3 Reasons Closing Out is Important

This blog is the fourth in a four part series How to Solve a Puzzle.

As you can tell from the picture, we made it to the final step of the process. Our family had a great time completing step 3. Now, we must use the left over puzzle pieces to fill in the holes of the puzzle. This step can be a little more challenging than the others because you can easily become distracted and jump from section to section, which can be time consuming. Investigations are similar in that they can gain momentum quickly, but when it comes to wrapping up the loose ends, it becomes tedious and less fun. 

You may have noticed from last week’s picture that the puzzle was tucked away in a corner. My younger daughter moved it there to prevent visitors from messing it up while they played. This was a great idea and minimized a duplication of effort if anyone stepped on the work in progress. However, it created a barrier for us, leaving only enough space for one person to work on the puzzle at a time. I resolved this by moving it back to the middle of the room to allow access to all sides, in essence, welcoming others to the party.

We made a lot of progress this weekend, but it started off as a lonely endeavor. I got up early Sunday morning and began working on the larger signs in the picture. Once the girls woke up, they showed their support by changing the television channel from ESPN to Nickelodeon. We took a break for church and lunch and then later that afternoon, spent a good bit of family time putting together the signs. My wife even contributed on Sunday afternoon—and don’t let her fool you—she is very good at puzzles. It was a lot of fun. We will work through this final step over the next week or so.

With regard to an investigation, the first three steps require a lot of time and effort while the final step is all about wrapping things up. Usually after step 3, I have gathered evidence and reached a conclusion. It is easy to stop there because I can see the picture based on the pieces that I have gathered and connected. However, there may be extra pieces I still need to consider, and there may be large holes in the investigation that I need to research further.

Consider the following areas when concluding an investigation:

1. Properly document important facts and sources so you will be able to pick up the case in the future and prepare quickly. A fraud investigation, like other litigation, can linger for many years.
2. Tie up loose ends to make sure you don’t miss something important. There are a lot of moving parts of an investigation. By spending some time reading prior interview notes, looking through work papers, and scanning supporting documents, you may identify something that was previously overlooked or that was trivial at first but, given the outcome, has new meaning.
3. Identify other parties that may have been impacted by the fraudulent activity and evaluate whether you should share the results of your investigation with them. If you do decide to share the results, you will then have to carefully consider what information to share.

I will be sure to post a picture when we insert that final piece to complete this 1,000 piece jigsaw puzzle. Stay tuned for next week’s blog that I am certain will be entertaining and exciting!

If you ever have an idea for a future blog or a question about a published blog, please contact me with your thoughts. I would love to hear from you.