This document introduces a framework called "Intelligence Preparation of the Corporate Battlefield" which adapts established military targeting practices to competitive business analysis. It involves separating the strategic environment into six domains - Command/Lead, Sense, Act, Shield, Sustain, Generate - and evaluating strengths and weaknesses across competitors in each domain. Plotting these on a matrix reveals opportunities and threats. The goal is to identify possible "high payoff targets" and critical intelligence needs to discipline business strategy and planning. Competitive targeting is presented as a fundamental precursor to effective mission analysis.

1. An introduction to ……
Intelligence Preparation of the Corporate Battlefield
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2. A commercial hybrid of long
established and proven military
practices:
iCASA
(Integrated Complex Adaptive Systems Analysis)
PEMSI Environmental Scanning
JATM
(Joint Attack Targeting Methodology)
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3. Competitive Targeting – a fundamental precursor to effective mission analysis
•
This has to be more than a SWOT. SWOTs simply
don’t cut it. Same thing with non-comparative
environment scans. If you are going to gin up a plan
– having an understanding of the High Value Targets
and possible High Payoff Targets would be a good
thing to have in the first place.
•
In the military, at tactical levels we call this IPB
(intelligence preparation of the battlefield) and STA
(Strategic Target Analysis) at higher levels. At all
levels its an attack and defence matrix or template.
•
We separate the strategic environment into 6 specific
and equitable domains:
• Command / Lead
• Sense
• Act
• Shield
• Sustain
• Generate
•
Remember: It has to be attackable or defendable!
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4. Competitive Targeting – a fundamental precursor to effective mission analysis
• These are equitable domains:
• Lead
• Sense
• Act
• Shield
• Sustain
• Generate
• To be successful on any battlefield
(military, business or otherwise) you
must perform equitably (not equally,
but equitably) in each of these strategic
domains. Failure in any specific
domain results in strategic failure
regardless of how successful you are
in the others.
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5. The Strategic Functional Domains
…you have to operate equitably in each of these areas to be strategically relevant!
•
Lead: The inspirational, creative and purposeful knowledge-based exercise of legitimate corporate leadership,
authority, responsibility and accountability to define missions, execute plans, expend resources, maintain standards,
and control activities.
•
Sense: The proactive integrated acquisition and aligned processing of information (both internal and external) to enable
corporate leadership and managerial authorities to understand the characteristics and conditions of their operating
environment in order to enable knowledge-based decision making, or to enable organizational learning by all members
of the team.
•
Act: The aligned, integrated, coordinated and managed execution of development, operation, production and delivery
capabilities in the pursuit of the end state.
•
Shield: The comprehensive aligned and integrated risk management dedicated to the protection of tangible and
intangible corporate elements and interests through the integrating activities of detection, assessment, warning, defence
(active and passive), and recovery.
•
Sustain: The aligned, integrated, coordinated and managed provisioning of all support services required to maintain
prolonged routine and contingency operations.
•
Generate: The aligned, integrated and coordinated activities by which the organization recruits, trains and develops
personnel and conceives, designs and builds new processes, products, technologies, services and markets to meet the
corporate end state and mission.
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6. Competitive Targeting – a fundamental precursor to effective mission analysis
•
Next, we populate a series of
Strategic Attributes for each of
those domains that are customized
to the nature of the operation and
your particular corporate battlefield.
•
The example shows some of the
more popular attributes common to
most businesses or defence and
security institutions.
•
The key to selecting these is that
they are attackable and can
represent a distinct competitive
advantage to you or your
opposition!
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7. Competitive Targeting – a fundamental precursor to effective mission analysis
•
Next, we rate and score each of the
attributes / competencies.
•
For detailed analyses, we can rate
each attribute on how well you
Shape, Unify and Operate.
•
SHAPE: The condition whereby an organization
can proactively react or adapt to change with
informed intent, refined mission, aligned purpose
and integrated action.
•
UNIFY: The condition whereby an organization
can effectively lead, communicate and manage
with unity of thought, purpose and action
towards mission success.
•
OPERATE: The condition whereby an
organization can execute and sustain its
operations with informed intent, maintained
mission, aligned purpose and integrated action.
•
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As an example, your competition may be
great at Operating but may be poor at
Shaping / Reacting to change.
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8. •
Plot your “friendly forces” and establish your strengths and weaknesses
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9. •
Plot your “Opposing Forces” and establish their strengths and weaknesses
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10. •
You can have multiple “Opposing Forces” or “Opposing Environments”
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11. •
Overlay the two! Where are the real opportunitiesand threats?
A strength or a weakness is
only an opportunity or threat
when have you something to
compare it against.
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12. •
Establish your possible high payoff targets & critical intelligence requirements
Congratulations! You’ve just
reverse engineered how Apple
walloped RIM starting in 2008
So, if you were a CEO,
what would you do
with this kind of
information?
What would your
competitors do with
it?
•
•
•
•
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INTEGRATED?
COMPREHENSIVE?
ADAPTIVE?
NETWORKED?
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13. •
Establish your possible high payoff targets & critical intelligence requirements
This information is critical to your mission analysis
Its fundamental to disciplining the boundaries and objectives of your strategy or plan
It answers the basic questions about what must be attacked and defended
It defines your and your opponent’s strategic centre of gravity
AND THIS IS THE PART THAT MOST GET WRONG BEFORE DOING THEIR MISSION ANALYSIS
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