How To Use Matter Plans?

How To Use Matter Plans?

Matters.Cloud - Plans (Phases and Tasks)

Within Matters.Cloud it is possible to associate phases and tasks to a matter to allow users to record time and expenses against a particular task.  This can be done at individual matter level, for example, if the matter contains a unique set of tasks that differs from what may be tracked ordinarily.  Alternatively, a Plan Template can be created which contains the various tasks that may be associated with a particular matter type.

Plan Template

Plan Templates are managed via the menu:
  1. Setup > Matters > Plan templates
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Clicking on this menu will display a list of available Plan Templates that may previously have been created.  Plan Templates can be edited at any time to include new phases or tasks that should be tracked.

Creating a New Plan Template

To create a new Plan Template:
  1. Click the ‘New plan template’ button.
  2. Enter the name for the new template.
  3. Click 'Submit and open' in the bottom-right corner.
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Once the template is created, you can begin adding phases and tasks.

Adding Phases

  1. Click the ‘New phase’ button.
  2. A dialog box will appear where you can enter the name of the phase (e.g., Discovery).
  3. Click ‘Submit and new’ to continue creating additional phases, or ‘Submit’ to save and return to the main screen.

Adding Tasks

To add tasks under a phase:
  1. Click the plus (+) icon below the desired phase.
  2. You can type in the task name manually or copy it from an external document.
  3. Use the ‘Description’ field to provide any relevant details or instructions.
  4. Select the Task type.
  5. Assign the task using the Assign to field, then click ‘Submit and New’ to continue creating additional tasks, or ‘Submit’ to save and return to the main screen
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Tasks can be reordered using the drag-and-drop feature to place them in the preferred sequence.

Associating a Plan Template to a Matter Type

Associating a Plan Template with a Matter Type allows new and existing matters of that type to automatically inherit the relevant phases and tasks.

To associate a Plan Template:
  1. Navigate to Setup > Matters > Matter types.
  2. Open the desired matter type.
  3. In the Matter type dialog box, locate the ‘Plan template’ field.
  4. Select the relevant Plan template from the list.
  5. Click Submit at the bottom-right corner to save your changes.
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Once this association is made, any new matter created with that type will automatically include the corresponding phases and tasks.

Viewing the Plan within a Matter 

To view a plan within a matter:
  1. Open the matter and navigate to the ‘Plan’ tab.
  2. The associated phases and tasks will be displayed. 

Importing Plan Templates into a matter

For existing matters, it is possible to import a Plan Template directly into the matter.
  1. From the matter view, go to the ‘Plan’ tab.
  2. If no plan exists, you will be presented with options:
    > Click ‘New phase’ to create phases and tasks manually.
    > Or click ‘Templates’ to import from an existing template.
  3. Select the desired plan template from the list and click ‘Import’ to import the phases and tasks.

Recording time against a task

Once a matter has been associated with a plan, users can record time and expenses at the task level.

In the Time Entry dialog:
  1. Use the ‘Task’ dropdown to select the appropriate task against which time is being recorded.

Estimates

You can create estimates for the time required to complete specific tasks. Currently, estimates are managed at the Resource level, allowing firms to evaluate how much time is needed per resource.

To create an estimate:
  1. Click the Estimates icon .
  2. Click New estimate.
  3. Enter the Estimated hours and Rate per hour, then click Submit.

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