Developing an Intelligence System
An Intelligence System can be implemented in any organization regardless of industry, size, or organizational structure. Although specific needs emerge within individual development projects and they must be carefully addressed, the general steps leading to successful Competitive Intelligence operations are the same.
While it is important to develop a technology-based CI tool for getting the right information to the right people at the right time, it is human involvement and time that ensures the content is verified and accurate. Hence, successful implementation of a CI system calls for training and internal marketing activities.
As user needs continually evolve and the business environment keeps changing, the intelligence system, too, must be continuously updated and refined. Therefore the maintenance of the CI process is necessary in order to preserve and develop the need-based intelligence system in terms of content, tools and processes.
Key Statements from the Document
- The definition, purpose and objectives of CI must be stressed, since they are the basic matters that give direction to the entire intelligence system to be developed.
- Organizing CI calls for not only organizing needed resources, but also for balancing between external and internal resources as well as organizing the eventual delivery process of CI throughout the CI cycle.
- Intelligence product design or product development refers to standardizing both the production process and the output of the intelligence process. Decision-makers have very specific intelligence content needs and intelligence product development is a way of addressing those needs.
- Much of the intelligence needed by executives and operational managers does not reside in any database. It has to be acquired from people, both outside and inside the company.
- CI team alone is insufficient to make an organization truly intelligent – other members of the organization should also be involved as much as possible in the CI process.
- It may make sense for a company to outsource certain content production responsibilities in order to save internal resources for more value-adding tasks. Taking care of tasks such as continuous news feeds, web monitoring and/or basic information collection may be areas suited for outsourcing.
- An intelligence tool provides the users with a single interface in which the filtered intelligence content from internal and external sources is gathered and combined.
- Most number crunching tools, often referred to as Business Intelligence tools, are typically considered inappropriate as they focus on quantitative information, whereas, the focus in intelligence system implementation is on actionable intelligence - on qualitative information and processes.
- Introducing new tools and changing existing working methods typically require changes in individual attitudes and deep-rooted habits as well; these are perhaps the most difficult tasks for the intelligence development organization.
The Global Intelligence Alliance (GIA) is a global network of business research and Competitive Intelligence (CI) consulting companies. The series of GIA White Papers is a means for the GIA and its clients and partner companies to share knowledge on key topics within the field of Competitive Intelligence. Please feel free to give us feedback on the White Papers by sending email to info@globalintelligence.com.
