At the request of clients Dr. Jay Grusin, president of The Analytic Edge (LLC), has added a new two-day analytic tradecraft workshop that can meet multiple training requirements for the defense and homeland security industry, as well as academic centers and businesses that directly support the US Government.   The course, “Seminar in Analytic Tradecraft,” was developed to meet the demand for analytic tradecraft training that could both reinforce the skills of more experienced analysts and help integrate new staff quickly into programs with minimum impact on customer support. It can also be incorporated into training for staff preparing to deploy to sites in the US or overseas.

Like Information to Intelligence, The Analytic Edge’s three-day work shop, the seminar’s goals and objectives are mapped to rigorous intelligence community analytic tradecraft standards. Participants learn the same proven approach, tools, and techniques intelligence analysts have used for decades to help senior government officials and military leaders “get it right.”

Participants in Information to Intelligence and the Seminar in Analytic Tradecraft learn the same analytic tradecraft skills, but they are applied in very different ways.

The Analytic Edge (LLC) created Information to Intelligence for private sector clients. It is best offered to intact units that can integrate their work into the workshop. The goal is to leverage analytic tradecraft tools and techniques to speed decision making and strengthen risk assessments and forecasts.

The Seminar in Analytic Tradecraft is focused on building individual analytic tradecraft skills.  

• Participants generally come from the defense and homeland security-related industries, academic centers, or institutes. They either have had  some experience in intelligence analysis or received training in basic tradecraft as part of an academic program.
• They engage in two intensive days of hands-on step-by-step instruction that will reinforce the analytic skills of experienced analysts and speed the integration of new staff into the work force with minimum impact on customer support.
• Training is done against the backdrop of the intelligence community’s culture and operational demands
• The Participants may come from the same company, but they will be deployed to multiple work sites in the United States and overseas.

Course Organization and Content:

What Is Good Intelligence and Why Does It Matter?

Participants develop an understanding of the key elements of good analytic tradecraft and its importance.

Identify Customer Requirements

Participants learn the importance of understanding the world of their customers as the essential first step in the intelligence process.

Shape the Question Right

Participants practice crafting the “right question” to meet customer requirements with tailored products/service and understand how this process impacts multiple phases of the analytic process.

Answer the Question with the Bottom Line Up Front

Participants learn how to answer the question with the “what, why now, and so what for the company” in clear strong language up front.

Calibrate the BLUF: Express Uncertainty, Clarify Assumptions and Probability

Participants develop a common understanding of assumptions, including: the critical role they play in shaping judgments, determining the level of certainty expressed in the judgments, and strengthening the credibility of the analysis.

Develop a Forecast: Conclusions and Implications

Participants practice applying the key elements of responsible forecasting—implications, opportunities, possible alternative outcomes, and sign posts of change.

Manage Biases & Differences; Leverage Expertise & Diverse Views

Participants learn about the impact of biases on the analytic process and practice using proven Structured Analytic Techniques . They also  discover how to create a collaborative environment that leverages expertise and diverse views to enrich products.

Implement Analytic Tradecraft Skills

This module can be readily customized. As crafted, it provides participants with a review of the content and an opportunity to think about how they could apply what they have learned during the seminar to a participant’s project or one that is relevant to a particular industry or field.