Who is he?

  • Sherman Kent is known as the “father of intelligence analysis” and was a well-known, prominent figure at the CIA, as well as a professor at Yale University

The Doctrine

  1. Focus on Policymaker Concerns
  • “actionable intelligence”
  • analysts primary goal is to serve the policymakers so giving them information and organizing it in a way that is easy-to-follow and based on their needs is important
  • analysts must put the policymakers first. You must consider the
  1. Avoidance of a Personal Policy Agenda
  • goal is to help everyone and to remain impartial to any political agendas in your assessments
  • avoid any biases or favoring certain groups
  • focus on all possible outcomes
  1. Intellectual Rigor
  • use critical thinking to assess and evaluate information and ensure information is neutral and point out any gaps
  1. Conscious Effort to Avoid Analytic Biases
  • analytic / cognitive bias is human
  • try your best to avoid these biases
  • be especially conscious of your biases
  1. Willingness to Consider Other Judgements
  • collaboration is key and make sure you have an open mind by considering other points of view
  1. Systematic Use of Outside Experts
  • use outside opinions
  • news media accounts, journals, etc.
  1. Collection Responsibility for Judgement
  • coordinate with others
  • take accountability when needed
  1. Effective Communication of policy-support information and judgements
  • know your audience and share information in an easy-to-digest manner (shorter and straight-to-the-point as the policymakers in the organization are busy)
  • avoid being vague
  • don’t use non-falsifiable judgements (“may” or “could”)
  1. Candid Admission of Mistakes
  • analysts should try their best to master intelligence but mistakes do happen
  • make sure you understand your mistakes and prevent them from happening in the future
  • actively review your performance