Your Investigation is only as Good as Your Evidence
Investigation teams often feel pressure to answer the biggest question as quickly as possible:
What caused this incident?
Leaders want answers, and operations want to get back to the grind. It seems like everyone just wants to wrap it up. But rushing in with explanations before collecting evidence is one of the most costly mistakes you can make.
I like to ask a different question:
Every investigation begins with a decision. Will you collect evidence… or explanations?
Imagine trying to complete a thousand-piece puzzle with only half the pieces. You might convince yourself you can see the whole picture, but important details are missing. It’s the same during an investigation. If you form conclusions too early, you start looking for facts that support those conclusions while overlooking information that points somewhere else. Most of us are familiar with this – it’s called confirmation bias.
The team’s first responsibility isn’t to determine why the incident happened, but to find reliable evidence of what happened.
That means:
- documenting the scene
- preserving evidence
- reviewing paperwork
- examining equipment
- interviewing people
Most importantly, it means collecting information that may challenge your initial assumptions.
So, before discussing possible causes with your team, ask:
What evidence do we have, and what is still missing?
That question can slow the rush to judgement and help keep the investigation focused on facts. The strongest investigations aren’t the ones that reach conclusions the fastest. They’re the ones that collect enough reliable evidence that the conclusions become difficult to dispute.
Coming Soon
This article is adapted from the upcoming second edition of Evidence Collection and Interviewing Techniques to Sharpen Investigation Skills by Barb Carr and Mark Paradies. The revised edition, scheduled for release in early 2027, expands on practical methods for collecting reliable evidence, conducting effective interviews, and strengthening investigations through sound investigative practices.
Want to know more? Consider joining us for the Effective Interviewing and Evidence Collection course at the 2027 Global TapRooT® Summit. You’ll receive a copy of the new book and a chance to make practical application.
