Migrated from eDJGroupInc.com. Author: Kevin Esposito. Published: 2011-05-17 15:35:52Format, images and links may no longer function correctly. 
Various reports state that the famous writer/director Woody Allen once said that eighty percent of success is just showing up. What wasn’t mentioned, however, is that to be truly successful, the other twenty percent consists of working your butt off once you’re there. I reported last week that I was participating at the EDRM Annual Kickoff Meeting in St. Paul, Minnesota. It was a very productive week with over 75 people participating in the various work streams. As mentioned previously, many people view EDRM as some sort of static entity – possibly due to the widespread use of the EDRM diagram – but EDRM is anything but static. It continues to grow and evolve as changes in our environment force new ideas and solutions. I have said within that through EDRM we’re working on crafting the “art” within the art and science of eDiscovery. To create something both relevant and lasting, we need to continue to build upon the solid foundation that has already been set.
The admirable thing about the participants at St. Paul is that everyone really did show up to work. Networking and camaraderie are natural elements of any professional meeting, but the people involved in the various projects that make up the EDRM program work very hard. They are interested in providing detailed, useful guidance that practitioners rely upon while balancing the competing interests and processes that make up the typical discovery event.
Rather than provide information here on each of the individual work projects, we’ll just ask that you go to the EDRM announcement for details. EDRM 2011 Kickoff Meeting Update Each of the previously existing projects has shown significant progress over the past year. The work expanded this year with a completely new project – the “Testing” project. We’ll be hearing more about the goals of that new group as the year progresses.
It’s good to see that EDRM continues to attract both organizations and individuals that are interested in improving the way that we all deal with eDiscovery issues. There’s plenty of work that needs to be done on all facets of eDiscovery. If you have a serious interest in not only adhering to best practices, but also helping to shape and define what best practices truly are, then I would encourage you to join in with any of the EDRM work projects. EDRM will have to continue to grow and evolve in order to remain fresh and relevant. Success takes hard work, but to be successful is a great feeling. EDRM is a good place to start to get involved in the larger world of eDiscovery. If you like working with the diagram, you’ll love participating in the work groups.
As co-chair of the Model Code of Conduct Project, I’m happy to report that after several years of hard work by our core team we have finished The Code. Over the next couple of months, we will be publishing The Code for public comment. We’re about eighty percent of the way through to success, but we need your help with the remaining twenty percent. Please take the time to review and comment on what your colleagues have assembled. We’re all adults and after scrapping amongst ourselves for the past couple of years we have pretty thick skins. We welcome any and all comments and suggestions. Just like any radio operator trying to get the messages out, the only thing we fear at this point is silence.