CI 101 and 102, Cambridge MA, Sept. 22-23
Mike Sandman.CI 101 is probably the most widely attended course in SCIP’s portfolio of educational programs. CI 202 is the companion course designed to go one step further up the ladder.
The course objectives for CI 101 are to learn:
- What intelligence is.
- How to create it from the bits and pieces of raw data.
- How to organize the collection effort so that you have the time to add value through analysis.
- How to stay within legal and ethical boundaries.
- How to get started managing the intelligence function.
For CI 202, we start with industry analysis using Michael Porter’s Five Forces model and then we look at company and competitor analysis using some widely used analytic tools. The objectives of this class are to:
- Understand how industry analysis can enlighten the process of company and competitive analysis.
- Learn how to use the concept of Key Intelligence Topics to focus CI efforts.
- Learn which analytic models are most useful in particular situations.
- Understand how to develop useful, non-generic competitive profiles.
- Learn how do work successfully with your internal clients and sponsors.
The foundation of both courses is built on what experts have learned from helping companies with their CI activities, including both research and managing the intelligence process. The tour of intelligence sources starts with the world of secondary sources and moves on to techniques for talking to people to obtain human intelligence (primary research). Indeed, primary research is at the heart of good intelligence gathering. And the key to delivering good intelligence is doing good analysis on the intelligence you gather.
The course has changed over the years and it continues to evolve. Each time I present the course I update it, so it’s a little different than it was the time before. The changes reflect what I learn from the students, what I have learned from our experience with companies with an active CI effort, and what is happening in the broad field of business intelligence.
For example, software tools for competitive intelligence have become more user-friendly and more powerful in the last few years, and therefore more CI groups are more interested in them. So there’s more class time on how to select and use software tools than there was in 1996.
Right from the beginning I’ve talked about ethical and legal issues, and recently I started to include information about the rules governing competitive intelligence in the European Union. I’ve also added a section on the resources available via the hidden Internet for identifying people to interview. I’ve sharpened the focus of CI 202 on a small number of broadly applicable analytic techniques rather than spend time running down a long list of possible analytic tools.
Who can benefitThe common bond students have is that they are almost always relatively new to the field of competitive intelligence – it’s CI 101 and 202, after all. But many of them have years of experience in their industries, so there is a good mix of ages and professional backgrounds in the room, and there is always a broad mix of industries. It’s rare for the participants not to find people in the class from their competitors.
There is a substantial amount of interaction between the students and the leader. People are encouraged to exchange their experiences, offer suggestions and challenge the course leader, who knows from experience as a Red Sox fan that no one is perfect (except this year, when the Red Sox
will come from behind to beat the Yankees…).
As a fringe benefit, I give participants “a lifetime guaranty to answer your short questions about CI,” (although I refuse to specify whose lifetime the guaranty refers to).
CI 101 and 202 will be presented on September 22 and 23 in Cambridge, MA at the Hyatt Regency Hotel, just across the Charles River from Boston. Member price for one day is $425, for two days $595.
Online registration is available at
www.scip.org. For additional information, please contact Nikki Wells,
nwells@scip.org, 1.703.739.0696 extension 115.
Course LeaderMike Sandman is senior vice-president of Fuld & Company Inc., a competitive intelligence consulting firm in Cambridge, MA. Prior to joining Fuld, he was an operations manager in the composites industry and a consultant to manufacturing companies. Mike has an extensive background in international business. He lives in Brookline, MA, and is co-chair of the town’s Transportation Board. Mike often bikes to work through Boston traffic, which he claims is no more foolish than his persistent rooting for the Boston Red Sox.
copyright Society of Competitive Intelligence Professionals
scip.online, issue 37, August 8, 2003
[PRINTER FRIENDLY VERSION]
