In the first of a seven-part series, Proteus Discovery Group shares its approach to connecting information, workflows, and decisions throughout a matter.
Every eDiscovery matter brings together requirements, people, data, media, and decisions. Keeping those elements connected as work moves between stages takes more than a task list.
In “Building an Operational Layer for eDiscovery with Agility Blue,” Austin J. Hagen, Vice President of Operations at Proteus Discovery Group, explains how Proteus is approaching that challenge—and how Agility Blue supports their evolving workflows.
Three ideas from the article stand out.
Capture information once and keep it available
Processing and production requirements often originate early in a matter but remain relevant throughout its lifecycle. When those requirements live across emails, notes, and individual tasks, teams may need to find or re-enter them as work progresses.
Proteus describes using custom objects and structured information within Agility Blue to maintain requirements as records that can support downstream workflows, validation, quality control, and reporting.
The practical goal is to make information available wherever the work needs it, while maintaining it as the matter evolves.
Give automation a deliberate role
Proteus’s approach also recognizes where professional judgment belongs.
Predictable conditions can support automated steps. Missing information or unfamiliar circumstances may call for investigation. In those situations, automation can help flag an exception, prevent premature progression, and give someone the context needed to decide what happens next.
Austin captures the approach in a guiding principle:
“Automate what we know. Surface what we do not.”
For teams designing workflows, that offers a useful question: Which steps are predictable, and where would better information help someone make a decision?
Improve workflows through everyday use
Proteus also describes an iterative approach to operational improvement. As workflows encounter real matters, new scenarios and exceptions reveal opportunities to refine them.
Agility Blue’s flexibility supports that ongoing work. Individual improvements can contribute to a more connected operational environment, where information captured in one stage supports activities elsewhere.
Follow the series
We appreciate Austin and the Proteus team sharing the thinking behind their work.
This opening article introduces a seven-part series exploring practical operational challenges, including matter intake, reusable requirements, media tracking, quality control, closeout, automation, and reporting.
Read the full article on Proteus’s blog →(Proteus article link)
Want to explore how Agility Blue could support your team’s workflows? Schedule a demo.