Tagging hot documents isn’t part of defining the Active Learning workflow in Relativity, and here’s why

Defining the Workflow in an Active Learning Project: What to Lock In, What to Do Next

Active Learning in e-discovery isn’t just about quickly sorting piles of documents. It’s about building a solid workflow that guides every move—from who reviews what, to who can see which files, to when the actual review begins. Think of it as laying the tracks before the train starts rolling. If the tracks aren’t clear, the journey can derail or slow to a crawl. Let’s unpack what really belongs in that foundational workflow, and why some tasks show up later rather than at the start.

What belongs in the workflow definition?

In most Relativity-based Active Learning setups, there are a few core pieces you’ll want to lock down before the first pass of review begins. They’re like the blueprint, the guardrails, and the starting gun.

• Designate review groups

• Set project access controls

• Start classified document review

Let’s take these one by one and see how they fit into the big picture.

Designate review groups: who does what, and why it matters

Imagine you’re coordinating a team of editors, but everyone has their own playbook. Designating review groups is about assigning responsibilities, not just names on a roster. It answers questions like:

• Who handles initial culling and deduplication?

• Who classifies documents as responsive, non-responsive, or privileged?

• Who reviews edge cases or ambiguous items?

In Relativity terms, this is the stage where you define roles, permissions, and the workflow path each group will follow. It isn’t glamorous, but it’s essential for accountability and speed. When a group knows exactly what to do at each step, you cut down back-and-forth, reduce rework, and keep the momentum up as the project moves forward.

Set project access controls: keeping the right doors open (and closed)

Security isn’t a buzzword here; it’s a practical necessity. The workflow definition needs to spell out who can see what, and when. Set project access controls to specify:

• Which team members have access to the workspace, documents, and tags

• How sensitive information is protected (for example, restricted views for privileged items)

• How access changes as roles evolve or as milestones are met

This is where you prevent accidental exposure and keep the process smooth. When access is clear, auditors aren’t chasing permissions, and reviewers aren’t waiting on someone else to grant a needed right. In short: clarity around access speeds up work and protects confidentiality.

Start classified document review: the moment the process goes live

Starting the classified document review marks the transition from plan to action. It’s the trigger that says, “We’re officially reviewing and classifying items according to the rules we just defined.” This step is where you:

• Kick off the initial pass through the documents

• Apply the established criteria to label items

• Feed the Active Learning loop so the system improves with real judgments

This isn’t just about flipping a switch. It’s about ensuring your teams follow the precise order you’ve mapped, so the results are reliable and reproducible. When everybody starts from the same page, you get cleaner data, faster convergence, and fewer disagreements down the line.

Why tagging hot documents isn’t part of the initial workflow

Now for the twist—tagging hot documents is a critical task, but it’s not part of the foundational workflow. Why the distinction? Because tagging hot items is an operational step that makes the review more efficient after the process is in motion, not a structural planning move.

Here’s a straightforward way to see it:

• The workflow defines the path: who reviews, how access works, and when we begin reviewing. It’s about the architecture of the project.

• Tagging hot documents is a tactical action you take once the workflow is in motion. It highlights especially relevant or time-sensitive items based on the criteria already in place, helping reviewers triage as the work progresses.

In other words, you design the workflow first; you tag hot documents later to accelerate focused attention. Treat tagging as an optimization on top of the workflow, not a building block of the workflow itself.

A practical analogy to keep it simple

Think of it like planning a road trip. The workflow is your itinerary: who’s driving, who parks where, how long you’ll stop, and what routes you’ll take. It’s the map you share so everyone knows the plan. Tagging hot documents? That’s the pit stops and scenic overlooks—great ideas that come into play once you’re on the road and know where you’re headed. They help you get where you want to go faster, but you don’t use those stops to decide the route in the first place.

How to set up a solid workflow without getting lost in the weeds

If you’re building an Active Learning workflow in Relativity, here are a few practical touchpoints that keep the process tight and usable:

• Start with roles and responsibilities. Map out who does what and when. A simple RACI (Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, Informed) can be surprisingly effective here.

• Define the data access map. Who can view what? What happens when a reviewer needs access to a new batch? Clear permissions save time and prevent headaches.

• Establish review milestones. When does the initial review start? How do you measure progress? What are the stopping criteria for move to the next phase?

• Build in quality checks. Even the best team benefits from a quick, repeated sanity check. Decide who signs off on classifications at each stage.

• Plan for a pilot or dry run. If possible, test the workflow on a small set of documents to uncover gaps before you scale up.

In Relativity terms, you’re crafting a repeatable process that you can apply again and again with confidence. The tools you use—workspaces, groups, permission sets, and the basic review flow—become the scaffolding you rely on as the project grows.

A moment to breathe: balancing rigor with practicality

Here’s where a lot of teams stumble: they over-engineer the workflow and end up with a system that’s too rigid to adapt. On the flip side, a workflow that’s too loose invites confusion and inconsistency. The sweet spot is a clear framework that still leaves room for practical judgment.

For example, you might set a rule that all initial classifications must be reviewed by a secondary reviewer before final labeling. That’s a policy that adds reliability. But you don’t want to saturate the process with so many gates that it slows everyone down. Adjust as you go, using feedback from the actual review rounds.

Connecting to the bigger picture

A well-defined workflow does more than keep things orderly. It helps teams communicate better, align on expectations, and demonstrate progress to stakeholders. In Relativity ecosystems, this translates to smoother collaboration, auditable steps, and a stronger sense of momentum. You’ll find reviewers spending less time tracking down the latest version of a decision, and more time making meaningful judgments on the documents themselves.

A few practical notes you’ll appreciate

• Documentation matters. Keep a lightweight, living guide that explains the workflow steps, roles, and access rules. It’s not glamorous, but it saves hours when onboarding new team members or shifting between matters.

• Keep a feedback loop. After the first wave of review, gather quick input from the groups involved. What worked well? What felt clunky? Use that input to fine-tune the workflow—without changing the core structure mid-flight.

• Don’t lose sight of security. If new access is needed, follow a simple approval path so permissions aren’t granted ad hoc. In a data-heavy landscape, little security missteps can cause big problems.

The bottom line

In an Active Learning project, the actions that truly define the workflow are designating review groups, setting project access controls, and starting the classified document review. These are the structural decisions that shape how the work unfolds. Tagging hot documents is incredibly useful and highly practical, but it’s a post-baseline operation that happens once the workflow is established and the review momentum is underway.

If you’re digging into Relativity and want to sharpen your instinct for what belongs where, start by sketching the workflow like a blueprint. Who does what? What are the gates and permissions? When does the review begin? Once those pieces are laid down clearly, you’ll find the rest—the triage, tagging, and prioritization—falls into place more naturally.

So, next time you map out an Active Learning setup, remember the hierarchy: the workflow is the backbone, and tagging hot documents is an efficient add-on that follows once the project is moving. And yes, with the right plan in hand, you’ll move faster, stay compliant, and keep the process human-friendly even as the volume grows.

If you’re curious about how Relativity can support these steps in real-life projects, you’ll find a rich toolkit in the platform—permissions, group management, and the initial review workflows that keep teams aligned. A solid start, a smoother ride, and a finish that feels like a win for everyone involved.