In this case study, we examine the effectiveness of the SensusQ intelligence management platform in supporting common intelligence functions carried out by intel support teams. Through a workshop exercise, we compared the SensusQ platform to current methods used in the industry, finding that SensusQ saved up to 30% of time while generating data that was more detailed, precise, and comprehensive. These results demonstrate the potential of the SensusQ platform to transform military planning and execution, leading to improved outcomes and enhanced performance in the field.

Abstract

SensusQ team conducted an in-house workshop to assess the effectiveness of their intelligence management platform in supporting common intelligence functions carried out by intel support teams. The team split into two groups, with one group using current methods while the other utilized the SensusQ platform. The purpose of the workshop was to compare the outcomes of both approaches and identify any bottlenecks or key insights that could be gleaned from the exercise. In this case study, we will explore the results of the workshop in greater detail.

Description

During the workshop, both groups were given a bundle of materials, including various information injects such as OSINT information and intelligence reports. Each group also received specific priority intelligence requirements (PIRs) and was tasked with creating an intelligence summary and link diagram, as well as conducting an intelligence brief, at the end of the operation.

Throughout the three-hour operation, additional injects of information were added to the database, enabling both groups to test the efficiency and effectiveness of their respective methods. One group used traditional methods currently used in the industry while the other leveraged the SensusQ intelligence management platform. By comparing the results of both groups, we were able to assess the benefits and drawbacks of each approach, ultimately demonstrating the potential of the SensusQ platform to enhance military planning and conducting.

Tools used in Group 1

MS Word, MS Excel, MS PowerPoint, MS Teams, MS SharePoint, Spatial Illusions

Tools used in Group 2

SensusQ Intelligence Management Software

Workflow

The groups consisted of SensusQ team members and while some of them had extensive experience in the field, many of the people were introduced to the planning and conducting process of military operations for the very first time. Both groups approached the delegation of responsibilities differently during the exercise.

Group 1 worked with ready-made templates in MS Office Word and Excel to collect and extract the information. Group members were each assigned a PIR to focus on. They initially followed a manual process that involved filling out the event log template with the information from the injects and then assigning the events to each group member based on the relevance to the PIR. One of the group members was then assigned to conduct a map view of the events using open-source map tools and another one used open-source graphics tools to generate a visual of found relationships. However, due to the hectic workflow and lack of time, the group did not have enough resources to generate conclusions of the information collected, resulting in an intelligence summary that was merely an extensive document including information categorized based on PIRs. "At one point, we had to assign one group member merely to manage the templates and their readability to make sense of the information we were working with," said the lead of Group 1.

Group 2 used SensusQ intelligence management system to extract relevant data points from the assigned injects. The group did not have any plugins or automation methods available for importing the data, meaning they spent a significant amount of time on this task. While the members worked in silos when it came to importing the data, they benefitted of the systems' capability to make relationships and generate a map view, which helped them navigate within the information collected. "The main bottleneck for our group was getting the workflow on track since most of us did not have much experience with military operations. Once we got the ball rolling, everything went quite smoothly," said the lead of Group 2. Towards the end of the workshop, the group simply exported their visual results and had enough time to conduct more comprehensive summaries of their findings. Although Group 1 spent proportionally less time on summarizing (Figure 1), they did not have enough time to finalize their report in a comprehensive way.

Outcomes

When looking at how the workshop duration was divided for different parts of the workflow of the groups and the output data, we found that the intelligence management platform not only enabled groups to work more efficiently, saving up to 30% of time compared to other methods, but also generated data that was more detailed, precise, and comprehensive. These findings demonstrate the potential of the SensusQ platform to transform military planning and execution, leading to improved outcomes and enhanced performance in the field.

Although there were some differences in how the groups delegated their responsibilities internally and this might have contributed to the varying levels of success for each group, it is evident that the use of SensusQ software provided better organization and analysis capabilities of the data and saved enough time to contribute more detailed and precise results in the final intelligence summary. When looking at the results of each group, we find that although both groups logged a similar number of events throughout the workshop (Figure 1), the numbers of various entities originating from these events differ significantly (Figure 2). Additionally, the data logged to the SensusQ system comes with the benefits of being structured, meaning it is easily retrievable and available for adding new relationships and insights to it over time, whereas the information gathered by Group 1 remains static and siloed, needing additional effort each time intel teams want to pick up on the topic and build new connections based on it.

Summary

The aim of this workshop was to measure the scope of time savings in the collection and structuring of the incoming information with the use of our software. It can be concluded that the current version of our system frees up intelligence personnel from document management, allowing more time for analysis. Our team is committed to taking these benefits to the next level with the upcoming version of our software. The updates will enhance the workflow in all the parts ranging from automating data import with various integrations to digitizing the exploitation phase of information using advanced AI-powered analytics and filtering capabilities. This will bring even greater gains and allow intelligence personnel to focus more on decision-making rather than data management.