A solid foundation must be laid before interviews begin.  As the investigator, your job is to find the answers to the who, what, when, where, why and how. 

 How is this done?

 1.  Document the issue.  Describe the event or incident in two to three sentences.  State the facts as reported.  When reporting an event, especially when time is relevant, state the time, the date and the place that the event occurred. Use words liked said, stated or noted instead of words like felt, believed or any other verb that is emotive and leaves room for speculation. 

2.  Identify who was involved.  List each person who was involved in or had significant knowledge of the event.

 3.  Establish the timeline of events.  Stick to the facts!  List the key milestones of the event making sure to document the date, time, and location with a description of what occurred. 

 How do you begin an investigation?