A timeline answers what happened and when. A lead tracker answers what still needs to be done. Used together, they create a much clearer picture of an investigation than either tool alone.
What belongs in an investigation timeline?
Record the event date and time when known, a concise factual description, context, source, verification status, and related people or items. Keep facts separate from assumptions and note conflicts rather than silently choosing one version.
What belongs in a lead tracker?
Each lead should state the unresolved question or action, priority, owner, next step, due date, status, outcome, and related timeline or source references.
Why link the two?
Timeline gaps often generate leads. Completed leads may confirm, modify, or challenge timeline entries. Linking them preserves that reasoning and makes later review easier.
Common tracking problems
Watch for events with no source attribution, leads with no next action, completed tasks with no documented outcome, ambiguous dates, and conflicting accounts without a follow-up plan.
For a broader review of the entire file, use the free Investigation Case File Checklist. It provides a no-signup check of timelines, leads, sources, interviews, actions and review.
Use a repeatable structure
The CaseWorks Timeline & Lead Tracker provides an editable Excel workflow plus printable sheets. For broader case management, the CaseWorks Investigation & Case Management System connects timelines and leads to intake, sources, interviews, actions, review, and reporting.
Looking for a template? Compare CaseWorks investigation templates by task for timelines, leads, interviews, source documentation, research and complete case management.
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