Tell Us What You Need to Deliver
A collection is not yet a production. The next step may require searchable text, native files, images, metadata, a load file or a combination that works with the receiving review platform. Tell us what material you have, who will receive it and the deadline. If a protocol or receiving specification exists, identify it during the initial discussion.
GDF helps define the technical work needed to prepare and check that handoff. Counsel directs responsiveness, privilege, confidentiality and redaction decisions. We document the processing choices, exceptions and delivery record so those decisions are connected to the files provided. If collection is still required, start with preservation and collections.
Agree on the Specification Before Processing
The processing plan identifies input sources, custodians, time basis, expected output and the treatment of attachments and document families. It records agreed approaches to duplicates, date filters, search terms and metadata fields. Decisions that change the material available for review should be documented before they are applied.
Native files, rendered images and extracted text serve different purposes. A spreadsheet may need its native format to preserve functionality; an image set may be appropriate for a reviewed and redacted document. The required format and any exceptions are agreed with counsel and the receiving party or platform, rather than assumed from the file extension.
Keep an Inventory of What Arrived
Processing begins with an inventory of received packages and the collection context available for them. Source identifiers, handling records and integrity values, where supported, remain associated with the material. Password-protected items, unsupported files, damaged content and incomplete exports are recorded for follow-up.
The number of files received is not always the number of items produced. Containers can expand, messages can have attachments and duplicate or version choices can change counts. The record explains those changes and retains reported exceptions. A successful provider export or completed processing job is not proof that every relevant source was included.
Preserve the Relationships Needed for Review
Review can depend on the relationship between a message and its attachment, a document and its source, or an item and its custodian. Processing specifications should identify which relationships and fields need to survive the handoff. Dates and time zones also require an agreed treatment so the receiving team can interpret them consistently.
The technical team checks the output against those requirements. Where a source does not supply an expected field or a transformation changes its representation, that limitation is identified. Screenshots and PDFs may be useful outputs, but they should not silently replace available native material when the agreed specification requires it.
Check the Package and Record Exceptions
Delivery checks can include identifier and Bates sequence checks where applicable, load-file field consistency, image and text references, native-file links and family relationships. Counsel-directed redactions need a corresponding output check so the intended redacted form is the one prepared for delivery. The exact checks follow the engagement specification.
Exceptions are returned for a decision rather than silently discarded. The handoff can include a manifest, agreed output files, processing and delivery notes, and an exception record identifying items that could not be prepared as specified. A recipient acknowledgement or documented transfer completes the handling record where arranged.
Prepare for Your Processing and Production Discussion
- What material has already been collected?
Identify source types, approximate package sizes, custodians and available collection records. A secure transfer method is arranged separately.
- What must the receiving team be able to use?
Identify the review platform or receiving specification, requested native files, images, text, metadata and load-file requirements.
- Who will decide review and redaction questions?
Name the counsel or authorized team responsible for privilege, responsiveness, confidentiality and redaction instructions.
- Which decisions have already been agreed?
Note the production deadline, identifier or Bates requirements, duplicate treatment, family handling, time zone and any court or party-agreed protocol.
If those requirements are not yet settled, tell us the deadline and the next decision you need to make. We can help identify the technical questions that should be resolved before work begins. Do not attach evidence or privileged material to the public inquiry.
Related Sources and Technical Context
eDiscovery preservation and collections addresses the material before processing. Email and Microsoft 365 forensics and Cloud and SaaS forensics address questions about the underlying activity. Services for litigation counsel connect collection, examination and expert support.
Provider reference: Microsoft Purview process reports explains how settings, sources, versions, families and exceptions can affect output counts. The platform used and the work GDF will perform are confirmed in the engagement; this reference does not establish a particular hosting or software entitlement.