xii The reason intelligence products are lacking in executive relevance and utility is more often
than not their weak analytical content. Intelligence analysis is what turn pieces of data into insightful and actionable
results... Executives... vie for... an insightful analysis that points them in the right direction, that
sheds light on important issues, that helps them shape their thinking on the needed actions.
[Strategic Intent and Strategic Intelligence, Ben Gilad, p.3-21]
p.9 In my book, Business Blindspots (1994), I define competitive intelligence as any information
that tells top management whether the organization is still competitive. The implication is that intelligence
is the watchdog of competitiveness... In the dynamic world of competition, long-term survival implies continuing
success and renewal
[From Offensive Analysis to the Organization and Management of Intelligence Activities, Ben Gilad,
p.27-51]
p.28 without competitive intelligence of the right type no company can hope to achieve competitive
innovation.
p.29 Competitive intelligence is by its nature... only as good as the use to which it is
put. Without thinking clearly first about what the intelligence product is supposed to do and then how it can do
it, the benefits from the function are certain to fall short of expectations.
[Creating the Intelligence System that Produces Analytical Intelligence, Jan P. Herring, p.53-81]
p.74 The production of actionable intelligence is without a doubt the most complicated and challenging
task facing any intelligence organization. How does one go about creating such intelligence? First of all, there
is no single intelligence product that fits all needs.
[A Typology of Information Needs, Yves-Michel Marti, p.121-131]
p.122 What is the most important thing you have learned in all those years? ...[Bob Margulies, director
of the Business Intelligence department at McDonnell Douglas] "I wouldn't do one bit of research, data collection,
or analysis, unless I am really sure that I understand the needs of the decision maker I'm working for." ...understanding
the intelligence customer's real needs is the foundation of any BI project. And it is also one of the hardest things to do.
p.125 When we do not have the information, we are in a state of educated ignorance (we know what
we do not know). A little effort will get us there.
[Outthinking the Competition: Intelligence for Strategic Planning, David Harkleroad and Ken Sawka,
p.137-157]
p.143 the need to do something triggers the need for information to enable you to make
better decisions... intelligence is gathered for a specific need. If there is no need and you are
gathering information, you are doing so for your pleasure
p.143 Sustainable competitive advantage generally arises from superior strategies. And,
a strategy, at its simplest, can be defined as allocating resources to achieve a set of objectives.
p.144 The analysis of intelligence essentially involves the application of expert judgment to raw
data, and analytical tools add structure and organization to the thought process. The intelligence analyst
must reach into the reporting to derive a set of conclusions, hypotheses, or judgments that have relevance to the intelligence
users' questions or strategic issues. He or she must develop frameworks to help categorize and structure data, then
employ analytical methodologies to help glean new insights that straight line or "gut feel" analysis misses.
p.152 To perform opportunity analysis well, the analyst must think like a decision maker
but answer like an intelligence analyst. It requires, first, a redefinition of the intelligence problem in the decision
maker's terms, which thus forces the analyst to seek focused intelligence that will help support the decisions, rather
than simply gathering general information that is of little relevance.
p.155 "Many people view games egocentrically - that is, they focus on their own position. The primary insight
of game theory is the importance of focusing on others - namely allocentrism. To look forward and reason backward,
you have to put yourself in the shoes - even the heads - of other players" (Brandenburger & Nalebuff, 1995).
p.156 From these [clearly articulated set of intelligence] needs, the analyst must develop the analytical
framework both to identify the data and information that must be collected, and then to help organize that information as
the collectors and information specialists provide it... once sufficient information has been collected, the analyst must
process it to understand its implications for his or her organization.
[An Overview of Business Intelligence Analysis for Science and Technology, W. Bradford Ashton,
p.245-293]
p.248 Intelligence activities usually are organized around a five-stage process that begins with recognition
of information needs, proceeds through collection and analysis activities, and ends with distribution of intelligence to users
and, finally, application to decisions.
