A case board is a visual workspace for organizing all the information related to an investigation or complex case. Whether you're working a criminal investigation, corporate fraud case, or research project, a case board helps you see how people, events, documents, and evidence connect.

This guide covers how to use case board software effectively, including organization strategies, best practices, and tool recommendations.

What is a Case Board?

A case board (also called a crime board, investigation board, or detective board) displays case information visually. Instead of keeping facts buried in documents and spreadsheets, you place them on a visual canvas where you can see relationships and patterns.

A typical case board includes:

  • Subjects - People involved in the case
  • Organizations - Companies, groups, agencies
  • Events - Incidents, meetings, transactions
  • Evidence - Documents, records, physical items
  • Locations - Addresses, venues, geographic areas
  • Connections - Relationships between all of the above

Why Use Case Board Software?

Complex cases involve too much information to hold in your head. Case board software provides:

  • External memory. Offload facts to the board so you can focus on analysis.
  • Visual patterns. See connections that would be invisible in documents.
  • Organization. Keep all case materials in one structured place.
  • Searchability. Find any person, document, or fact instantly.
  • Collaboration. Share understanding with team members (when needed).
  • Documentation. Create a visual record of your investigation.

Case Board vs. Case Management Software

Case board software is different from traditional case management systems:

Case Management Case Board
Administrative workflow Analytical workspace
Forms and databases Visual canvas
Track tasks and deadlines Map relationships and patterns
Structured data entry Flexible exploration
Compliance-focused Analysis-focused

Many investigators use both: case management for administrative tracking and case boards for analytical work.

Types of Cases That Benefit from Case Boards

Criminal Investigations

Map suspects, witnesses, victims, locations, and evidence. Trace timelines of events. Identify connections between seemingly unrelated people or incidents.

Fraud Investigations

Track complex transaction flows, shell company structures, and relationships between individuals and entities. Visualize how money moved and who controlled it.

Corporate Investigations

Internal investigations, HR matters, compliance issues. Map employee relationships, document chains, and communication patterns.

Due Diligence

Research companies, principals, and their connections before acquisitions, partnerships, or major transactions.

Insurance Claims

Investigate complex or suspicious claims. Map claimants, witnesses, medical providers, and prior claim history.

Legal Cases

Organize complex litigation with multiple parties, witnesses, documents, and events. Prepare for depositions and trial by visualizing the case story.

How to Set Up a Case Board

Step 1: Define the Case Scope

What are you investigating? What questions are you trying to answer? Clear scope prevents the board from growing unmanageably and keeps analysis focused.

Step 2: Create Your Central Focus

Every case has a center of gravity. It might be:

  • A primary subject (person of interest)
  • An incident (the crime or event)
  • An entity (company being investigated)
  • A question (what happened to the money?)

Place this central focus prominently on your board.

Step 3: Add Known Entities

Populate the board with what you already know:

  • People mentioned in case materials
  • Organizations involved
  • Key dates and events
  • Important documents or evidence
  • Relevant locations

Step 4: Draw Connections

Connect entities that are related. Label each connection:

  • "Person A" works for "Company X"
  • "Document 1" mentions "Person B"
  • "Event 3" occurred at "Location Y"
  • "Person A" called "Person C" (3/15, 14 min)

Step 5: Add Context and Notes

For each entity and connection, add relevant context:

  • Source of information
  • Date obtained or observed
  • Confidence level (confirmed/suspected/uncertain)
  • Notes and observations
  • Questions to investigate

Step 6: Organize Spatially

Use the canvas space meaningfully:

  • Group related entities together
  • Place central figures prominently
  • Create zones for different aspects of the case
  • Use visual proximity to show relationship strength

Case Board Best Practices

One Board Per Case (Usually)

Keep separate cases on separate boards. For complex cases, you might create multiple boards for different aspects (timeline board, relationship board, evidence board).

Consistent Categorization

Use the same entity types consistently. If you're categorizing people as "Subject," "Witness," or "Victim," apply those categories uniformly.

Date Everything

When did events happen? When were documents created? When did relationships exist? Temporal information is critical for understanding case dynamics.

Source Everything

Every fact should trace to a source. This maintains credibility and helps you return to primary materials when needed.

Review Regularly

Step back and look at the whole board periodically. What patterns do you see? What's missing? What questions remain? Regular review generates insights.

Keep It Updated

A case board is a living document. Update it as new information arrives. Remove or mark items that prove irrelevant. The board should reflect current understanding.

Case Board Software Options

Purpose-Built Tools

  • Redstrings - Visual investigation boards, local-first privacy, free tier
  • i2 Analyst's Notebook - Enterprise standard, expensive
  • CaseMap - Legal case analysis, litigation-focused

General Tools Adapted for Cases

  • Miro/Mural - Whiteboards, flexible but not case-focused
  • Notion - Databases and docs, limited visual mapping
  • Excel - Familiar but poor for relationships

What to Look For

  • Visual relationship mapping
  • Entity categorization (people, orgs, events)
  • Labeled connections
  • Search and filter
  • Privacy (local storage for sensitive cases)
  • Export capabilities for reports

Why Redstrings for Case Boards?

Redstrings is designed for exactly this kind of investigative work:

  • 7 entity types - Person, Team, Artifact, Process, Place, Event, Note
  • Labeled connections - Document relationship types precisely
  • Confidence levels - Mark information as confirmed, suspected, or uncertain
  • Source tracking - Record where each fact came from
  • Multiple boards - Organize complex cases into separate views
  • 100% local - Sensitive case data never leaves your machine
  • Free tier - Full features, no account required

Unlike enterprise tools with steep learning curves and high prices, Redstrings lets you start mapping your case immediately.

Download Redstrings free and organize your next case visually.