Electronic Case Snapshot Tool for Audit Integrity
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing content management systems face challenges in capturing and maintaining a reliable record of electronic cases at specific points in time, particularly during audits or litigation, as they struggle to ensure document integrity and workflow state preservation.
Innovation Solution
A snapshot tool within the case management system captures metadata, files, and workflow states at a given point in time, allowing for the creation of a trusted record of the case, which can be retrieved and presented to users, enabling the viewing of files and workflow states as they existed at that moment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If a case management system maintains real-time updates of electronic cases, then the system ensures current information availability, but it cannot provide a reliable record of the case at a specific historical point in time
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary action by capturing snapshots of the electronic case at specific points in time before any subsequent changes occur. This creates a preserved record of the case state at that moment, allowing historical reconstruction without interfering with ongoing case updates.
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates copies of the case data at specific points in time through snapshot capture. These snapshots are stored as separate entities that can be retrieved and examined without affecting the original live case, enabling reliable historical record-keeping while maintaining current case functionality.
2Reliability
If the system captures complete case snapshots including all files and metadata, then it ensures comprehensive record integrity, but it increases storage requirements and system complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The system extracts only the necessary case information at the moment of snapshot capture - specifically the state of files and metadata relevant to that point in time. This selective extraction creates comprehensive yet manageable snapshot records that maintain integrity without requiring storage of all possible case data throughout the entire case lifecycle.
Solution Approach 2:
The case data is segmented into discrete snapshot units, each representing the case state at a specific point in time. This segmentation allows the system to manage large volumes of case history data in manageable, independently stored units that can be retrieved selectively based on audit or litigation needs.
3Productivity
If the system allows continuous workflow updates during an audit or litigation evaluation, then it maintains operational efficiency, but it risks disrupting the integrity of the case record being evaluated
Solution Approach 1:
The snapshot acts as an intermediary between the original case data and the audit/litigation evaluation process. By working with captured snapshots rather than the live case directly, evaluators can examine case records without risking disruptions to ongoing workflows. Any changes to the original case during evaluation do not affect the preserved snapshot record.
Data Source
AI summary
Techniques disclosed herein provide electronic case versioning in a case management system. A request to capture a snapshot of an electronic case at a current point in time is received. The snapshot provides a record of the electronic case at the current point in time. Information associated with the electronic case at the current point in time is identified. The information is stored in an object representing the snapshot.