How to Run a 'Too Many Tools' Workshop for Your Firm

Start here: If your firm pays for subscriptions nobody remembers and people juggle 10 logins for the same job, this workshop will fix that — fast.

Too many legal and back-office tools create hidden costs: wasted licence fees, integration drag, compliance risk and slower client service. This facilitation guide gives you a ready-to-run internal workshop to map every tool, assign ownership, measure real usage, and make quick, defensible decisions to retire or consolidate software. It’s built for law firm operations teams and small-business legal departments in 2026, when AI point solutions, API-first SaaS, and aggressive vendor pricing changes mean subscriptions can balloon overnight.

What you’ll get from this article (fast)

• A practical workshop agenda and timeline you can run in 90–180 minutes.
• A simple, repeatable template for usage mapping, ownership and a quick decision matrix.
• Scripts and pre-work surveys to collect accurate data before the meeting.
• Post-workshop retirement and consolidation playbooks to save costs and reduce risk.
• How to get stakeholder alignment so decisions stick.

Why run a 'Too Many Tools' workshop in 2026?

Late 2025 and early 2026 accelerated three big forces that make this exercise essential:

• Explosion of AI point tools that promise automation but add fragmentation.
• Growth of API-first platforms and integration hubs — which change consolidation options and costs.
• More aggressive vendor pricing and stricter compliance rules requiring clear ownership and data flows.

Combine those with shrinking budgets and talent shortages, and you have a perfect storm where excess tools drain operational capacity and profitability. A focused workshop achieves quick wins and creates a governance baseline to prevent future tool sprawl.

Before the workshop: 7-step prep (do this in 5–7 days)

1. Create a single inventory sheet (spreadsheet or shared doc). Columns: Tool name, primary function, owner, licence cost, renewal date, active users (list), integrations, data stored, vendor SLA, security notes, last used date, and replacement/overlap candidates.
2. Send a short usage survey to staff (one page). Ask: "When did you last use this tool?" "What primary task do you use it for?" "Can you do this in another tool?" Include frequency options: daily, weekly, monthly, rarely, never.
3. Collect licence and billing data from finance — true cost by month and cancellation terms.
4. Identify stakeholders: legal ops, IT, practice group leads, procurement, and data protection. Limit workshop to 8–12 people for focus.
5. Prepare a printer-friendly matrix or digital board (Miro/whiteboard) mapping tools by category (e.g., client intake, document management, billing, e-discovery, AI drafting).
6. Set expectations in the invite: the meeting is to map facts and make quick, consensus decisions — not to deep-dive integrations or feature-by-feature debates.
7. Pre-load key analytics where possible: SSO login reports, active user counts, API calls, or recent usage logs for the last 90 days.

90–180 minute workshop agenda (facilitation guide)

This agenda is optimised for fast decisions and stakeholder alignment.

0–10 minutes: Welcome and objective (facilitator)

• State the goal: reduce cost/complexity and build an actionable retirement/consolidation plan within 30 days.
• Agree ground rules: fact-first, no vendor pitches, time-box decisions.

10–30 minutes: Tool inventory walkthrough

Facilitator runs through the pre-populated inventory. For each category call out top 3 suspects for retirement/ consolidation. Keep the discussion data-led: usage counts, licence costs, overlaps.

30–60 minutes: Usage mapping exercise (group)

On the board, map each tool to a simple usage score derived from pre-work survey and analytics: 5 (daily critical), 3 (weekly/important), 1 (rare/experimental), 0 (unused). Add qualitative flags: duplicate capability, security concern, integration friction.

60–90 minutes: Run the decision matrix

Use the template below. For each tool, score it on these axes:

• Business Impact (0–5): How critical is this for client service and revenue?
• Usage Intensity (0–5): Composite of active users and frequency.
• Overlap / Redundancy (0–5, inverted): How much of this can be done by an existing owned tool?
• Compliance / Security Risk (0–5): Data residency, vendor risk, or non-compliance exposure.
• Cost Efficiency (0–5): Licence cost per active user and cancellation flexibility.

Quick scoring rule: total the scores and place tools into three buckets:

• Keep / Invest (16–25) — mission-critical or high ROI tools.
• Consolidate / Re-scope (8–15) — useful but overlapping; consider migrating functions to a single platform.
• Retire / Replace (0–7) — low usage, high cost or high risk; candidate for cancellation within 30 days.

90–120 minutes: Quick wins and owner assignment

Identify immediate cancellations and consolidation pilots. For each candidate, assign an owner and a 30/60/90 day action plan with clear success metrics (cost saved, users migrated, integration completed).

120–150 minutes: Roadmap and governance

Agree governance: who approves new tools, a simple procurement flow, and a quarterly review cadence. Document responsibilities clearly with a RACI (Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, Informed) for tool lifecycle.

150–180 minutes (optional): Deep-dive planning

Reserve this final block for any contentious tools where more data is required. Capture decisions and next steps so the meeting concludes with an actionable list.

Decision matrix template (ready to use)

Use this simplified scoring method during the meeting. Facilitator tallies the numbers live.

1. Business Impact (0–5)
2. Usage Intensity (0–5)
3. Overlap (0–5) — rate higher where overlap is lower; invert for clarity
4. Compliance Risk (0–5)
5. Cost Efficiency (0–5)

Example: MatterManager

• Business Impact: 5
• Usage Intensity: 4
• Overlap: 1 (lots of overlap with central DMS)
• Compliance Risk: 1
• Cost Efficiency: 2
• Total: 13 — Consolidate / Re-scope

Practical facilitation tips

• Time-box debates: allow 60–90 seconds per tool discussion to keep momentum.
• Use data, not anecdotes: insist on usage logs or SSO counts for contested tools.
• Neutral facilitator: use someone outside the line team (legal ops or COO) to avoid vendor loyalty bias.
• Record votes: a simple thumbs up/down/abstain on decisions helps later governance.
• Manage vendor politics: block vendor champions from dominating the room; record their concerns and require evidence for retention.

Pre-workshop survey template (one-page)

Send this to every user of a listed tool. Keep it short to maximise response rates.

• Tool name (pre-filled)
• How often do you use this tool? (Daily / Weekly / Monthly / Rarely / Never)
• Primary tasks performed with this tool (free text)
• Can you perform these tasks in an existing firm tool? (Yes / No / Unsure)
• Estimated time saved per week using this tool (mins)
• Any compliance or security concerns? (Yes / No — explain)

Post-workshop: Retirement plan and runbook (30–90 day play)

For each tool in the Retire / Replace bucket, follow this runbook. It avoids client impact and preserves data integrity.

1. Confirm cancellation terms — earliest exit date, pro-rata refunds, contract penalties.
2. Data export plan — who owns client data, export formats, validation steps. Aim for automated exports via APIs where possible.
3. Migration checklist — map functions to replacement tools, build training material, and schedule migration windows outside peak client times.
4. Communications plan — notify affected teams 10–14 days before change, with clear support contact and fallback procedures.
5. Compliance sign-off — data protection officer or external counsel signs off on exports and deletions if required.
6. Decommission verification — confirm licence cancellation, access revoked, and data securely deleted if contractually required.

Consolidation pilots: small bets, measurable returns

Instead of forcing one giant migration, run 30-day pilots to consolidate small pockets. Criteria for pilot success:

• Migration completed within the window
• ≥80% of users can perform core tasks without regression
• At least 20% reduction in licence costs or measurable efficiency gain
• No unresolved compliance or security issues

Governance to stop future tool creep

A one-off workshop gets immediate wins; governance prevents relapse. Implement these rules:

• Central approval for any purchase > £500 per year or any tool storing client data.
• Quarterly tool review with lightweight usage mapping updates.
• Vendor scorecard — record uptime, integration ease, support responsiveness and cost change at renewal.
• Procurement checklist — legal/data protection sign-off, single sign-on compatibility, API availability and exit provisions.

Common objections and short rebuttals

• "But a tool was paid for — can’t we keep it?" — Sunk cost is not a justification. Focus on recurring costs and operational impact.
• "Users will revolt if we take away something they like." — Run pilots, show time-savings and provide training. Most resistance dissolves with clear benefits.
• "What if we lose a capability?" — Capture critical workflows before cancelling and ensure replacements meet minimum viable functionality.

“The goal is not to be minimalist; it’s to align tools with outcomes. Every subscription should have a clear owner, measurable impact and a retirement path.”

Advanced strategies for 2026 and beyond

• Leverage integration platforms: iPaaS tools reduce duplication by centralising data flows — use them as a consolidation strategy where full migration is hard.
• Rationalise AI point tools: place a strict vetting filter for LLM/AI tools. Require data residency controls and vendor model governance before adoption.
• Adopt consumption-based licences: where possible switch from per-seat to usage pricing to align cost with real activity.
• Embed procurement in legal reviews: every new tool contract should include exit rights, data portability and audit access for compliance teams.

Measurement and key outcomes

Track these KPIs to prove the workshop’s ROI:

• Licence cost saved (30/60/90 days)
• Number of tools retired
• Average logins per tool (should increase for kept tools)
• Time saved per user (self-reported and via activity logs)
• Fewer vendor integrations maintained

Case study snapshot (hypothetical, proven approach)

Small law firm with 45 users ran the 2-hour workshop in Q4 2025. They discovered 12 overlapping subscriptions across billing, matter management and client intake. Within 60 days they retired 6 subscriptions and consolidated two billing systems into one, saving 22% in annual licence spend and reducing time spent toggling tools by an estimated 6 hours per week per fee-earner. Key success factors: pre-work usage data, a neutral facilitator and a 30-day cancellation window to reduce disruption.

Downloadable checklist (two-minute overview)

• Inventory created and circulated
• Usage survey completed
• Stakeholders invited (max 12)
• Decision matrix printed or displayed
• Owners assigned and 30/60/90 day plans recorded
• Governance rules updated

Final practical takeaways

• Run this workshop quarterly until tool sprawl is under control.
• Focus on quick wins — retire the clearly unused tools first.
• Keep decisions data-driven and assign clear ownership to make outcomes stick.
• Use consolidation pilots to derisk migrations and prove value fast.

Call to action

If you want a ready-made, branded workshop packet (inventory template, decision matrix, survey and retirement runbook) or a facilitator to run the session with your firm, book a free 30-minute consultation with our legal operations team at solicitor.live. We help small firms and in-house legal teams run these sessions, validate compliance and create defensible retirement plans that save money and reduce risk.

Related Reading

• Dog-Friendly Stays in London: From Salon-Equipped Towers to Thatched-Cottage Charm
• Can a $231 e-bike be your new commute to training? Real-world test and safety checklist
• Audio + Aroma: Crafting Playlists That Make Your Perfume Pop
• Gamer on the Go: Packing List for Console and Switch Owners Camping or RVing
• Dinner by the Century: A Renaissance-Inspired Menu for a Small-Scale Feast