Avoiding the Assumption Trap

In the high-stakes world of cross-border investigations, collaboration is essential. However, even the most well-resourced and experienced teams can be tripped up by something deceptively simple:

Assumptions.

If project managers and coordinators do not actively identify and challenge assumptions, minor misunderstandings can escalate into delays, distrust and even failure. Having worked with teams spanning continents and sectors, I have identified five common traps that assumptions can lead to, which can quietly derail investigative progress:

1. Access and permissions are the same everywhere.

What’s open-source in one country might be restricted — or even criminalised — in another. Don’t assume that you can access the same data or protections across jurisdictions.

👉 Action: Involve local partners early on. Map legal frameworks upfront and do a risk assessment.

2. Everyone shares the same role clarity.

Your “project coordinator” might be their “editor”. Their ‘lead’ may not have decision-making power. Misunderstandings about structure and hierarchy can breed confusion.

👉 Action: Begin with an alignment session during the kick-off. Define roles and revisit them regularly.

3. Communication is universal.

Tone, silence and urgency can have different meanings in different cultures. What might feel like hesitation to you could be a sign of respect to someone else.

👉 Action: Ask about communication styles instead of interpreting them. Include translation – both linguistic and cultural.

4. Tech tools are equally available.

That shared drive you love might be blocked in your colleague’s country. Or it might be too risky. Or they might just be unfamiliar with it.

👉 Action: Assess everyone’s access and digital security needs. Choose tools that meet the lowest common denominator, not just your personal standard.

5. Everyone faces an equal risk.

Your reporter in Nairobi is not under the same threat as your analyst in Berlin. Yet we often assign tasks based on skill rather than risk exposure.

👉 Action: Constantly re-evaluate risk. Let it determine who leads, who stores data and how you publish.

Bottom line:

Assumptions fill the space between our workflows, and if we don’t address them, they’ll quietly undermine our best efforts.

The best leaders build cultures of clarity, where questions are welcomed, differences are surfaced and nothing is taken for granted.

What assumptions have you had to challenge in your collaborations?

Let’s share our experiences. Drop your insights below. 👇

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Please feel free to engage, ask or add!

Happy collaborating!