When the law firm management software stutters: Troubleshooting beyond the surface
Correlation vs. Causality: Why the error rarely lies in the top layer
Correlation and Causality
However, correlation does not yet imply causality, even if the connection may seem causal.
— Wikipedia
Cause and Effect
You've put on your headphones and are enjoying the latest work from your favorite orchestra. But the music starts to stutter. That's no fun! But who is to blame for the problem?
Here are some suggestions for whom you could complain to:
1.To the conductor! What's wrong with him? Doesn't he notice that the musicians are out of sync?
2.To Bose! These headphones are expensive and useless!
3.To Apple! The old iPhone was better than the new one anyway.
4.To Spotify! They charge money every month for something that doesn't even work properly.
The list of potential recipients for complaints could be extended: What about the Wi-Fi hotspot? And the switch it's connected to? Or perhaps the internet provider is having technical problems?
In short: The music stutters, and it's anything but clear who you should direct your complaint to. The product you are consuming – the music – reaches you through a complex system where numerous components or layers build upon each other.
The same applies to your timeSensor LEGAL software. We "compose" the software with which you manage your law firm data. But when the music stutters, the causes often lie deeper.
Everyday Example
The law firm Schneider & Müller (name changed) complained that timeSensor LEGAL had suddenly become very slow since the last update. A ticket was opened, and first-level support carried out the usual investigations according to the checklist. Nothing was found at the timeSensor LEGAL level, so the recommendation was made to the law firm that the local IT supporter should check the network. He found nothing, and so it was still suspected that the timeSensor software was to blame for the slowdown.
During an in-depth analysis by our developers, the Traceroute protocol showed a suspicious delay at the first hop. The problem obviously arose at the transition from the law firm modem to the internet. The internet provider was then activated.
Finally, we received the following letter from the law firm:
The root of the problem was found: During renovation work in the basement of our building, the fiber optic cable for our offices was damaged. Our system automatically switched to an "emergency system" from Swisscom after the outage. However, this is much slower. Swisscom has now repaired the damage. Our network technicians therefore feel "innocent" and cannot find any errors in measurements concerning our network. Swisscom then checked "their part" of the fiber optic network and found the error on their side. Well then: The problem has been resolved with the new fiber optic cable! timeSensor is now wonderfully fast again (<5 ms), and it's a pleasure to work with the solution.
— Law firm Schneider & Müller (name changed)
The Layer Model
The superimposed layers can be represented as a pyramid. The top layer is timeSensor LEGAL. The program communicates permanently with the database. Below that is the operating system, which in turn is structured into various layers. At the very bottom is the physical hardware.
The layer model at a glance – errors in deeper layers propagate up to the top layer.
Errors in one layer propagate to the next higher layer. A defective network card (physical layer) affects all higher-level layers up to the top layer. However, error messages are only issued by the upper layers; log files are used for the deeper layers.
Where is the error?
It can be tricky to find the layer causing the malfunction. Since timeSensor LEGAL represents the top layer, errors become visible here. However, this does not mean that the error originated in the top layer. The defective network card triggers an error message in timeSensor LEGAL – but the cause lies in a much deeper layer.
Therefore, every layer must be considered when troubleshooting.
Troubleshooting
To efficiently and systematically determine the cause of a malfunction, we use a three-stage model.
Since 2016, BIZ | LAW has been dealing with questions of digitalization of law firm processes.
The development, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, proves Kamp and his law firm colleagues right: "We hardly noticed any difference in our working methods and efficiency when we all had to work from home in March 2020." With the new interface, this efficiency will be significantly increased once again.
Hendrik Kamp – International Contract Law and Innovation Transfer
Mr. Hendrik Kamp specializes in advising technology companies and innovation and top clusters. Born and raised in NRW, he passed his 1st State Examination in Law in Bavaria. After passing the 2nd State Examination in Law, he very early on headed the legal department of a listed company in the automotive supply industry. Subsequently, Hendrik Kamp successfully managed the turnaround of a medium-sized semiconductor manufacturer in a leading position, thereby deepening his economic expertise. In parallel, he acquired the systematic approach to process improvement using analytical and statistical methods (Six Sigma). In 2009, he became self-employed as a lawyer and founded BIZ | LAW Rechtsanwälte.
