Structured Analytic Tradecraft

Structured Analytic Tradecraft (SAT) defines the process an intelligence analyst goes through, from beginning to end, to answer an intelligence question or investigate a particular issue or problem. Structured refers to the repeatability of the method. This provides an audit trail of cognitive processes that support the logic and reasoning the analyst used to arrive at conclusions. It also allows the method to be tested for reliability and validity, if desired, to further examine the rigor of the analytic process. Tradecraft refers to the analytic process holistically. Unlike techniques or methods, tradecraft includes the analyst’s ability to select and implement an appropriate structured analytic method to a particular question.