Intelligence Planning and Reporting
Core concepts
Planning translates decision-makers' needs into intelligence requirements and a collection plan. Know the Priority Intelligence Requirements (PIRs) - the questions leadership most needs answered - and how they drive collection, tasking, and reporting. Understand EEIs (essential elements of information) as the specific data points that answer a PIR.
Reporting discipline
Expect questions on report structure: BLUF (bottom line up front), source description, confidence statements, and clear separation of fact, inference, and judgment. Know the difference between routine, priority, and flash reporting and when each is appropriate. Dissemination must match classification and need-to-know.
Traps to watch
- Writing reports that bury the conclusion - always lead with the bottom line.
- Blurring fact vs. assessment; label judgments and confidence explicitly.
- Collecting without a requirement - collection must be requirements-driven.
- Over-classifying or under-classifying; classification must reflect sensitivity, not convenience.
- Forgetting to close the loop with feedback to collection managers.
Rule of thumb
Every product should answer: So what? Says who? How sure? If a report lacks a clear implication, source basis, and confidence level, it is incomplete.
Worked example
Leadership asks whether a supplier poses a supply-chain risk (the PIR). EEIs: ownership, financial health, security posture. The report opens with the bottom line ("moderate risk"), states the sources and their reliability, and gives a confidence level - then supporting detail.