Investigation Workflow

Overview

Nquiry guides users through a structured four-phase workflow for conducting professional inquiries. This workflow is based on established investigation methodologies used by federal oversight agencies, corporate investigators, and audit professionals.

The Four Phases

1. Planning

Define the scope and structure of your inquiry.

Key activities:

• Create investigation/project with title and focus statement
• Define topics (logical groupings of related questions)
• Create specific questions to be answered
• Attach background documents (charge letters, org charts, scope memos)
• Upload framework documents (policies, standards, regulations for evaluation)

Indicators of completion:

• At least one question defined
• Focus statement written
• Relevant background documents attached

2. Collection

Gather evidence to answer your questions.

Key activities:

• Upload evidence items (documents, data, notes)
• Record interviews and observations
• Capture website/URL evidence
• Link evidence to relevant questions
• Add investigator notes to evidence items
• Mark evidence as "collected" vs "to be collected"

Evidence types supported:

• Document (PDFs, Word docs, spreadsheets)
• Interview (transcripts, recordings)
• Website (URLs, screenshots)
• Observation (field notes)
• Dataset (structured data)
• Note (general notes)

Indicators of completion:

• All planned evidence collected
• Evidence linked to appropriate questions
• No critical evidence gaps

3. Analysis

Generate AI-powered analysis of evidence against questions.

Key activities:

• Generate question-level analysis
• Generate topic-level summaries
• Review AI quality metrics (faithfulness, coverage)
• Note investigator direction for focused analysis
• Regenerate analysis with additional guidance if needed

Analysis types:

• Question Analysis: Evaluates evidence against a specific question
• Topic Analysis: Summarizes findings across related questions
• Gap Analysis: Identifies missing evidence or coverage gaps
• Overall Summary: High-level synthesis of all findings

Indicators of completion:

• Analysis generated for key questions
• Quality metrics reviewed
• Findings status assigned to questions (substantiated/not substantiated/inconclusive)

4. Reporting

Generate and export the final report.

Key activities:

• Generate report sections (executive summary, findings, methodology, etc.)
• Edit and refine AI-generated content
• Add manual sections as needed
• Export to PDF or Word format
• Archive project when complete

Report sections:

• Executive Summary
• Scope and Methodology
• Background
• Findings (by topic/question)
• Conclusions
• Recommendations
• Evidence References

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Progress Tracking

Progress Stepper

The progress stepper in the sidebar shows your current phase:

• Planning (purple)
• Collection (blue)
• Analysis (yellow)
• Reporting (green)
• Complete (green checkmark)

Status Changes

Project status updates as you complete phases:

• planning → collection (when ready to gather evidence)
• collection → analysis (when evidence is sufficient)
• analysis → reporting (when analysis is complete)
• reporting → complete (when report is finalized)
• complete → archived (for reference storage)

Status can be changed manually on the Settings page or automatically suggested by the system.

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Suggested Actions

The Suggested Actions panel on the Overview page dynamically recommends next steps based on your project's current state.

Example suggestions by phase:

Phase	Condition	Suggested Action
Planning	No questions	"Define investigation questions"
Planning	Questions defined	"Set up project background"
Collection	No evidence	"Collect evidence"
Collection	Evidence not linked	"Link evidence to questions"
Analysis	No analysis generated	"Generate AI analysis"
Reporting	No report	"Generate report"

Actions are prioritized by phase relevance. Completed actions show with green checkmarks.

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Best Practices

Planning Phase

• Write a clear, specific focus statement
• Define measurable, answerable questions
• Organize questions into logical topics
• Identify evidence sources before collection begins

Collection Phase

• Document chain of custody for physical evidence
• Record dates and sources for all evidence
• Link evidence to questions as you collect
• Mark "to be collected" items for tracking

Analysis Phase

• Review quality metrics before relying on AI analysis
• Provide investigator direction for focused analysis
• Verify AI claims against original evidence
• Note coverage gaps for follow-up

Reporting Phase

• Review all AI-generated content before export
• Ensure all findings have supporting evidence citations
• Include methodology section for transparency
• Archive project after final report is approved

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Work Types

Nquiry supports multiple work types beyond traditional investigations:

Work Type	Typical Use
Investigation	Formal investigations into allegations
Evaluation	Program or performance evaluations
Audit	Financial or compliance audits
Review	Policy or process reviews
Inspection	Site or facility inspections
Inquiry	General fact-finding inquiries
Assessment	Risk or capability assessments
Case	Legal or HR case management
Other	Custom work type with user-defined label

The work type affects:

• Terminology throughout the UI (e.g., "investigation" vs "evaluation")
• AI prompt context
• Report titles and formatting

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Related Documentation

• AI Quality Metrics - Understanding AI analysis quality
• Evidence Evaluation Framework - How evidence is evaluated
• App Features Guide - Complete feature reference