The intelligence product as a thinking artifact chart u made.... Bingo... I'll use that. Visually too it's great... and I can even feed that into an existing tools to stay alligned .
One of my goals was to make the chart useful not just as a visual, but as a practical thinking tool—something that could help structure judgment, improve alignment, and be integrated into real workflow. If you can plug it into existing tools and use it to stay aligned, then it is doing exactly what I hoped it would do.
I appreciate you telling me that. I would be interested to hear how you adapt it in practice.
I read your article, and I wanted to thank you for this precise and vital analysis.
My background is commanding Intelligence and Investigation Units within the Israel Police's Central Units, where we handled complex organized and economic crime. Based on my experience managing analysts under operational pressure and tight deadlines, I fully validate your central point: a robust intelligence product is not about format, but a manifestation of disciplined judgment.
Two points from your article resonate particularly strongly in the context of criminal intelligence:
The danger of falling in love with the "first coherent story": In complex investigations, the ease with which an early narrative is constructed is the greatest enemy of discovering the truth. I consistently taught my analysts the need to ask, "What else could explain this?"—thereby turning Alternative Analysis, which you cite, into a central mental habit.
The gap between collection and analysis: In police intelligence, the sheer volume of gathered information can obscure the need for judgment. As you noted, a chronological description is not insight. My role as a commander was to ensure that analysts transformed data into clear assessments that would influence operational decisions—not just another report, but an argument for change.
Your article is mandatory reading for any commander who wants their analysts to be producers of clarity under pressure,and professions.
The intelligence product as a thinking artifact chart u made.... Bingo... I'll use that. Visually too it's great... and I can even feed that into an existing tools to stay alligned .
Thank you. I am glad it landed with you.
One of my goals was to make the chart useful not just as a visual, but as a practical thinking tool—something that could help structure judgment, improve alignment, and be integrated into real workflow. If you can plug it into existing tools and use it to stay aligned, then it is doing exactly what I hoped it would do.
I appreciate you telling me that. I would be interested to hear how you adapt it in practice.
Charles
I read your article, and I wanted to thank you for this precise and vital analysis.
My background is commanding Intelligence and Investigation Units within the Israel Police's Central Units, where we handled complex organized and economic crime. Based on my experience managing analysts under operational pressure and tight deadlines, I fully validate your central point: a robust intelligence product is not about format, but a manifestation of disciplined judgment.
Two points from your article resonate particularly strongly in the context of criminal intelligence:
The danger of falling in love with the "first coherent story": In complex investigations, the ease with which an early narrative is constructed is the greatest enemy of discovering the truth. I consistently taught my analysts the need to ask, "What else could explain this?"—thereby turning Alternative Analysis, which you cite, into a central mental habit.
The gap between collection and analysis: In police intelligence, the sheer volume of gathered information can obscure the need for judgment. As you noted, a chronological description is not insight. My role as a commander was to ensure that analysts transformed data into clear assessments that would influence operational decisions—not just another report, but an argument for change.
Your article is mandatory reading for any commander who wants their analysts to be producers of clarity under pressure,and professions.