Reading an intelligence report in five minutes
A weekly report is not read cover to cover: it is triaged. The goal: five minutes to know what, this week, deserves your attention — and what can wait.
The structure is always the same
Every deliverable follows the same plan, so that reading becomes a reflex: a summary that draws out the week's movements, the priority signals ranked by severity, then recommendations tied to your profile. If you read only one thing, read the summary.
Triage by severity
- Critical. Requires a fast decision or action: short deadline, response window, immediate risk. To be handled the same day.
- Important. Changes the medium-term context: a competitor repositioning, a regulatory shift, an industrial move. To fold into your week's thinking.
- To watch. Still a tenuous signal, to be confirmed over several weeks. Watch, without acting.
Weak signal, confirmed signal
A fact reported once is a weak signal; corroborated by several independent sources, it becomes confirmed. The distinction is not cosmetic: you watch a weak signal, you act on a confirmed one. A serious report always shows where each item stands.
What not to do
Do not over-read a single signal: it is not a prediction. Do not read the report as a news bulletin — what is missing was discarded for lack of consequence, not omitted. And always check the source: every claim carries the link to its origin, which is authoritative.
In one sentence
A good report does not ask you to read everything; it helps you decide quickly where to put your attention.