Investigation is usually associated with the legal arena and involves criminal investigations, but it can also be undertaken in civil or human resource contexts. It generally implies that there is an allegation of wrongdoing or some other problem which must be fully examined.
A good investigation plan will clearly set out the scope of the investigation and identifies the key lines of inquiry that need to be conducted in order to reach your objective. This will help to keep your investigation on track, manage your priorities and ensure you can manage concurrent enquiries in a timely manner. It will also help to limit the negative impact of an investigation on both parties by limiting the scope of the inquiry as much as possible without jeopardising the integrity of the investigation.
Despite the common perception that investigative reporting is an inherently scientific endeavour, the truth is that writing a great investigation report requires an element of creativity. Whether you are investigating a crime, a complaint or a performance issue, your report will need to be interesting and readable for the stakeholders who will be reading it.
One of the best ways to achieve this is by writing in plain English rather than using technical jargon and describing things in a way that will make sense to your audience. Remember that your report will be read by supervisors, directors and C-level executives in your company, not to mention attorneys and judges if it goes to court.