Conducted at the request of the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Intelligence and Research, the Central Intelligence Agency, and the Defense Intelligence Agency, the Intelligence Community Analysis Project brought the best analytic and evaluation practices employed by business leaders to the government. From financial and market research companies to Fortune 500s, executives from 20 diverse firms shared their insights into the evaluation of analysis and analytic staff with our government partners.
Borrowing from their own firms’ experiences, the executives emphasized the need for supportive organizational structures that promote open communication as well as an internally determined, unique definition of “quality.” Among the report’s findings were the nearly universal reliance on subjective methods of evaluation and a vigorous debate about the proper balance between tradecraft and accuracy.
Led by BENS Board Member Don Smith of Houlihan Lokey, the project was guided by a team of 12 Members and other experts and completed in June 2008.
Intelligence Community Analysis Project report
