The heart of the intelligence process is transforming the relevant information that has been gathered into an actionable format that can be readily understood and used by decision makers. Such transformation is a complex, messy, iterative process that marries research and debate, analysis and intuition, qualitative and quantitative, clarity and fuzziness. Rarely is the outcome unambiguous, though it may be compelling. The end product must indicate the limits to the conclusions, as well as give minority opinions. When all is said and done, the only real reason to have an intelligence operation is to get it into the hands and minds of those who need it in a timely manner.
Intelligence delivered late is useless.
Executives need intelligence at hand when decisions are made. It is the nature of decision making that information is never complete. If it were, a decision would hardly need to be made. But in the absence of complete information, intelligence can improve odds in the favor of the decision maker. Intelligence is simple but not easy to do, for it requires leadership, focus, discipline and attention.