Julian Ackert on the Key to Successful E-discovery Project Management

What is the key to being a successful e-discovery project manager? It is a topic that I've written on before. Julian Ackert , Director of Washington, DC based Intelligent Discovery Solutions, Inc ("iDS"), shares his analysis on Georgetown Law's E-discovery Law Blog (hat tip to the Electronic Discovery Reading Room).^[1] 

So what is the key to successful end-to-end e-Discovery project management? In my experience, it is an equal balance of practice, methodology, and technology. Consider involving at least one project manager familiar with e-Discovery challenges during every phase in the lifecycle. This direct experience "in the trenches" is key to ensure that the same pitfalls are not encountered from project to project. Experts recommend implementing a repeatable, documented, e-Discovery process.^[2]

Mr. Ackert goes on to list a number of technologies that both support and require good project management, which have become industry best practices. Another interesting tidbit from the post is his note about the increasing popularity of project management certification for those working in electronic discovery. He writes that "[a]necdotally, we know that the number of individuals looking to gain PMP or Six Sigma credentials is quickly increasing.  In today's tight labor market, every advantage helps."^[3]

He doesn't state whether those pursuing such credentials are mostly traditional, non-lawyer litigation support professionals (as I suspect) or lawyers (which I doubt). He also does not discuss whether a legal education is useful for e-discovery project managers.Cite^[4] He does, however, do a good job summarizing the kinds of technology that e-discovery project managers need to be familiar with to remain competitive (or even just effective) today.