Refining Intelligence Procedures

Once a market & competitive intelligence operation is functional and delivers desired business value to the target audience, both processes and operation of the intelligence unit need to set into a cycle of constant challenge and improvement.

In order for the business intelligence system to renew acceptance and continuously improve usability and output quality, a dedicated network consisting of intelligence professionals such as market researchers and intelligence consumers should invite feedback on usability, value added and strategic fit of the market & competitive intelligence services.

Verbally collected feedback should be tracked and analyzed. Intelligence portal users or anyone working with any other electronic means to pull intelligence data and information off any system, network or intelligence delivery utility could be served easy to use feedback features within the dedicated intelligence tool or electronic environment.

For example, within an intelligence portal or corporate intranet area dedicated to the market & competitive intelligence function, a feedback form could be integrated, encouraging users in easy terms to feed back usability and other qualitative and quantitative measures.

In order to close the loop in regards of a double-loop feedback cycle and to continuously motivate users to grant feedback in the future, announcements pertaining to improvements made, need to be set into context to the feedback from users, encouraging more of that helpful input.

Quarterly reviews inviting heavy intelligence users would add on significantly to the learning curve and demonstrate willingness and capacity to learn and improve. Also this would signal sustainability to management and intelligence stakeholders.

As with any other business assessment, honesty and a certain level of urgency should guide the improvement measures. Having key managers mentoring or sponsoring this important part of the intelligence process might proof valuable as well, especially in terms of credibility and support.
For example, if there was a severe improvement necessity discovered and some serious resources would have to be invested for fixing, a well known improvement cycle supported by management would ensure long term support by management and thus spontaneous help and approval for investments would be much easier to achieve.

Also, intelligence managers should make it a habit to ask for contextual feedback in meetings and during presentations, recording, archiving and acting upon the delivered feedback should be standard.

Refining Intelligence Procedures