Measure & Adjust
Market and Competitive intelligence goals have to be performed against, thus need proper metrics to measure performance and success. In order to continuously improve the market intelligence process not only the intelligence delivery goals have to be accomplished but the process and networking has to hold up and perform as well.
Taking a step away from the intelligence effort with its systems and tools a gap analysis will have to result in respective improvements in the intelligence process and result.
Reflection against goals – If you want to measure against your business intelligence goals, these need to be set-up in ways to easily and semi-automatically pull measurement results. Examples could be intelligence portal statistics, performance reviews of intelligence case workers, market researchers and intelligence analysts or management reviews where the intelligence process is being brought under scrutiny.
Challenge process and results – The gap analysis resulting from the intelligence success review will have to deliver important learnings about process improvement potential and intelligence quality. Remember: Information in the absence of execution is overhead!
Disengage – There is nothing worse then professionals in denial when confronted with improvement potential. Whenever you want and need to change and improve anything in the business world or private life, it is best when taking a step back and weigh observations from a distance. Better even: invite colleagues and friends to take a look into the area that you want to challenge critically. Slip into the users shoes by working on a real-world example with them.
Adjustments, improvements – If done properly the learnings from this challenge process should result in adjustments made to the intelligence process, data and information collection as well as the interfacing and networking involved in the market intelligence process.
De-briefing – As the Market Intelligence & Competitive Intelligence groups work with a certain mandate and there are clearly defined customers to the intelligence products, management and users will have to be de-briefed for any change or adjustment. Initial intelligence benefits will have to be stressed and in reflection to them re-iterated. Otherwise it would be hard to sell any change or adjustment of the intelligence effort and process.
