The nature of the law business is that pretty much each attorney is an individual contributor. You do the work clients need when they need it. If clients have conflicting needs, it is mostly up to you to prioritize and manage your own way through it. Sometimes you work on large matters, IPOs (when there used to be such things) and mergers being examples, and you have to coordinate with a group. But, generally, you are the master of your day, your week, your month and your year. When we opened the EEC things changed a lot. We changed the model to some extent and now there are a lot of projects that have to be done by many people over many months (even years). Just saying, “the client needs it ASAP” doesn’t help. When, exactly, is ASAP?

ASAP is intended to carry some sense of urgency as in “We need to get that filed with the SEC, ASAP.” But what does that mean? Tomorrow before the market opens? In four business days when the 8K is actually required to be on file? The thing about the SEC is that they actually have deadlines. What if someone says, “We need those marketing materials ASAP.” That could mean anything. 

Years ago I worked with a client for whom everything had to be done ASAP. He would put ASAP in the “re” line of every email. Soon he discovered that if everything was ASAP then nothing had priority. So, he took to putting exclamation points after his ASAPs, something like this “ASAP!” In fact, he had a system of multiple exclamation points. Sometimes he wrote “ASAP!” and sometimes he wrote “ASAP!!!!” and sometimes it was somewhere in between. Needless to say, this habit provided a ready source of humor around the office and did not change behavior one little bit.

My discovery is that ASAP doesn’t mean much. If the task is a simple one step task ASAP might work, as in “Please mail this letter ASAP.” Otherwise forget it. Keep in mind I said “might.” Did I mean right now or before the close of business? Or, some other time? 

I like to have a specific time when a project is due and buy in around that time. I also like to have progress check-in points. This increases the likelihood of completion but does not guarantee it. On top of that there is the friendly drop-in and check as I pass an office. Think of it as the water torture – you are going to see a lot of me until it is done. It turns out that the “drop and check” works.

In the category of actions speak louder than words, “ASAP” doesn’t say much no matter how many exclamation points you put after it. A quick stop and a polite ask on your way to the coffee machine says its on your mind.