Metrics Across the EDRM

The UTBMS eDiscovery Code Set is used to measure and analyze values across EDRM phases. Following is a breakdown of which codes apply within each phase and what they measure. For more information about the codes, go to UTBMS eDiscovery Code Set.

Identification

The Identification Phase involves three L600 codes to be tracked in order to improve budget projections.

L601: Discovery Planning – Includes initial review of complaint, development of ESI data map.
L602: Interviews – Activities and actions related to the conducting of interviews with custodians, data stewards, or other individuals or groups within the organization.
EDRMMetricsModel_ID_1 Activities
Custodians
Systems
Identify infrastructure and software systems. Estimate data volume located on servers, smart phones, PCs, tablets, other devices, LAN, WAN, intranet, extranet, Internet etc.
EDRMMetricsModel_ID_2 Custodians
Systems
Media
Formats
Identified ESI data formats as well as paper formats, as well as potential need for decryption, scanning, translation forensic analysis, restoration.
EDRMMetricsModel_ID_3 Custodians
Media
Formats
Identified volume for Media Types including custodial and non-custodial e-mail, server, removable media, archives, journals, paper files.
L609: Quality Assurance and Control – Activities and actions related to ensuring that the process and practices used to perform analysis meet an acceptable level of defensibility.
EDRMMetricsModel_ID_4 Activities
Custodians
Status
QA
Periodic reviews and status reports on efforts to identify, locate and estimate the volume of relevant ESI.
EDRM-chart-IDEDRM Metrics Model

Preservation

The Preservation Phase involves three L600 codes to be tracked in order to improve budget projections.

L611: Preservation Order – Activities and actions related to ensuring that data is preserved in accordance with requirements and assist with any efforts to seek relief from preservation order that may be issued by the court. Includes notice letters to other parties.
L612: Legal Hold – Activities and actions related to a) developing / drafting of appropriate legal hold for nature of litigation and distributing to identified custodians and data stewards, b) tracking and monitoring of responses received from custodians and including addressing any questions, and c) the release of a custodian or data steward from legal hold due to conclusion of litigation via settlement, conclusion of appeal or otherwise.
EDRMMetricsModel_Preservation_1 Activities
Custodians
Systems
Media
Status
Tracking and monitoring of legal hold responses and addressing questions from custodians and IT system custodians.
EDRMMetricsModel_Preservation_1 Activities
Custodians
Systems
Media
Status
Tracking decision to issue legal hold letters to other parties.
EDRMMetricsModel_Preservation_1 Activities
Custodians
Systems
Media
Status
Assistance with seeking relief from any preservation order or release from a legal hold.
L619: Quality Assurance and Control – Activities and actions related to ensuring that the process and practices used to perform analysis meet an acceptable level of defensibility.
EDRMMetricsModel_ID_4 Activities
Custodians
Status
QA
Verify that processes and practices meet an acceptable level of defensibility.
Chart EDRM-PreservationEDRM Metrics - Preservation

Collection

The Collection Phase involves tracking four L600 codes in order to improve budget projections.

L621: Collection/Recovery – Activities and actions related to the collection and/or recovery of a) custodial email residing on the network, server, home share or enterprise archive or journal, hard-drives and removable media, as well as paper files, b) collection and/or recovery of non-custodial data the network, server, group shares, removable media and paper files, and c) decrypting files, cracking passwords, files restoration and other forensic analysis activity. Includes selective collection, searches and source imaging.
L622: Media Costs – Activities and actions used to track the actual costs of media used for preservation, collection, production and other activities and actions requiring purchase or additional media or use of existing media resources.
L623: Media/ESI Transfer, Receipt, Inventory – Activities and actions related to the transfer, receipt, tracking an inventory of ESI.
EDRMMetricsModel_Collection_1 Custodians
Status
Timely reports on the status and efficacy of document collection and recovery efforts.
EDRMMetricsModel_ID_2 Custodians
Systems
Media
Formats
Custodial and non custodial e-mail and data collected from various systems and media including a record of containers file types and data volumes.
EDRMMetricsModel_Collection_2 Activities
Media
Formats
Decryption, cracking passcodes, file restoration, and other forensic activities.
L629: Quality Assurance and Control – Activities and actions related to ensuring that the process and practices used to perform analysis meet an acceptable level of defensibility.
EDRMMetricsModel_Collection_3 Activities
QA
Tracking chain-of-custody documentation.
Chart EDRM-Collection\r\nEDRM Metrics Model

Processing

The Processing Phase involves tracking five L600 codes in order to improve budget projections.

L631: ESI Stage, Preparation and Process – Activities and actions related to staging, preparing and processing ESI. Includes culling, date filtering, key word application, ECA and other related.
L633: Foreign Language Translation – Activities and actions related to foreign language translation of both electronic and paper documents.
L634: Exception Handling – Activities and actions related to exception of both electronic and paper documents requiring special handling. Includes decryption.
EDRMMetricsModel_Processing_1 Activities
Custodians
Systems
Media
Formats
Tracking the volume of containers, records, duplicates, near duplicates, filtering results, key words, files with no-text, De-Nisting results.
EDRMMetricsModel_Processing_2 Activities
Custodians
Systems
Media
Status
Formats
Metrics during processing assessment is a critical first step in the workflow as it allows the processing team to ensure that the processing phase is aligned with the overall e-discovery strategy, identify any processing optimizations that may result in substantive cost savings and minimize the risks associated with processing.
L632: Scanning – Hard Copy – Includes OCR, production of metadata, and other services involved around scanning.
EDRMMetricsModel_Processing_3 Activities
Formats
L639: Quality Assurance and Control – Activities and actions related to ensuring that the process and practices used to perform analysis meet an acceptable level of defensibility.
EDRMMetricsModel_Collection_3 Activities
QA
Chart EDRM-ProcessingEDRM Metrics Model

Review

The Review Phase requires seven L600 code items to be tracked in order to improve budget projections.

L651: Hosting Costs – Activities and action related to a)creation of the underlying database(s) in which unstructured and structured data which has been processed will reside for access and/or review, b) loading of the processed data into the underlying database(s), c) on-line storage required to store and make the processed data available for access and/or review, d) user access and license fees that provide the user with the ability to access and/or review the hosted data, and e) archiving data from and to on-line storage to a more cost effective for of storage such as near-line, secondary or off-line storage such as tape or cartridge in the event a matter goes dormant for a period of time.
L652: Objective and Subjective Coding – Activities and actions related to unitizing and the objective and subjective coding of basic bibliographic information related to both electronic and paper-based data and documents, including auto-coding.
L653: First Pass Document Review – Activities and actions related to performing first pass document review such as determining relevancy, issue coding, tagging, and initial privilege determination.
L654: Second Pass Document Review – Activities and actions related to second pass QC of data and documents coded for relevancy, issue codes, tagging, and initial privilege determination during the first pass review.
L655: Privilege Review – Activities and actions related to performing final privilege review and determination of documents, as well as all privilege log related work.
L656: Redaction – Activities and actions related to the development and implementation of a redaction protocol and the actual redaction of data and documents consistent with such a protocol.
EDRMMetricsModel_Review_1 Activities
Status
Timely reports and reviewing metrics to show rate of review and incurred cost per hour and per document.
EDRMMetricsModel_Review_1 Activities
Status
Development and providing of initial and ongoing training and development of review protocol.
EDRMMetricsModel_Review_1 Activities
Status
Review project analytics for cost comparisons and projections.
EDRMMetricsModel_Review_1 Activities
Status
Monitoring and evaluating work flow and efficiencies for better process and results.
L659: Quality Assurance and Control – Activities and actions related to ensuring that the process and practices used to perform analysis meet an acceptable level of defensibility.
EDRMMetricsModel_Collection_3 Activities
QA
Activities and actions related to ensuring that the process and practices used to perform review meet an acceptable level of defensibility.
Chart EDRM-ReviewEDRMMetricsModel_Review

Analysis

The Analysis Phase involves tracking two L600 codes in order to improve budget projections.

L660: Analysis – Activities and actions required by litigation teams to be able to make informed decisions about strategy and scope through reliable methods based on verified data.
EDRMMetricsModel_Analysis_1 Activities Comparison of reviewer speed and quality to ensure top performance, efficiencies, and therefore cost savings.
EDRMMetricsModel_Analysis_1 Activities Reduce the amount of information that goes into and is stored by information management and archiving systems.
EDRMMetricsModel_Analysis_1 Activities Allows the case team to review the information and set appropriate expectations and budgetary requirements for the remainder of the project.
EDRMMetricsModel_Analysis_1 Activities Facts gathered related to litigation readiness.
EDRMMetricsModel_Analysis_1 Activities Activities and actions required by litigation teams to be able to make informed decisions about strategy and scope through reliable methods based on verified data.
L669: Quality Assurance and Control (not an official code)
EDRMMetricsModel_Collection_3 Activities
QA
By using a metrics during project analytics the team can be proactive in finding problems in their e-discovery strategy or its implementation.
EDRMMetricsModel_Collection_3 Activities
QA
Enhanced defensibility when using metrics for collection analysis sampling, gap report analysis, search term analysis, validation analysis, and quality assurance analysis.
EDRMMetricsModel_Collection_3 Activities
QA
Activities and actions related to ensuring that the process and practices used to perform analysis meet an acceptable level of defensibility.
Chart EDRM-AnalysisEDRMMetricsModel_Analysis

Production

The Production Phase involves tracking two L600 codes in order to improve budget projections.

L671: Conversion of ESI to Production Format – Activities and actions related to the TIFFing, bates stamping, endorsing, preparation of load files and deliverables to be provided as part of the data and/or document production(s). Also includes any technical time not included in the base production charges.
EDRMMetricsModel_Production_1 Activities
Media
Status
Formats
Activities and actions related to the TIFFing, bates stamping, endorsing, preparation of load files and deliverables to be provided as part of the data and/or document production(s). Also includes any technical time not included in the base production charges.
EDRMMetricsModel_Production_2 Activities
Systems
Media
Status
Formats
Identify systems and process to produce responsive documents.
L679: Quality Assurance and Control – Activities and actions related to ensuring that the process and practices used to perform analysis meet an acceptable level of defensibility.
EDRMMetricsModel_Production_3 Activities
Status
QA
Activities and actions related to ensuring that the process and practices used to perform production meet an acceptable level of defensibility.
EDRMMetricsModel_Production_3 Activities
Status
QA
Identify systems and process to produce responsive documents.
Chart EDRM-ProductionEDRMMetricsModel_Production

Presentation

The Presentation Phase involves tracking two L600 codes in order to make accurate projections.

L680: Presentation – Activities and actions to prepare and display ESI before audiences (at depositions, hearings, trials, etc.), especially in native & near-native forms, to elicit further information, validate existing facts or positions, or persuade an audience.
L689: Quality Assurance and Control (not an official code) – Activities and actions related to ensuring that the process and practices used to perform analysis meet an acceptable level of defensibility.
EDRMMetricsModel_Collection_3 Activities
QA
Chart EDRM-PresentationEDRMMetricsModel_Analysis