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Getting Started Checklist
Checklist of fundamental questions designed to get you started.
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A good way to kick off your analysis is to ask yourself a few fundamental questions. These key questions were designed to help you reflect on the task at hand and to get you pointed in the right direction.
Getting started checklist:
- What is the real problem?
- Why is it necessary to solve this problem?
- What have you done in the past with similar problems?
- Who can help you solve your problem?
- What is the root cause of your problem?
- What are the key questions that need to be answered?
- What should be done first?
- How will you know when you are successful?
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Helpful Hint:
We recommend that you document your thinking throughout the problem solving process. It can be a very insightful to follow the evolution of your own thinking. If you haven't done so already, you can begin right now by writing down the questions above and your answers.
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Source:
Structured Analytic Techniques for Intelligence Analysis, Richards Heuer, Jr. and Randolph H. Pherson, Washington DC: CQ Press, 2011.