Being named as a defendant in a class action is often one of the
most significant (and traumatic) events an organization can face.
Many defendants are quick to react, immediately deploying counsel
to gear up for a hotly contested certification motion and issuing
statements promising a vigorous defence. But is this the correct
response? Perhaps, but how can one say a response is the right one
if the company has not yet defined what it wants to achieve and how
it plans to achieve it.
The defence of a class action is a project. It is a temporary
endeavour to achieve a desired result. It has a beginning, it has
an end, it has a scope, and it has resources. It has inputs and it
has outputs. It will certainly involve people from different
organizations and it may involve people in multiple locations.
Applying project management principles can therefore help the
defence of a class action by increasing predictability, managing
costs and ultimately improving the chances of
