Capability template for operations and process improvement
Weekly open-matter check
Every Monday the operations manager sees every open matter: which tasks are overdue, which have no owner, and which matters could not be checked at all. The managing partner gets one summary, and each responsible attorney gets a note that is drafted and ready for the manager to send.
The outcome
No matter goes quiet without someone noticing. The whole book is checked every week, the small matters as carefully as the large ones, in the time it takes to check a handful by hand. The operations manager starts Monday with the counts done, the matters that most need attention ranked by a rule the firm chose, and a draft note for each responsible attorney.
The check also says what it could not see. Its first line compares the matters it assessed with an independent list of what should be open, and names every matter it could not assess. A matter that has dropped out of the case system by mistake shows up by name, where a count taken from the case system alone would have missed it.
This is administrative work on the firm's own task list. It gives no legal advice, works out no court deadline and puts no date on any task. The operations manager sends every note, and the attorneys decide who does what and by when.
Who starts the work, and when
The operations manager starts it, usually on Monday morning once the week's list of open matters has arrived from billing. It can run on any other day the manager wants a fresh look, with that day as the check date.
The responsible attorney on each matter confirms the counts in the note and decides who takes each task. The managing partner reads the summary and says which flags were wrong, so the check gets better each week.
What they supply
- The check date. The Monday being checked. Overdue is measured from it.
- The roster of open matters. A dated list kept outside the case system, usually by billing: a matter is open while the firm bills it. This is the independent count.
- The matters export from the case system: matter, client, responsible attorney, status.
- The tasks export from the case system: task, matter, owner, due date, status.
- The firm's settings, once: how old the roster may be, the size of the list, the words the case system uses for open and finished tasks and for an open matter, and the column headers of the three files.
The capability works from these exported files. It needs no connection to the case system and no sign-in details.
What comes out
- A coverage line, first. How many matters the roster expected, how many were assessed, and each matter that could not be assessed, by name and responsible attorney.
- One row for every matter assessed. Open tasks, overdue, unowned, tasks with no due date, and a plain note such as "no tasks recorded".
- The attention list. Up to ten matters, ranked by counts alone, with the rule printed beneath. It is never padded with clean matters.
- A draft note to each responsible attorney on the list, with every overdue task, who has it and how many days late, with the working shown, and every task with no owner or no due date.
- A draft summary for the managing partner, carrying the same coverage line and naming each matter with no tasks recorded or none left open.
The result ends by confirming that nothing was sent and nothing in the case system was changed.
An invented example
Illustrative example with invented data. The firm, its people, its clients, its matters and every record below are invented. People are shown by role. The firm is a small practice with three attorneys and two paralegals; its operations manager runs the check on Monday 2 November 2026.
What the operations manager supplied
The request
Run the weekly open-matter check as of Monday 2 November 2026.
Attached: roster.csv from the billing coordinator, and this morning's two
exports from the case system, matters.csv and tasks.csv.
Our settings: the roster may be up to 7 days old; the attention list holds
at most 10 matters; open tasks have the status "open" and finished tasks
"done". Use the standard note layout and sign the notes "Operations manager".
The summary goes to the managing partner.
roster.csv (from billing: every matter the firm is billing)
matter_id,client,responsible_attorney,roster_as_of
M-201,Client A,Attorney A,2026-11-02
M-202,Client B,Attorney B,2026-11-02
M-203,Client C,Attorney A,2026-11-02
M-204,Client D,Attorney C,2026-11-02
M-205,Client E,Attorney B,2026-11-02
M-206,Client F,Attorney C,2026-11-02
M-207,Client G,Attorney A,2026-11-02
matters.csv (export from the case system)
id,name,client,responsible_attorney,status
M-201,Supply dispute,Client A,Attorney A,open
M-202,Lease renewal,Client B,Attorney B,open
M-203,Insurance claim,Client C,Attorney A,open
M-204,Property boundary dispute,Client D,Attorney C,open
M-205,Regulatory inquiry,Client E,Attorney B,open
M-207,Partnership dissolution,Client G,Attorney A,open
M-208,Estate administration,Client H,Attorney C,open
tasks.csv (export from the case system)
id,matter_id,title,owner,due,status
T-01,M-201,File reply brief,,2026-10-23,open
T-02,M-201,Prepare exhibit list,Paralegal 1,2026-10-28,open
T-03,M-201,Send client status letter,Attorney A,2026-11-13,open
T-04,M-201,Collect signed engagement letter,Paralegal 1,2026-09-18,done
T-05,M-202,Request landlord's ledger,Paralegal 2,2026-10-30,open
T-06,M-202,Schedule client call,,2026-11-06,open
T-07,M-203,Send client status letter,Paralegal 1,,open
T-08,M-203,Order adjuster's file,Paralegal 2,2026-11-02,open
T-09,M-205,Assemble document production,Paralegal 2,2026-10-19,open
T-10,M-205,Calendar response date,Attorney B,2026-11-09,open
T-11,M-207,Close out file index,Paralegal 1,2026-10-09,done
T-12,M-207,Return original documents,Paralegal 1,2026-10-16,done
T-13,M-208,Request account statements,,2026-11-10,open
What came back
WEEKLY OPEN-MATTER CHECK as of 2026-11-02
Input: export (matters.csv, 7 matters; tasks.csv, 13 tasks).
Roster: dated 2026-11-02, from the billing coordinator, 7 matters, 0 days old
(check date 2026-11-02 minus roster date 2026-11-02 = 0 days; limit 7 days).
Settings: roster age limit 7 days; list size 10; status words open/done;
open matter word open; column headers default.
Defaults used for: open matter word, column headers.
Coverage: expected 7 open matters per roster dated 2026-11-02 (billing
coordinator); assessed 6 of them; could not assess 1: M-206, Client F,
Attorney C (on the roster, not in the matters export).
In the system but not on the roster: M-208, Estate administration, Client H
(assessed).
On the roster with a status other than open in the system: none.
Outcome: partial: could not assess M-206
Totals: 7 matters assessed (6 on the roster, 1 not on it); 10 open tasks;
4 overdue; 3 unowned; 1 with no due date. 3 finished tasks were left out.
MATTERS ASSESSED
M-201 Supply dispute | Attorney A | open 3 | overdue 2 | unowned 1 |
no due date 0 | earliest open due 2026-10-23
M-202 Lease renewal | Attorney B | open 2 | overdue 1 | unowned 1 |
no due date 0 | earliest open due 2026-10-30
M-203 Insurance claim | Attorney A | open 2 | overdue 0 | unowned 0 |
no due date 1 | earliest open due 2026-11-02
M-204 Property boundary dispute | Attorney C | open 0 | overdue 0 |
unowned 0 | no due date 0 | earliest open due none | no tasks recorded
M-205 Regulatory inquiry | Attorney B | open 2 | overdue 1 | unowned 0 |
no due date 0 | earliest open due 2026-10-19
M-207 Partnership dissolution | Attorney A | open 0 | overdue 0 |
unowned 0 | no due date 0 | earliest open due none | no open tasks
M-208 Estate administration | Attorney C | open 1 | overdue 0 | unowned 1 |
no due date 0 | earliest open due 2026-11-10 | not on the roster
Not assessed, not open in the system and not on the roster: none.
COULD NOT ASSESS
- M-206, Client F, Attorney C: on the roster, not in the matters export
COULD NOT READ
- none
Tasks for a matter that is not in the matters export, counted nowhere: none.
ATTENTION LIST (4 of at most 10)
1. M-201 Supply dispute (Attorney A): 2 overdue, 1 unowned
2. M-202 Lease renewal (Attorney B): 1 overdue, 1 unowned
3. M-205 Regulatory inquiry (Attorney B): 1 overdue, 0 unowned
4. M-208 Estate administration (Attorney C): 0 overdue, 1 unowned
Rule: matters with at least one overdue or unowned task; most overdue
first; then most unowned; then the earliest open due date; then matter ID.
Client size plays no part.
DRAFT NOTES
DRAFT, not sent
To: Attorney A
Subject: M-201 Supply dispute (Client A): tasks needing attention as of
2026-11-02
I am going through the open matters as of 2026-11-02. On M-201:
Overdue:
- File reply brief (T-01), no owner: due 2026-10-23; check date 2026-11-02;
10 days late
- Prepare exhibit list (T-02), Paralegal 1: due 2026-10-28; check date
2026-11-02; 5 days late
Who is taking these, and when will they be done?
Operations manager
DRAFT, not sent
To: Attorney B
Subject: M-202 Lease renewal (Client B): tasks needing attention as of
2026-11-02
I am going through the open matters as of 2026-11-02. On M-202:
Overdue:
- Request landlord's ledger (T-05), Paralegal 2: due 2026-10-30; check date
2026-11-02; 3 days late
Not yet due, no owner:
- Schedule client call (T-06), due 2026-11-06
Who is taking these, and when will they be done?
Operations manager
DRAFT, not sent
To: Attorney B
Subject: M-205 Regulatory inquiry (Client E): tasks needing attention as of
2026-11-02
I am going through the open matters as of 2026-11-02. On M-205:
Overdue:
- Assemble document production (T-09), Paralegal 2: due 2026-10-19; check
date 2026-11-02; 14 days late
Who is taking this, and when will it be done?
Operations manager
DRAFT, not sent
To: Attorney C
Subject: M-208 Estate administration (Client H): tasks needing attention as
of 2026-11-02
I am going through the open matters as of 2026-11-02. On M-208:
Not yet due, no owner:
- Request account statements (T-13), due 2026-11-10
Who is taking this, and when will it be done?
Operations manager
DRAFT SUMMARY
DRAFT, not sent
To: Managing partner
Subject: Weekly open-matter check as of 2026-11-02
Coverage: expected 7 open matters per roster dated 2026-11-02 (billing
coordinator); assessed 6 of them; could not assess 1: M-206, Client F,
Attorney C (on the roster, not in the matters export).
In the system but not on the roster: M-208, Estate administration, Client H
(assessed).
On the roster with a status other than open in the system: none.
Totals: 7 matters assessed (6 on the roster, 1 not on it); 10 open tasks;
4 overdue; 3 unowned; 1 with no due date. 3 finished tasks were left out.
The matters that most need attention (4):
1. M-201 Supply dispute (Attorney A): 2 overdue, 1 unowned
2. M-202 Lease renewal (Attorney B): 1 overdue, 1 unowned
3. M-205 Regulatory inquiry (Attorney B): 1 overdue, 0 unowned
4. M-208 Estate administration (Attorney C): 0 overdue, 1 unowned
Could not assess: M-206, Client F, Attorney C.
Could not read: none.
Also on the sheet: M-204 has no tasks recorded; M-207 has no open tasks;
M-203 has a task with no due date (T-07).
I am writing to the responsible attorney on each matter on the list.
Operations manager
FOR THE OPERATIONS MANAGER
- Find M-206 (Client F, Attorney C). It is on the billing roster and not in
the matters export.
- Ask the billing coordinator about M-208 (Estate administration, Client H),
which is open in the case system and not on the roster.
- M-204 has no tasks recorded, and M-207 has only finished tasks. Neither is
shown as clear.
- T-07 on M-203 has no due date. M-203 is not on the attention list, so no
note was drafted; Attorney A sets the date.
Nothing was sent and nothing in the case system was changed.
The operations manager read the four drafts, sent them from their own email, and went to find M-206. The days late in each note are plain calendar days, shown with their working so the attorney can confirm or correct them. The three files use the column headers the template expects by default; a firm whose files are headed differently says so in its settings, and the check stops and asks if it meets a header it was not told about.
Where it fits
- Law firms, where each matter has a responsible attorney and a quiet matter is the one that causes trouble.
- Professional services, where the same check works on engagements or projects, each with a responsible partner or lead.
- Operations and process improvement, which owns the weekly rhythm and the follow-up.
- Established businesses, where the check depends on one person's Monday morning and does not happen when that person is away.
What has to change for your company
Name who keeps the roster and how old it may be before the check waits for a new one. The template states the column headers it expects in each file; replace them with the headers your billing list and your case system's exports really use, and set your status words, so the check does not stop to ask. Confirm the ranking rule and the size of the list. Replace the note wording with your operations manager's own. Decide who receives the notes: the template writes to the responsible attorney, never straight to the person holding the task. Keep holidays and absences with the operations manager, who knows who is away.
What has been checked
Fully Powered AI wrote this capability template from its own built example of this check, which used invented records. It was editorially reviewed on 9 November 2026. It was tried on its invented example in two runs, one on a first draft and one on the revised instructions, and the record is published with it. The instructions had small edits after the second run, which the record lists. It has not yet been tested in a client environment. It has not yet been tested as a packaged version in ChatGPT, Claude, Copilot or Gemini.
Testing in your environment means running it on past weeks your operations manager already checked by hand, with cases written in advance: a matter missing from the export, a roster that is two weeks old, a done task with an old due date, a task due on the check date. The manager checks the coverage line against the roster and one matter's counts against the case system before anyone relies on it. Pilot acceptance-test preparation sets those cases up, and what we test before we call an AI workflow ready describes the record we keep.
The full capability template
Everything above is the outline. The complete capability template is the working version: the roles, the inputs, the procedure, the exceptions and stop conditions, the output format, the reviewer checklist, the acceptance tests, the instructions for an AI assistant and what to customize for your company. It comes with a download and the link to its folder in Fully Powered’s public repository.
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