Private-investigation assignments often change after work begins. A useful intake record preserves the original objective and makes later changes visible instead of allowing the scope to drift through scattered calls, texts, or emails.
What the checklist covers
- Client, contact, case reference, and investigator information.
- The original assignment and the questions the investigation is expected to address.
- Work expressly included in the engagement and work requiring additional authorization.
- Geographic, budget, timing, access, privacy, safety, and other professional constraints.
- Communication expectations, reporting recipients, and urgent-notification triggers.
- A scope-change log recording what changed, who requested it, who approved it, and the effect on cost or timing.
- A final intake review before investigative work begins.
Why preserve the original scope?
A later request can be a legitimate extension of the assignment, but it should remain distinguishable from the original instructions. That separation helps the investigator explain what was authorized, when the mandate changed, and why the final work product contains the work that it does.
For a later-stage method of tracing the final work product back to the assignment question, scope, evidence, and source material, see Report Traceability: Connecting Conclusions Back to Source Material.
Use professional judgment
The checklist is intentionally jurisdiction-neutral. Investigators remain responsible for determining applicable licensing, legal authority, privacy restrictions, access rules, contractual requirements, and investigative methodology.
Keep the assignment connected as the case develops
The checklist records the initial assignment and scope. Investigator Professional provides the continuing local Windows case record for clients, investigations, people, evidence, activity, and reports. The checklist remains the scope-control aid; the application does not provide a dedicated scope-change module.
Keeping retained case activity alongside the investigation preserves context for significant developments and helps maintain the path from the original mandate to the work ultimately performed and reported.