When I return to a business owner for a second interview, the hardest task can be finding the first conversation. The recording exists, but its filename says almost nothing. The transcript lives elsewhere. A question I promised to revisit is buried in a notebook. An index can make that next conversation easier without turning reporting into database administration.
I would start with one CSV file and a folder of recordings. Each interview gets a stable reference such as interview-001. That reference appears in the audio filename, transcript filename, and index row. A name can change; the reference should not. Keeping the identifier separate also makes it easier to share an outline without exposing a contributor’s contact details.
What belongs in the row? I use a compact structure: reference, recording date, business type, relative audio path, transcript path, follow-up topic, and next review date. Permission status deserves its own field. Empty means unknown, not yes. Sensitive contact information belongs in a separate protected address book rather than a spreadsheet that might travel with a draft or get attached to an email.
The first useful script is a checker. It reads the CSV, joins each relative path to the project folder, and reports files that are missing. It also flags duplicate references and dates that cannot be parsed. Those checks catch mistakes early. They do not decide what an interview means. The writer still needs to listen, read, and make the editorial choices.
A second script can produce a simple follow-up list. Compare each review date with today, then print the overdue rows and their open questions. Keep the output local and short. I want to see that an owner planned to train an assistant, not receive an automatic message claiming the training happened. Reminders are useful precisely because they send me back to the source.
Search can stay plain. A small HTML page can load a prepared JSON export and filter records by topic or business type. Render interview notes as text rather than inserting them as HTML. Keep the export free of phone numbers, private addresses, and unapproved quotations. Before sharing anything, check the actual exported file. Hiding a column on screen does not remove its underlying data.
Backups need a little care. Copy the project folder to another drive, verify that a sample recording opens, and keep versions of the index. A successful copy message is not the same as a successful recovery. Relative paths help here: moving the whole project should preserve its internal references. Test that assumption on a copy before relying on it during a deadline.
Would I build a bigger application? Only after the small version reveals a real need. A useful reporting tool should reduce the effort of finding evidence, not create another inbox to maintain. Start with ten interviews, run the checks, and note what remains awkward. The reward is modest but worthwhile: less time hunting for a recording, and more attention available for the person whose business I am trying to understand.
