DIT Compromises: When does 'ideal' give way to 'necessary' on indie sets?

Hey everyone,

I'm Kyle, a colorist, and I've been thinking a lot about DIT practices. We all know the gold standard: redundant backups, checksums, detailed metadata, live grading, etc. But on indie shoots, especially the smaller, faster-paced ones, that ideal setup often feels like a distant dream.

I'm working on a doc right now with a shoestring budget, and I'm already anticipating the DIT side being handled by whoever has a laptop and a free hand. My usual approach is to push for at least double redundancy and manual file checks, but even that can be a struggle.

So, my question is: At what point do you experienced DITs or filmmakers decide the 'what you don't do' list becomes unavoidable? Have you ever been in a situation where you had to compromise significantly, and how did you manage the risks? I'm genuinely curious about your real-world stories and mitigation strategies.