Great strides have been taken over the past two years to flesh out and further define the EDRM model. Over the next few months, you will be seeing two years worth of active collaboration, refinement and modeling being added to the EDRM website. As part of that process, we are re-building the site to provide users an updated interface with easier access to the valuable research and content. In that realm, we wanted to provide a quick update on what’s happening in each of the projects.
For the current year – May 2009 to May 2010 – we have eight active EDRM projects:
- Evergreen (2007): The goals of the Evergreen project have been to ensure that the Electronic Discovery Reference Model remains current, practical and relevant; to enhance the content at each node of the Model; and to educate about how to make effective use of the Model. At the moment, we have two versions of Evergreen content posted – the original EDRM educational content (http://edrm.net/wiki), and the Evergreen working content (http://edrm.net/wiki2).
Update: The Evergreen working group put together a Production Pack ‘n Go PowerPoint presentation, which steps through the stages of the production process. Posted in early 2009, that presentation is available at EDRM Production Pack 'n Go - XML (2006): The goal of the EDRM XML Project is to provide a standard, generally accepted XML schema to facilitate the movement of electronically stored information (ESI) from one step of the electronic discovery process to the next, from one software program to the next, and from one organization to the next.
Update: The XML group has developed an XML schema that can be used, and is being used, as a replacement for the multitude of proprietary load file formats out there today. We released version 1.0 of the schema in January 2008, along with a validation tool, a test compliance load file, and documentation. We released version 1.1 of the schema in February 2009. We are working on refinements to version 1.1 and have begun the planning process for version 2.x. Eighteen software providers have given us documentation confirmed that they passed the compliance self-test we make available. We know that many other providers, as well as a number of consumers, also use the schema but have not taken the extra step of providing us with the testing documentation. For XML materials, go to http://edrm.net/xml_distrib/ - Metrics (2006): The goal of the Metrics project is to provide an effective means of measuring the time, money and volumes associated with e-discovery activities. In addition, the Metrics model group is responsible for creating tracking, reporting and measurement protocols to assess e-discovery activities, and, to the extent metrics data becomes available, begin analysis of that data.
Update: After three years of hard work, the Metrics group has developed an extensive set of codes, which will soon be released in version 1.0 form. The draft set can be seen at http://edrm.net/2009_2010/metrics_006.php - Model Code of Conduct (2007): This project has as its goal the development of aspirational, voluntary ethical guidelines for electronic discovery providers and consumers. Ultimately, these guidelines will be akin to those under which attorneys, court personnel and others in the legal space operate.
Update: The draft Model Code of Conduct is available at http://edrm.net/wiki2/index.php/EDRM_Code_of_Conduct - Search (2008): The EDRM Search Project is aimed at providing a framework for defining and managing various aspects of search as applied to electronic discovery workflow. Electronic discovery practitioners use several search techniques for culling and locating electronically stored information. By specifying the type of search, its behavior and expected results, the uncertainty and incompleteness of search can be addressed.
Update: In February 2009, we released version 1.14 of the draft EDRM Search Guide. The draft guide is available in three forms – as a wiki (http://edrm.net/wiki2/index.php/EDRM_Search_Guide), as a downloadable Word 2003 file (http://edrm.net/files/EDRM-Search-Guide%20v1.14.doc) and as a downloadable PDF file (http://edrm.net/files/EDRM-Search-Guide%20v1.14.pdf). The group currently is working on version 1.17 of the Search Guide and has begun development of an accompanying XML schema.
Data Set (2008): When the EDRM Data Set Project was launched last year, we set the very challenging goal of compiling a 100 gigabyte data set that can be used to test various aspects of electronic discovery software and services.
Update: To date, we have put together over 60 gigabytes of data. Currently it has four components: an internationalization data set containing materials in 23 languages; a Enron email dataset that has had attachments reattached to the messages and has been reconstituted as a series of PST files; a file format dataset containing over 200 file types; and a file extension list with over 13,000 extensions. We are conducting internal testing of the data at this point, and are working on distribution mechanisms. - Jobs (2009): The goal of the EDRM Jobs Project is to develop a framework for evaluating pre-discovery and discovery personnel needs or issues. This framework will provide scenarios based on existing business models and will serve as a starting point for the needs assessment of human capital. The intent is to provide organizations with a means to identify, assess, advocate for, recruit, on-board and retain the appropriate level of professional resources.
Update: An initial process flow diagram depicting the process has been drafted. The group is working on developing a second level flow and related content. - Information Management Reference Model (IMRM) (2009): The goal of the IMRM Project is to provide a common, practical, flexible framework to help organizations develop and implement effective and actionable information management programs. The IMRM Project aims to offer guidance to Legal, IT, Records Management, line-of-business leaders and other business stakeholders within organizations. The Project seeks to facilitate dialogue among these stakeholders by providing a common language and reference for discussion and decision-making based on the needs of the organization.
Update: The team has organized into 6 working groups, each focused on gathering input from relevant industry groups and organizations, including analyst firms, corporations, electronic content management (ECM) vendors, healthcare providers, industry trade associations, and standards and certification organizations.
About EDRM
EDRM is an effort to address the lack of standards and guidelines in the world of electronic discovery. This effort is carried out by organizations and individuals who elect to become active EDRM participants – currently nearly 80 organizational participants as well as over 50 individual participants.
All content published at the EDRM site is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 United States License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/us/) or similar provisions. Everyone is free to share the content – to copy, distribute and transmit the work. Everyone is free to remix the content – to adapt the work. No one needs to pay any fee to EDRM for access to or use of the content. All we require is that you attribute the content to edrm.net.
Participating organizations and individuals pay a participation fee (details at http://edrm.net/pricing.php) to provide the resources needed to support the EDRM activities. Participants also commit to make a good faith effort to be active, productive members of the initiative. Without the active involvement of these organizations and individuals, EDRM would not exist – there would be no EDRM framework, no supporting materials, no EDRM xml schema, no EDRM Search Guide and so on.
Working collaboratively, the participants strive to improve the electronic discovery process for everyone involved in that process, primarily through establishing guidelines, setting standards, and delivering resources. To this end, EDRM is structured as a series of working projects that run from May to May. Many of the projects are divided into working groups, to make the undertaking more manageable.
We Welcome Your Participation
Help us make EDRM a better resource for everyone. Please join our efforts, as a participating organization or as an individual. We also welcome constructive suggestions from those in the e-discovery community, member or not. You can email them to us at: mail@edrm.net. And if you are, or have been, a participant, we thank you for your contributions!
