Investigation Interview Plan Template

This template helps you prepare and run workplace investigation interviews in a deliberate sequence: complainant first, witnesses second, and respondent last. It gives you a place to capture the allegation, the questions you plan to ask, the key themes to test, and the responses you receive. That makes it easier to compare accounts and keep the process organized.

Use it whenever an issue may require a formal or semi-formal workplace investigation, such as harassment complaints, policy violations, misconduct concerns, or repeated conduct issues. Ad hoc notes often miss the sequence, the follow-up questions, or the rationale for why a witness was interviewed. This template is better when you need a repeatable record and a clear investigation trail.

Typically an HR investigator, employee relations lead, manager with investigation responsibility, or outside investigator runs the process. The person conducting the interviews should be neutral, prepared, and able to document responses accurately. If there is a conflict of interest, the interview plan should be handed to someone independent.

It is used for each investigation case, not on a fixed calendar cadence. Some organizations keep one plan per matter and update it as new witnesses or issues emerge. If your process is recurring, you can also reuse the structure as a standard intake and interview checklist.

It can support a defensible process by showing that interviews were planned, sequenced, and documented consistently. It does not replace legal advice, but it helps preserve context, decision points, and follow-up actions that matter in employment investigations. If your case involves protected activity, harassment, discrimination, or retaliation concerns, coordinate with counsel or HR policy owners as needed.

A common mistake is interviewing the respondent before gathering the complainant's account and witness context. Another is asking different questions in each interview without a common theme, which makes comparison difficult. This template also helps prevent missing action items, follow-up questions, or documentation of who said what.

Yes. You can tailor the question sets, themes, and documentation fields for harassment, attendance, policy, ethics, safety, or performance-related investigations. You can also add sections for evidence review, credibility notes, or decision rationale if your process requires them.

It pairs well with case intake forms, HR case management systems, meeting notes, and action-item trackers. You can also link it to a decision log or investigation summary so the interview plan feeds directly into findings and next steps. If your team uses RACI-style ownership, you can assign follow-up actions to the investigator, HR, legal, or manager.

Use the notes to compare accounts, identify gaps, and document the outcome or next step. Capture any remaining follow-up questions, evidence requests, and action items with an owner and due date. Then close the loop with a summary that reflects the facts gathered, not just the original allegation.