What is Investigation Case Management? What Makes It Extraordinary?

• Do you or your organisation conduct investigations?
• Do you need to store and exchange information securely?
• Are your processes subject to scrutiny?
• Do you value your stake-holders welfare and well-being?
• Is risk and reputation management important to the business?

 Yes, to any of the above? Read on! What is an investigation? An investigation is a thorough search for facts, especially those that are hidden or need to be sorted out in a complex situation. The goal of an investigation is usually to determine how or why something happened, not to apportion blame (Dictionary.com).Investigative skills are key cognitive areas of decision making that guide or impact data gathering during any type of inquiry. These key cognitive areas are vital in guiding the direction of the investigatory work and directing the investigator (inquirer) to investigate an issue further (Professor Eric Shepherd).Investigation Case Management (ICM)A report of an incident creates a case that needs to be resolved over a period of time achieving a satisfactory outcome for stakeholders. Progression of the case involves a series of processes, simple to complex, multiple persons inside and outside the organisation, and the collation and examination of documents, messages, digital data, and other third-party material.Case management embraces the principles of investigation, an inquiry; a systematic and detailed examination to discover detail, checkable facts, and information that fully and accurately informs decision-makers so that those business outcomes are as satisfactory as possible.It is an ‘end to end’ holistic and transactional process, each component part potentially impacting on another, involving the transformation of intelligence into actionable information, or even evidence in the case of a discipline hearing, tribunal, or criminal prosecution, illustrated below:  Documents, data, and digital information are often handled and processed well, albeit in silos, whereas the non-technical skills required to ‘handle’ multiple persons inside and outside the organisation with varying relationships to each other, have become neglected.At Intersol we reinforce the ‘interview’, the fact-finding workplace meeting, as the ‘golden thread’ of ICM, the DNA that runs through every stage of the process, the moment when desk-top investigation and examination has to be transferred to the cognitive world and explored using human inter-action with others, recognising that reliable facts, detail, and accuracy are key for business decision-makers:  What makes ICM ‘Extraordinary’?Case Management can be delivered to an unacceptable level, falling below even the most basic professional standards, or it can be delivered in such a way that it fulfils basic professional standards and is ‘acceptable’.BUTIt can also be delivered to a standard that is outstanding, to a level that is exceptional and unexpected, it can be ‘extraordinary’ as illustrated below:   and explained further by Intersol chairman, Professor Eric Shepherd in this video. The team at Intersol Global have aligned with strategic partners to deliver all the moving parts that constitute investigation Extraordinary Case Management (ECM®) and have long searched for the ‘engine’ to power the machine that delivers reliable business outcomes with timeliness, reliability and fairness for all.That ‘engine’ had to be an investigation case management platform that was tried and tested, flexible, proportionate, and affordable and was found in the Polonious investigation management system widely used in Australia, North America, and increasingly across Europe.The Intersol Extraordinary Case Management (ECM®) process powered by Polonious was developed and is now used daily to support the many investigation processes undertaken by Intersol in the Higher Education (HE) sector as well as to support training of those with the onerous responsibility to conduct or manage investigations that have potential to alter lives and/or careers.More recently the partnership has adapted the Investigation Case Management System (ICMS) for use in the management of safeguarding complaints and investigations in sport, education and health, fusing technical and non-technical skills to deliver a unique end to end process to better ensure the safety and well-being of young and old alike.Whether its sports coaches, entertainers, clergy, or public servants; academics, teachers, students, employees or health workers, no longer will abusers be able to slip through the net so easily.With their ‘invest to save’ model the skills and services of Intersol Global and Polonious now combine to deliver timely, reliable and fair outcomes that are efficiently managed, secure, and auditable. See this link If you would like to know how this unique combination can add value to your business, please contact either of the following: daniel.skeggs@polonious.co.uk info@dev.intersolglobal.com