When
legal
headlines
talk
about
AI,
it’s
usually
all
hype
or
all
fear.
Either
we’re
replacing
lawyers
with
robots
or
bracing
for
doomsday.
But
back
on
Earth,
where
work
still
has
to
get
done,
AI
is
a
business
decision,
not
an
existential
dilemma.
An
important
decision
that
legal
departments,
especially
lean
ones,
need
to
make
with
clarity,
not
chaos.
Enter
the
Hanna
Center:
a
nonprofit
that
treated
AI
not
as
a
headline
but
as
a
workflow
challenge.
With
process
optimization
as
their
goal,
they
went
beyond
simply
testing
a
new
tool
and
built
a
repeatable,
resilient
system
that
made
their
limited
resources
go
further.
In
2025,
that
approach
evolved
into
a
full-scale
rollout
of
ChatGPT
Enterprise
accounts
for
50
staff
across
departments,
a
practical
experiment
in
how
AI
can
add
measurable
value
to
mission-driven
work.
Their
story
shows
how
structured
operational
thinking
can
turn
experimentation
into
meaningful,
measurable
progress.
Start
with
the
Why
Our
engagement
with
the
Hanna
Center
began
with
a
straightforward
challenge:
too
much
manual
work
for
a
small
team,
the
kind
that
drains
hours
and
focus
from
higher-impact
priorities.
Rather
than
chasing
the
next
shiny
tool,
we
zeroed
in
on
what
mattered
most:
value.
Together,
we
mapped
where
time
was
being
lost,
what
tasks
could
be
safely
offloaded,
and
how
to
safeguard
both
their
people
and
their
mission.
That
shift
in
focus
changed
everything.
By
grounding
the
project
in
a
real
operational
problem
instead
of
an
abstract
idea
of
“innovation,”
we
created
the
space
to
measure
outcomes
that
actually
mattered.
Hanna’s
goal
wasn’t
a
headline;
it
was
lasting
efficiency.
That
efficiency
began
with
a
workflow
audit
that
identified
nine
clear
use
cases,
each
ranked
by
complexity
to
create
a
roadmap
for
phased
adoption.
The
early
pilots
targeted
the
simplest
but
highest-friction
tasks.
As
these
proved
successful,
more
complex
efforts
followed,
and
the
program
was
rolled
out
more
broadly
across
the
organization.
When
ChatGPT
was
launched
to
all
50
staff
members,
we
worked
with
them
to
structure
the
rollout
for
measurable
impact.
It
was
a
mixed-methods
evaluation
that
included
surveying
27
users
and
conducting
seven
focus
groups.
The
results
showed
that
staff
saved
an
average
of
4.13
hours
per
week,
totaling
roughly
$22,767
in
monthly
value
across
departments.
Beyond
time
savings,
teams
reported
greater
autonomy,
faster
report
turnaround,
and
reduced
reliance
on
outside
consultants.
The
project
also
sparked
creative
thinking
and
enthusiasm,
generating
over
50
ideas
for
future
AI
use
cases.
That
same
value-first
approach
defines
our
every
engagement.
Whether
we’re
partnering
with
a
large
enterprise
or
a
small
nonprofit,
our
strategy
starts
with
what
the
team
needs
to
work
better.
Flashy
solutions
come
and
go.
Practical
ones
endure.
Pilot
Small,
Build
Smart
Hanna’s
rollout
built
on
that
same
clarity
of
purpose.
It
started
small
with
a
focused
pilot
to
automate
time-consuming,
overly
manual
tasks
that
were
slowing
the
organization
down.
The
project
was
scoped
intentionally,
with
cross-functional
alignment
from
the
start,
and
treated
like
a
test
kitchen:
structured,
transparent,
and
open
to
feedback.
The
initial
pilots
focused
on
high-value,
low-risk
workflows,
projects
where
AI
could
immediately
reduce
administrative
burden
without
disrupting
sensitive
processes.
Early
examples
included
automating
data
extraction
from
ancillary
services
invoices
and
high
school
transcripts,
simplifying
the
creation
of
program
manuals,
and
using
ChatGPT
to
draft
trauma-informed
care
(TIC)
policy
updates.
These
early
wins
built
staff
confidence
and
freed
up
time
for
deeper
strategic
work.
From
there,
the
team
expanded
into
moderate-complexity
use
cases,
including
building
automated
dashboards,
generating
impact
reports
that
combined
survey
data
and
narrative
insights,
and
drafting
curriculum
content
for
the
Hanna
Institute.
By
ranking
use
cases
by
complexity,
Hanna
avoided
overreach
and
ensured
that
each
new
deployment
was
built
on
proven
success.
Staff
testimonials
from
the
evaluation
captured
the
impact
in
human
terms.
One
grants
team
member
said,
“It
would
have
taken
me
a
good
20
to
30
minutes,
and
I
have
it
in
five,”
and
another
noted
that
reports
that
once
took
“three
to
four
hours
of
focused
time”
could
now
be
completed
“within
an
hour
or
less.”
Across
departments,
staff
described
the
same
pattern:
spending
less
time
on
formatting
and
searching
and
more
time
on
judgment,
planning,
and
collaboration.
Each
iteration
refined
not
just
the
technology
but
the
process
itself.
As
the
pilot
matured,
core
operational
principles
such
as
risk
management,
change
readiness,
and
metrics
kept
it
grounded.
Every
improvement
was
documented,
every
win
validated,
and
every
new
workflow
designed
to
be
repeatable,
not
one-off.
That
discipline
paid
off.
By
the
time
Hanna’s
ChatGPT
Enterprise
program
reached
full
adoption,
it
had
become
a
living
example
of
operations
transformation
in
motion:
start
small,
prove
value,
scale
with
intention.
Turning
Experimentation
into
Impact
By
mid-2025,
Hanna
Center’s
AI
adoption
had
gone
beyond
the
pilot
stage
and
had
become
a
model
for
practical,
mission-driven
transformation.
The
results
spoke
for
themselves:
measurable
time
and
cost
savings,
stronger
internal
capacity,
and
teams
empowered
to
solve
problems
independently.
For
leadership,
the
takeaway
was
clear:
when
you
treat
AI
as
an
operational
enhancement
rather
than
a
disruptive
overhaul,
adoption
sticks.
Staff
comfort
levels
averaged
4.1
out
of
5,
and
81%
of
users
cited
writing
and
editing
as
their
most
frequent
task.
For
every
organization
exploring
AI,
that’s
the
real
lesson:
progress
doesn’t
come
from
chasing
the
newest
tool,
but
from
applying
disciplined
operational
design
to
build
targeted,
simple
process
improvements
that
endure.
A
Thoughtful
Shift
This
takeaway
goes
beyond
technology
itself.
What
matters
most
is
the
mindset
behind
how
teams
choose
to
use
it.
Structured
operational
thinking
is,
at
its
core,
about
alignment:
connecting
how
work
gets
done
to
what
the
organization
is
trying
to
achieve.
Success
shows
up
in
time
saved,
smoother
processes,
and
stronger
trust
between
teams,
not
in
the
number
of
tools
deployed.
No
matter
the
project,
whether
it
is
automating
FAQs,
refining
workflows,
or
improving
coordination
across
departments,
the
same
principles
hold
true:
start
with
value,
test
intentionally,
communicate
openly,
and
design
for
real
use.
When
operations
lead
the
strategy,
AI
becomes
an
amplifier
for
good
work,
not
a
replacement
for
it.
Hanna
Center
showed
how
that
happens.
The
future
of
work
isn’t
defined
by
automation.
It’s
defined
by
how
we
use
technology
to
strengthen
the
organization,
one
deliberate
step
at
a
time.
Brandi
Pack has
a
diverse
background
that
spans
the
legal,
hospitality,
education,
and
technology
industries.
Over
the
course
of
her
career,
she
has
excelled
in
various
strategic
business
operations
roles
at
Hewlett
Packard
Company,
Constellation
Brands,
and
Goodwill
Industries.
Brandi
has
a
successful
track
record
in
project
management,
training,
business
development,
legal
operations,
and
IT
services.
She
is
a
thought
leader
in
the
emerging
space
of
AI
in
the
workplace,
particularly
as
it
impacts
the
legal
landscape.