intelligence-collection-disciplines

name	intelligence-collection-disciplines
description	Run competitive research like an intelligence agency: eight collection disciplines (OSINT to MASINT), signal-to-inference chains, and fusion. Use when one-source research isn't enough.
intent	Give product managers the intelligence community's collection playbook: eight independent disciplines, each with free and paid sources, signal-to-inference chains, and the PM artifact it feeds — then fuse them with confidence stacking so three weak signals become one strong conclusion.
type	component
theme	market-intelligence
best_for	["Choosing which collection channels to run for a competitive or market question","Turning raw public signals (patents, job posts, filings, web diffs) into defensible inferences","Cross-validating a suspected competitor move across independent evidence channels"]
scenarios	["I think a competitor is building a platform play — how do I confirm it before their launch?","My TAM slide got shredded — where do I find data that survives scrutiny?"]
estimated_time	reference skill; a single-discipline pass takes 30-60 min

Intelligence Collection Disciplines

Purpose

Stop doing competitive research like a term paper. The intelligence community solved this problem decades ago: they don't collect "data," they run collection disciplines — independent channels, each with its own sources, tradecraft, and blind spots — and then they fuse them. This skill gives product managers that playbook: eight disciplines, each telling you (1) what to collect, (2) where to collect it, (3) which signal → inference chains to run, and (4) which PM artifact it feeds (TAM/SAM/SOM, ICPs, personas, battle cards, roadmap bets, win/loss, positioning, pricing). One signal is an anecdote; three correlated signals from independent disciplines is intelligence.

Input

Works best with the six instantiation variables below — fill them once and every discipline becomes engagement-specific. Leave them blank and this stays a teaching artifact.

[TARGET]      = The competitor, partner, or acquirer you're researching
[MARKET]      = The category and its NAICS/SIC/NACE codes (or nearest equivalent)
[GEOGRAPHY]   = Regions in scope, at COUNTRY level, not continent level
[BUYER]       = Who signs the check (drives review sites, job titles, conferences)
[CAPABILITY]  = The strategic move you suspect (platform play, market entry,
                pricing shift, compliance land-grab, etc.)
[DECISION]    = What this research will change (roadmap bet, positioning,
                pricing, market entry, deal defense, ICP refresh)

If [DECISION] is blank, stop. Research without a decision is a hobby.

Anything supplied with the invocation itself — text after the skill name, a pasted context dump, or an appended ARGUMENTS: line — counts as variables already filled. Use it; don't re-ask.

Arriving empty-handed? That works too. Read the disciplines as a course in tradecraft, or ask the agent to walk the instantiation block with you one variable at a time.

Example invocation: Use intelligence-collection-disciplines — [TARGET]: Meridian Freight Systems, [CAPABILITY]: suspected move into warehouse robotics, [DECISION]: whether we accelerate our own integration roadmap.

Key Concepts

The Eight Disciplines

Discipline	Intel Community Name	Plain English	Primary PM Artifact
1. OSINT	Open Source Intelligence	Press, social, periodicals, analysts	Battle cards, positioning
2. FININT	Financial Intelligence