Right Discovery Staff Writer
A quick tour through eDiscovery project management—from kickoff through closeout—with reminders our facilitator panel wishes every new PM internalized on day one.
Project setup
- Lock scope, success metrics, and escalation paths before ingestion begins.
- Document roles so custodians, reviewers, and vendors share one playbook.
- Flag data risks (ephemeral chat, legacy tapes) during the first data map.
Budget and spend
- Model tech, staffing, hosting, and export line items explicitly.
- Review actuals weekly; variance stories beat surprise invoices.
Technology and vendors
- Score tools against matter facts—not generic magic quadrants.
- Translate ESI protocols into enforceable specs (formats, metadata, gaps).
- Account for modern channels (WhatsApp, WeChat) and GenAI-generated artifacts when scoping collections.
- Negotiate SLAs and security attestations before data hits the wire.
Communications
- Rhythmically brief stakeholders; silence breeds rumor.
- Log decisions where counsel can retrieve them under pressure.
Reporting and metrics
- Pair throughput charts with quality indicators—not vanity totals.
- Use dashboards to steer, not to wallpaper status calls.
Deadlines
- Backstop critical milestones with resource buffers.
- Escalate slip early; judges rarely sympathize with silent scrambles.
Workflow and QC
- Design repeatable workflows with QA hooks and defensible sampling.
- Iterate based on QC feedback instead of hoping errors wash out.
Productions and closeout
- Validate production sets, privilege logs, and clawback mechanics.
- Archive runbooks, lessons learned, and billing artifacts for the next matter.
NOTE: This overview is educational only and does not constitute legal advice; opinions belong to the presenters and not necessarily any affiliated institution.
Topics: legal project management, eDiscovery, Right Discovery