Why Consultants Must Master Interview Documentation

Hi, this is the Briefly Team.

In consulting projects, Expert Interviews are one of the most valuable sources of primary research. Yet surprisingly, many consultants struggle with organizing their notes after interviews.

Today, let's discuss why interview documentation matters and how to do it more effectively.

Why Is Interview Documentation So Challenging?

1. Information Overload

A one-hour interview generates more information than you might expect. What made perfect sense when you heard it becomes "wait, what exactly was that?" when you try to write it down.

2. Structure vs. Stream of Consciousness

Experts typically speak in a stream of consciousness. But to use this in your final deliverable, you need to restructure this unorganized information into a logical framework.

3. Time Pressure

You'd love to spend more time on documentation, but there's another interview scheduled, and you need to deliver analysis results by end of week.

What Are the Benefits of Good Documentation?

✅ Traceability of Insights

You can immediately answer "What's the source of this data point?" Well-organized interview notes increase the credibility of your final report.

✅ Team Collaboration Efficiency

Even if only you could attend the interview, organized notes help team members quickly understand the context.

✅ Pattern Recognition

Systematically documenting multiple interviews makes it easier to spot recurring themes and outliers. This leads to genuine insights.

✅ Reusable Knowledge Assets

Even after a project ends, well-organized interview notes can serve as reference material for similar future projects.

Tips for More Effective Documentation

1. Block 15 Minutes Right After the Interview

Capture key points while your memory is fresh. If you wait until the next day, half of it is already forgotten.

2. Make Recording a Habit

Get consent and record. It's much better to focus on the conversation and have a recording than to miss important nuances while frantically taking notes.

3. Use Templates

Don't start from a blank page every time. Create a reusable interview documentation template.

How Briefly Helps

Upload your interview recording to Briefly, and we automatically generate:

Speaker-labeled transcript: Clear record of who said what
Key theme summary: Main topics covered in the interview
Structured insights: Summaries aligned with consulting frameworks
Action items: Follow-up tasks that need attention

Reduce 2 hours of post-interview documentation to just 10 minutes.

Wrapping Up

Expert interviews are a consultant's core weapon. But even the best weapon needs proper maintenance to be effective.

With Briefly, capture every ounce of value from your interviews.

Thank you,

The Briefly Team