Assessment tabling: an integrated structured analytic technique for improved intelligence analysis and reasoning visualisation

Abstract

ABSTRACT Structured analytic techniques (SATs) are a commonly accepted tradecraft tool for intelligence analysts. A problem, however, is that a plethora of such techniques exist and the training on them is often less than ideal. This hinders their use and undermines their perceived value. To counter these concerns, this article proposes the use of an integrated SAT called ‘Assessment Tabling’, an easy to understand/use SAT that incorporates multiple other SATs within itself. The article explicates this technique and articulates its advantages: specifically, its use of both intuitive and deliberative analytic reasoning, and its comprehensiveness, making it an ideal SAT for analysts.