How to Triage and Clear a SAR Backlog (safely and fast)

Why this matters

A growing SAR backlog isn’t just stressful — it’s a governance signal. Delays compound risk, undermine trust, and make good‑faith compliance harder to evidence. This guide gives a practical, defensible approach you can deploy this week.

What good looks like

·        One source of truth: a single tracker that shows status, clock, and risk notes.

·        Defined search protocol: systems, custodians, and keywords agreed before collection.

·        Repeatable redaction rules: consistent handling of third‑party and sensitive data.

·        Transparent comms: acknowledgements, clarifications, and (where lawful) extensions.

·        Audit trail: decisions, redactions, and exceptions recorded contemporaneously.

The 7‑step triage

1.      1) Create the master tracker: include requester, received date, deadline, extension flag, scope, risk level, status.

2.      2) Stabilise communications: send receipts within 24 hours; request ID/scope where appropriate.

3.      3) Prioritise by risk: protect the vulnerable and time‑critical first; document rationale.

4.      4) Plan the search: data map, systems list, custodians, keywords, time ranges — then brief IT & teams.

5.      5) Collect and contain: pull copies (not originals), preserve metadata, hash where proportionate.

6.      6) Redact and review: apply your redaction matrix; second‑person check for complex cases.

7.      7) Respond and learn: deliver securely, update tracker, and capture lessons for process improvement.

Common pitfalls to avoid

·        Treating every SAR as identical — context and risk differ.

·        Searching before scoping — wastes time and increases over‑collection.

·        Inconsistent redaction — creates fairness and security issues.

·        Poor evidence keeping — makes ‘reasonable efforts’ hard to prove.

·        No owner — diffusion of responsibility guarantees delay.

Quick resources you can spin up:

• SAR Tracker (spreadsheet) with status and deadlines.

• Acknowledgement + clarification templates.

• Redaction matrix (third‑party/sensitive data) and QA checklist.

• Delivery script with secure transfer steps.

Service note: MJC can deploy a ‘SAR Backlog Recovery’ sprint — triage, tooling, training — and set you up to stay compliant.