What do you do after you write your written reports? You get it edited. I’ve heard some people say things like, “Nothing goes out our door unless it’s been thoroughly reviewed by six sets of eyes.” I think mine’s closer to four sets of eyes. But it does get pretty thoroughly edited by multiple parties, who are very comfortable challenging my assumptions and my logic. A grammar stickler is great, it’s great to have somebody on your staff. But if that person is not also able and willing, and wired, to challenge you and your that kind of person, but they are not doing you a whole lot of investigative good, that somebody else couldn’t do for you. Once we get everything perfect, and formatted perfectly, it does go over to the client in draft form. So, it goes in draft form for a handful of reasons, not because I’m inviting them to redo my report or anything like that. But inevitably, as an outsider, as a third party, I will have received a spelling of a product, or a building, or a name incorrectly. Or I will have misreported a former employee’s title that gets corrected and that type of stuff. It’s a lot of administrative stuff that gets re-reviewed by the client at that phase. So, the report will go over the client in draft form. Once they say, “Oh, you misspelled this person’s name. And by the way, there’s a missing period on page seven.” There’s always something like that. You get that corrected, you get it finalized and distribute it in final form. And then backup, backup, backup all your documents, so many times. You got to back up your stuff. And then, let your client know that you are done with those activities. Perhaps remind them that they need to circle back around with the reporting party and the accused, about their conclusions from your investigation, or their remedies, their actions that they’re taking from your investigation. And wish them well. Tell them you can’t wait to work with them again. And send them a Christmas card.
