Your First Investigation

In this tutorial, you will work through a complete investigation workflow in IronCase. By the end, you'll understand how cases, checklists, evidence, and the AI assistant work together.

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What You'll Learn

• Opening and reviewing a case
• Completing checklist items
• Adding evidence
• Using the AI assistant
• Understanding approval workflows

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Step 1: Open Your Case

Let's start by opening a case assigned to you.

1. Click Cases in the navigation
2. Find a case in your list
3. Click the case number to open it

You now see the case overview. Notice:

• The case number and type at the top
• The current status
• Your role on this case
• Key dates (incident date, date opened)

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Step 2: Review the Case Tabs

Every case has several tabs. Let's explore them:

1. Overview — Summary and key information
2. People — Victims, witnesses, suspects
3. Evidence — All evidence items
4. Timeline — Chronological events
5. Checklist — Your role-specific tasks
6. Notes — Investigation notes and AI conversations

Click on the Checklist tab now.

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Step 3: Review Your Checklist

Your checklist shows tasks specific to your role. Notice:

• Items are organized by phase (Initial Response, Scene Processing, etc.)
• Some items have a clock icon — these are time-sensitive
• Each item shows its completion status

Find an uncompleted item and click on it.

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Step 4: Complete a Checklist Item

When you click an item, you see what's required. Let's complete one:

1. Read the item's requirements
2. Perform the required action (or confirm you've done it)
3. Add notes describing what you did (recommended)
4. Click Mark Complete

The item moves to the completed section. Notice your progress percentage updates.

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Step 5: Add Evidence

When you collect evidence, log it immediately. Go to the Evidence tab.

1. Click Add Evidence
2. Fill in the details:
   • Type: Physical, Digital, or Documentary
   • Description: What is it?
   • Location found: Where was it collected?
   • Collected by: Your name
   • Date/time: When collected
3. Upload photos if you have them
4. Click Save

Your evidence is now logged. IronCase automatically tracks chain of custody from this point.

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Step 6: Ask the AI Assistant

The AI can help you understand your case. Let's try it.

1. Click Chat in the navigation (or press Ctrl + /)
2. Type: "What checklist items are pending on this case?"
3. Press Enter

The AI responds with your pending items. Try asking:

• "Summarize this case"
• "What should I do next?"
• "What evidence do we have?"

The AI has context about your current case, so you don't need to specify which case.

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Step 7: See an Approval Card

When the AI suggests a significant action, you see an approval card instead of it happening automatically.

Ask the AI: "What are the next investigative steps?"

If it suggests something requiring approval, you'll see a card with:

• Recommended action: What the AI suggests
• Reasoning: Why the AI thinks this is appropriate
• Risk level: Low, Medium, High, or Critical
• Approve / Reject: Your decision

Review the reasoning, then click Approve or Reject.

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Step 8: Review Your Progress

Before finishing, check what you've accomplished.

1. Go to the Overview tab
2. Look at the checklist completion percentage
3. Note any pending items
4. Review the evidence you added

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What You've Learned

You've completed a full workflow in IronCase:

• Cases organize all information about an investigation
• Checklists ensure you don't miss critical steps
• Evidence tracking maintains chain of custody automatically
• AI assistant helps you stay organized and focused
• Approvals keep humans in control of significant decisions

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Next Steps

Now that you understand the basics, explore the how-to guides for specific tasks: