Is it Early Case Assessment (ECA) or Early Data Assessment (EDA)? This article by Insight Optix identifies a unique approach to resolving the ECA vs. EDA confusion, but it also does much more than that!

Their article (How to Resolve the ECA vs. EDA Confusion Once and For All, written by Scott Carvo and Mandi Ross) discusses different definitions for ECA and EDA, as follows:

The Sedona Conference Glossary, eDiscovery & Digital Information Management, Fifth Edition (available for download here) defines ECA as “The process of assessing the merits of a case early in the litigation lifecycle to determine its viability. The process may or may not include the collection, analysis, and review of data.”

That’s considerably different from EDA, which is defined as “The process of separating possibly relevant electronically stored information from nonrelevant electronically stored information using both computer techniques, such as date filtering or advanced analytics, and human-assisted logical determinations at the beginning of a case. This process may be used to reduce the volume of data collected for processing and review.”

Do those definitions help in resolving the ECA vs. EDA confusion? Or is it still as confusing as why we park in a driveway and drive on a parkway? 😉

Assuming they don’t (and they haven’t up to now), then read their article here, which discusses what early case assessment really is, how FRCP Rule 26(b)(1) factors in, what Sedona Principle 6 (available as part of The Sedona Principles here) really expects of parties, why Identification is the most underrated EDRM phase – and more!

Perhaps most importantly, find out their approach to resolving the ECA vs. EDA confusion! I strategically avoided giving you the answer here so that you’ll read their excellent article!

So, what do you think? Do you consider analysis for eDiscovery purposes to be Early Case Assessment (ECA) or Early Data Assessment (EDA)? Please share any comments you might have or if you’d like to know more about a particular topic.

Disclosure: Insight Optix is an Educational Partner and sponsor of eDiscovery Today

Disclaimer: The views represented herein are exclusively the views of the author, and do not necessarily represent the views held by my employer, my partners or my clients. eDiscovery Today is made available solely for educational purposes to provide general information about general eDiscovery principles and not to provide specific legal advice applicable to any particular circumstance. eDiscovery Today should not be used as a substitute for competent legal advice from a lawyer you have retained and who has agreed to represent you.