The major elements include judicial commitment and leadership and a partnership between judge and court administrator; court consultation with the bar in the development and evaluation of caseflow systems; court supervision of case progress an in determining the timetable governing all proceedings during the life of each case; and standards and goals incorporating overall time standards governing disposition of each major case classification, intermediate standards governing time elapsed between major case events, and system management standards. Additional elements include an information management and performance monitoring system; scheduling for credible trial dates to permit timely case preparation, and court control of continuances. Major types of assignment systems may include individual, master, team, or hybrid calendar systems. Each of these options has potential benefits and drawbacks. A successful system must take into account both structural/process elements and sociolegal cultural concerns. In reducing backlogs, four issues deserve attention: the process of acquiring caseload information, resources to conduct caseload analysis, classification of the caseload, and planning for integrating active pending cases into the new program. Examples of the fundamental elements of caseflow management are provided, together with American Bar Association standards relating to court delay reduction. Chapter footnotes and a 31-item bibliography.