The true strength of a decision often becomes clear when someone asks how and why it was made. Being able to answer that question with confidence requires work that is thoughtfully supported and capable of withstanding scrutiny.
Last month, we focused on being secure and the discipline required to protect the sensitive information entrusted to us. Defensibility builds on that foundation by creating a clear record of how work was completed. At TCDI, this means preserving the integrity of evidence, following repeatable processes, and making informed decisions grounded in the facts available at the time. These practices help our teams remain accountable while giving clients confidence in our work and the reasoning behind it.
To better understand how this value shapes the work we do, we asked team members what being defensible means to them. Here’s what they had to say:
General Counsel,
Strategic Solutions Team
As TCDI’s General Counsel, “defensibility” might as well be my middle name. It is at the center of everything I do, from deciding which contractual provisions to negotiate vigorously and which to let slide, to determining whether to litigate or pursue a non-legal solution to an issue.
To me, defensibility means making thoughtful, fact-driven, informed decisions that I can explain based on the best information available at the time. It requires an overarching framework of fairness, supported by clear processes, good documentation, consistency, and sound judgment, all directed toward a just and practical outcome. The goal is not to eliminate every possible risk. It is to understand the risk, make deliberate choices, and ensure that our work can withstand scrutiny from a client, a court, a regulator, or anyone else who may ask how and why a decision was made.
At TCDI, that means helping the business move forward confidently with decisions that are practical, commercially sound, and capable of being defended if challenged.
For the majority of my career, and my time with TCDI, I have worked in Digital Forensics. First, as an Analyst, then Project Manager, and then as an Operational Manager. Defensibility is the absolute center of Forensics – preserving data integrity, documenting every action taken, and maintaining chain of custody. Now that I am leading the Client Operations team, I’m applying the same discipline to our workflows, decisions, and LSS initiatives. Defensibility is not an afterthought. It comes from consistent processes, clear documentation, and a comprehensive understanding of the “why” behind it all.
In my Forensics role, defensibility centered on the evidence. In Client Operations, it extends to the entire process surrounding that evidence.
Director, Client Operations,
Client Services Team
To be defensible in our processes means making sure the process is consistently repeatable, trackable, and easy to understand. Documenting our processes is important because it gives us a clear record of what we do and why we do it. It also helps ensure that we are handling information consistently. Having that level of defensibility is important because it helps build and maintain our clients’ confidence in how we manage their information.
It also gives us a way to make sure we are all using the same guidelines. When a process is documented and followed consistently, it is easier to identify when something is not working and make improvements. Defensible processes are about being able to show that we have a thoughtful, consistent approach to handling information and can stand behind the decisions and actions we take.
To me, defensible means being able to explain, support and stand behind a decision or action. Every day, we are tasked with processing client data with a range of specific requests. With every task, I am able to prove the data was handled and processed accurately, consistently, and according to documented processes. Because our work is defensible, we understand who is responsible for each step, our decisions are documented, controls are in place, and there are reasons behind the way our work is being completed.
Discovery Engineer,
Client Services Team
Learn More About TCDI's Culture and Values
This blog was a compilation of thoughts from our team at TCDI.
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