that solves for the entire contract management process, from drafting and negotiating all the way through to signing and reporting.

In this final interview, Mark Rhodes walks through each of the approaches and how to decide which path is right for you and your organization.

Watch Video 7: Understanding the Different Contract Tech Options

To read more on the different types of contract management solutions to choose from, download The Buyer’s Guide to Contract Management Software.