p.9 I will show you the new world of competitive intelligence. You
will learn how companies efficiently, systematically, and economically collect information, analyze it, and use it to make
decisions... It's about beating your competitors... and never being surprised or blindsided by their actions or other
outside events again.
p.15 "It is pardonable to be defeated, but never to be surprised." -Frederick the Great
p.15-16 information is merely the starting point of the decision-making
process and not the end... Turning raw information and data into actionable intelligence is fast becoming the most
critical management tool of cutting-edge business leaders... the age of information is over and the age of intelligence
has begun.
The process these people use to turn information into intelligence and enter the age of intelligence
is called Competitive Intelligence.
p.19 Turning information into usable intelligence is what will ultimately
separate successful companies from those that fall by the wayside not only in the high-technology sector but every
other business sector as well.
p.20-21 The basis of competitive intelligence is knowing the difference
between information and intelligence... Information is factual. Information often appears to be telling
you something but in reality it's not... Intelligence, on the other hand, is a collection of information pieces that have
been filtered, distilled, and analyzed. It has been turned into something that can be acted upon.
p.22 The company that knows how to turn information into intelligence will
succeed, and the company that doesn't will fail.
p.48-51 The first part of the intelligence cycle is planning and direction...
Planning and direction requires a three-pronged approach: 1. A clear understanding of the user's needs, including
his time constraints. You must understand what the intelligence will be used for, why it is needed, and exactly which people
or department will use it... 2. Establish a collection and analysis plan... 3. Keep the user informed.
p.50 One of the main items that a manager and his competitive intelligence
unit should focus on is the company's Critical Success Factors... defined as those tasks that had to be completed for the
company to succeed.
p.57 People who are prone to using brute-force techniques in solving problems don't last very long in the information-collection
business. [JLJ - computer chess program developers take note]
p.97 Analysis is the process of taking information - often surprisingly unconnected information - and turning it
into intelligence.
p.97 Good analysts... have a wide base of experiences and knowledge.
p.97 According to [Jan] Herring, the most important trait of an analyst is to be able to say: "This is what I think will
happen based on what I know. This is what it means to the company."
