--- title: How to Ensure CLM Implementation Success description: Discover why many CLM implementations fall short and learn how to ensure success by choosing the right solutions and deploying them effectively. image: https://blog.linksquares.com/hubfs/perlafdez_httpss.mj.runInQT9BRbLiw_3_columns_of_stairs_connec_99756230-406a-4e99-a473-6d090e25178b_1-1.png --- [Skip to content](https://blog.linksquares.com/how-to-ensure-clm-implementation-success#main-content) [LinkSquares](https://blog.linksquares.com/) Open Mobile Menu [LinkSquares](https://linksquares.com/) Close Mobile Menu [Why LinkSquares](https://linksquares.com/why-linksquares/) [Products](https://linksquares.com/products/) --- [The LinkSquares Cloud One platform for all your in-house legal needs](https://linksquares.com/products/linksquares-cloud/) --- Contract Lifecycle Management Create, review, manage and sign contracts Legal Project Management Centralize your work and keep projects moving Cross-product capabilities Get scalability, efficiency and connectivity LinkSquares Onboarding Experience A step by step guide to get started today --- [Solutions](https://linksquares.com/solutions/) [Customer Stories](https://linksquares.com/customers/) Resources Content [LinkSquares+ Content curated for in-house leaders](https://linksquares.com/plus/) [The Library](https://linksquares.com/library/) In the studio [Demo Library](https://linksquares.com/demo-library/) Community & Events [Customer Stories](https://linksquares.com/customers/) [Events & Webinars](https://linksquares.com/events/) Learning [Blog](https://blog.linksquares.com/) [In-House Insights](https://linksquares.com/inhouse-insights/) [Knowledge Base](https://help.linksquares.com/) [Events](https://linksquares.com/events/) [About Us](https://linksquares.com/about-us/) [Careers](https://linksquares.com/careers/) [Press](https://blog.linksquares.com/tag/linksquares-news-press) [Pricing](https://linksquares.com/pricing/) [Request a demo](https://linksquares.com/demo-request/) Back Close Mobile Menu [Contract Lifecycle Management](https://linksquares.com/products/) [Finalize Streamline your contract creation process](https://linksquares.com/products/finalize/) [Sign Get your contracts executed faster](https://linksquares.com/products/sign/) [Analyze Your post-signature analytics & repository](https://linksquares.com/products/analyze/) [CLM Suite One platform to rule them all](https://linksquares.com/products/) [Request a demo](https://linksquares.com/demo-request/) Back Close Mobile Menu [Legal Project Management](https://linksquares.com/products/) [Prioritize Manage, track, and report on legal work in one place](https://linksquares.com/products/prioritize/) [Request a demo](https://linksquares.com/demo-request/) Back Close Mobile Menu [Cross-product capabilities](https://linksquares.com/products/) [LinkAI Predictive and generative AI](https://linksquares.com/products/analyze/features/ai/) [Integrations Connect the tools you love](https://linksquares.com/integrations/) [Reporting Improve your teams efficiency with KPIs](https://linksquares.com/products/analyze/features/dashboard/) [API Integrate with any third-party app](https://linksquares.com/integrations/linksquares-api/) [Request a demo](https://linksquares.com/demo-request/) Back Close Mobile Menu [Cross-product capabilities](https://linksquares.com/products/) [Onboarding We're here for you from day one](https://linksquares.com/onboarding-services/) [Services Short on time? 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[Learn more](https://linksquares.com/agentic-ai/) Contract Lifecycle Management Create, review, manage and sign contracts Legal Project Management Centralize your work and keep projects moving Unified Capabilities Get scalability, efficiency and connectivity LinkSquares Onboarding Experience A step by step guide to get started quickly [Finalize Streamline your contract creation process](https://linksquares.com/products/finalize/) [Sign Get your contracts executed faster](https://linksquares.com/products/sign/) [Analyze Your post-signature analytics & repository](https://linksquares.com/products/analyze/) [CLM Suite One platform to rule them all](https://linksquares.com/products/) [Prioritize Manage, track, and report on legal work in one place](https://linksquares.com/products/prioritize/) [LinkAI Predictive and generative AI](https://linksquares.com/ai/) [Agentic AI Smarter contracting with a multi-agent approach](https://linksquares.com/agentic-ai/) [Integrations Connect the tools you love](https://linksquares.com/integrations/) [Reporting Improve your teams efficiency with KPIs](https://linksquares.com/products/analyze/features/dashboard/) [API Integrate with any third-party app](https://linksquares.com/integrations/linksquares-api/) [Onboarding We're here for you from day one](https://linksquares.com/onboarding-services/) [Services Short on time? 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Why, then, do [many CLM implementations fail](https://www.gartner.com/en/documents/3902463) to lead to customer satisfaction and actual ROI? Do you know the adage, "Failing to plan is planning to fail?" This applies directly to your legal tech rollout. Legal teams often fail to properly plan for CLM implementations. Below, we lay out a process for ensuring success in your CLM implementation by making sure you pick the right CLM solutions and deploy them correctly. ## Define the problem you're trying to solve Do you need to close deals faster? Do you need to manage legal resources? Are you trying to simplify the variety of language that appears in your agreements? Until you know specifically what you want a CLM solution to accomplish, you can't pick the right software, let alone set it up for success. ## Define the metrics that will show you're solving the problem Now that you know what you want your CLM platform to do for your business, you need to define how you'll measure its impact. Ideally, the software will have its own reporting features that can do a lot of the heavy lifting, but you still need to plan to capture, analyze, and report on the KPIs that will validate your CLM adoption. ## Identify the data you want to ingest In most cases, adopting a CLM solution also means uploading some or all of your contract repository into the system. Where do those contracts currently live, and in what format are they currently stored (paper files, old scanned PDFs, modern word processing files, or some combination of the three)? Do you want all contracts to be reportable, or just sales deals? These decisions need to be made before your adoption, not during. ## Identify who needs to be trained before you roll out the software Yes, your legal team clearly needs to be brought up to speed on your CLM solution, but what about *everyone else* who interacts with contracts in your business? Sales has a say in deals, as does finance, [procurement](https://docket.acc.com/perfect-pairing-automation-and-performance-reporting), marketing, and human resources (employment agreements are contracts). If you're using CLM to make it easier for non-legal staff to draft and/or analyze contracts, they need to be accounted for in your rollout plan. ## Plan a phased rollout We just laid out a lot of work in the steps above; don't try to do it all at once. Your CLM partner should help you devise a phased implementation plan that walks you through the process of configuring your software, training your staff, uploading your data, and then measuring success in stages. Work the kinks out when only the legal team is using the software, then bring other departments on board. That way, everyone has a good experience, and your legal team isn't overwhelmed or, worse, seen as forcing bad software on the business. If you're looking for a CLM solution that's easy to implement -- not least because it includes a world-class customer success team to help you through your rollout -- then [**contact LinkSquares today**](https://linksquares.com/demo-request/). ![avatar](https://blog.linksquares.com/hs-fs/hubfs/jay%20garmon.jpeg?width=290&name=jay%20garmon.jpeg) #### [Jay Garmon](https://blog.linksquares.com/author/jay-garmon) Jay Garmon is a product development expert with over 20 years of experience across AI, legal tech, fintech, healthcare, and mobile apps. You can visit him on LinkedIn. ## Subscribe to the LinkSquares Blog Stay up to date on best practices for GCs and legal teams, current events, legal tech, and more. ## Related Articles ### [Jay Garmon Sep 13, 2024 5 min read AI to KPI: Leveraging Legal Analytics to Track and Measure Performance Artificial intelligence (AI) holds great promise for transforming the legal industry, particularly in analytics. While experts ... Start Reading](https://blog.linksquares.com/leveraging-legal-analytics-to-measure-performance) ### [Jay Garmon Oct 04, 2024 6 min read How Legal Can Reduce Business Risk With CLM Many legal teams adopt contract lifecycle management (CLM) software for a variety of reasons, but one of the best and most ... Start Reading](https://blog.linksquares.com/how-legal-can-reduce-business-risk-with-clm) ### [Jay Garmon Aug 29, 2024 8 min read Data Visualization: Presenting Legal Metrics That Compel Thanks to modern legal software, you can quantitatively measure and manage the work your legal department undertakes, but that ... 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[Status](https://linksquares.statuspage.io/) - [Your Privacy Choices](https://go.linksquares.com/linksquares-do-not-sell-or-share-personal-data) - ![aicpa soc 2](https://blog.linksquares.com/hs-fs/hubfs/soc2_66933e61%20copy.png?width=100&height=100&name=soc2_66933e61%20copy.png) - ![barr certification](https://blog.linksquares.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Frame%201921.png?width=129&height=57&name=Frame%201921.png) ```json { "@context" : "http://schema.org", "@type" : "Organization", "address" : { "@type" : "PostalAddress", "addressCountry" : "United States", "addressLocality" : "Boston", "addressRegion" : "MA", "postalCode" : "02109", "streetAddress" : "60 State Street" }, "knowsLanguage" : "en", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "https://6934676.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/6934676/Navigation/logo_643dd1b1.svg" }, "name" : "LinkSquares", "url" : "https://blog.linksquares.com/how-to-ensure-clm-implementation-success" } ``` ```json { "@context" : "http://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "abstract" : "Discover why many CLM implementations fall short and learn how to ensure success by choosing the right solutions and deploying them effectively.", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Jay Garmon" }, "dateModified" : "2024-09-19T15:26:55Z", "datePublished" : "2024-09-19T15:26:55Z", "headline" : "5 Steps for Ensuring CLM Implementation Success", "image" : "https://6934676.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/6934676/perlafdez_httpss.mj.runInQT9BRbLiw_3_columns_of_stairs_connec_99756230-406a-4e99-a473-6d090e25178b_1-1.png", "inLanguage" : "en", "keywords" : "[AI, Contract Management, Legal Tech & Trends]", "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@type" : "WebPage" }, "name" : "5 Steps for Ensuring CLM Implementation Success", "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "https://6934676.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/6934676/Navigation/logo_643dd1b1.svg" }, "name" : "LinkSquares" }, "text" : "If you've ever sat through a well-executed demo for a contract lifecycle management (CLM) solution – especially in the age of artificial intelligence -- you've probably left the experience certain that the software in question includes anything and everything you could possibly need to improve your legal operations. Why, then, do many CLM implementations fail to lead to customer satisfaction and actual ROI? Do you know the adage, \"Failing to plan is planning to fail?\" This applies directly to your legal tech rollout. Legal teams often fail to properly plan for CLM implementations. Below, we lay out a process for ensuring success in your CLM implementation by making sure you pick the right CLM solutions and deploy them correctly. Define the problem you're trying to solve Do you need to close deals faster? Do you need to manage legal resources? Are you trying to simplify the variety of language that appears in your agreements? Until you know specifically what you want a CLM solution to accomplish, you can't pick the right software, let alone set it up for success. Define the metrics that will show you're solving the problem Now that you know what you want your CLM platform to do for your business, you need to define how you'll measure its impact. Ideally, the software will have its own reporting features that can do a lot of the heavy lifting, but you still need to plan to capture, analyze, and report on the KPIs that will validate your CLM adoption. Identify the data you want to ingest In most cases, adopting a CLM solution also means uploading some or all of your contract repository into the system. Where do those contracts currently live, and in what format are they currently stored (paper files, old scanned PDFs, modern word processing files, or some combination of the three)? Do you want all contracts to be reportable, or just sales deals? These decisions need to be made before your adoption, not during. Identify who needs to be trained before you roll out the software Yes, your legal team clearly needs to be brought up to speed on your CLM solution, but what about everyone else who interacts with contracts in your business? Sales has a say in deals, as does finance, procurement, marketing, and human resources (employment agreements are contracts). If you're using CLM to make it easier for non-legal staff to draft and/or analyze contracts, they need to be accounted for in your rollout plan. Plan a phased rollout We just laid out a lot of work in the steps above; don't try to do it all at once. Your CLM partner should help you devise a phased implementation plan that walks you through the process of configuring your software, training your staff, uploading your data, and then measuring success in stages. Work the kinks out when only the legal team is using the software, then bring other departments on board. That way, everyone has a good experience, and your legal team isn't overwhelmed or, worse, seen as forcing bad software on the business. If you're looking for a CLM solution that's easy to implement -- not least because it includes a world-class customer success team to help you through your rollout -- then contact LinkSquares today.", "url" : "https://blog.linksquares.com/how-to-ensure-clm-implementation-success", "wordCount" : "770" } ```