Customer Reviews

The Warning Solution : Intelligent Analysis in the Age of Information Overload

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The perfect book for the perfect time. The Warning Solution is a book divided in two parts that provides intelligence professionals and researchers essential tools to be employed in today's information saturated environment. This book is about teaching people how to find needed information in a timely and effective manner in order to develop, or support, a decision making process.

Divided in two parts the book first identifies, in a very succinct and effective manner, current problems (The Warning Problem) in handling massive amounts of information from several different perspectives. Those perspectives are from the points of view of a collector of data, an analyst and a decision maker.

The second part of the book focuses on the "Warning Solution" by providing one critical thinking strategies; elements of analysis and how to analyze; and finally how to develop, staff and run an effective intelligence section within your organization.

The fact the book teaches you how to analyze data and develop information into intelligence "walks the walk" in an easy to use guide of ONLY 89 pages holds true to the intelligence concept of providing usable intelligence is a timely, concise and pertinent manner.

An excellent side note about this book, is that a very blunt and honest description of fundamental intelligence capabilities and operations is provided to the user of intelligence and intelligence related information. In other words, the unit commanders, organization leaders and key decision makers are candidly explained what makes up a good intelligence organization; who's responsible for the efficient production and quality of intelligence; and, how to develop assess the effectiveness of your unit's intelligence section.

This book focuses on the basics, but also addresses advanced analytical concepts for beginners or experts alike. This is a must read.

I've served, and continue to serve, in the intelligence community for a number of years now. Supported intelligence operations throughout several areas of the world. I skim and read through over four thousand email messages, alone, monthly. I cannot recommend a better book to keep my mind focused on my mission to provide decision makers the information they need to benefit our organization.

GySgt X, USMC, Intelligence Plans Chief/ Asst. Intelligence Operations Chief

While the subject matter is as important and noteworthy as other reviewers have stated, Mr. Wheaton's prose rambles with much repition and glib remarks passed off as wisdom. The book showcases the depth of the author's experience in the Balkans, but the one case study where he deviates from this theme, the debacle surrounding Intel's initial Pentium CPU chip release, is shallow and appears to be written with no input from people who were directly involved.

The biggest problem behind this book is its size and format. No one but those who all ready agree with the principals and practice intelligence analysis will ever bother to pick up this book. The author would have done better to either:
a. cut out the fluff and write a tight essay/article that could have been presented in magazines read by executives, or
b. gather together multiple authors with various professional backgrounds to build a more complete, in-depth text book with many more examples and practical exercises to be used by business colleges and military academies.

AFCEA International Press also did Mr. Wheaton no favors by producing one of the most poorly proofread books I have ever read.

Finished the book this weekend. I liked it. The analysis on analysis was spot on. I use many of the techniques outlined in the book myself in analysis of engineering and business
problems. When I was reading the book I had an immediate reaction that the book cover should have been yellow with a black stripe and entitled "Intelligence Analysis for Dummies"
A second reation was that the book reminded me somewhat of Machiavelli's "The Prince." Like Machiavelli, the subject matter is presented in blunt, clear language. You don't have to be a Rhodes Scholar to understand this text. In it you find a blue print to run a modern intelligence operation much like "The Prince" was a blue print on how to run a 16th Century Italian State. There is a full listing of pitfalls to avoid, and opportunities not to overlook. Finally, itt is also a blue print on how to make effective decisions on the basis of intelligence. I am sure most readers will agree that once your get past the politics and BS, statesmanship is nothing more than effective decision making. This book tells the decision maker exactly what to expect from his intelligence and analysis people, and what his responsibilites are in making the correct decision. I am sorry to say this book is not going to make the author many friends in the current intelligence and military command structure. One of the main lessons I learned in my government work is that A. No one likes a smartass, and B no one will tolerate a smartass if he is right most of the
time.

In any event I liked the book...It is my hope that people who make these type of decisions that govern our lives reads this book and learn from it (although I rather doubt it).

I first heard Kris Wheaton lecture in Europe, and was just blown away by the deep understanding that he demonstrated of why commanders and CEOs are constantly missing the warnings their subordinates and forward scouts are sending back--the huge cost! Kosovo, for example, could have been a $1 billion a year problem if acted upon wisely and early, instead it became a $5 billion a year problem. I like this book very much because it makes his deep insights available to everybody in a very readable, well-illustrated, and concise book.

I strongly recommend this book because it offers the only thoughtful explanation I have ever seen on the conflict between the senior decision-maker's attention span (can only think about $50 billion problems) and the early warning that *is* available but cannot break through to the always over-burdened, sometimes arrogant, and rarely strategic top boss. In this regard, his book is a fine complement to the more historical work by Willard Matthias on "America's Strategic Blunders."

This book also offers solutions. It is a book that should be required reading for all field grade officers in all military services, as well as state and local governors and majors, university and hospital and other non-profit heads, and of course the captains of industry who spend billions, often unwisely, because they have not established a scouting system that can be heard at the highest levels *in time*. America, among many other nations and organizations, has a habit of ignoring its iconoclasts and mavericks--in an increasingly complex world where catastrophic combinations of failure are going to be more common, such ignorance will eventually become unaffordable and threatening to the national security as well as the national prosperity of those who persist in thinking about old problems in old ways.

There is one other aspect of this book that merits strong emphasis: it focuses on human understanding and human engagement with the world, and makes it clear that technology has almost nothing to do with how well we cope with the external environment that defines our future. There aren't five people in the US government, to take one example, that adequately understand the rich intellectual history of Islam nor the core difference between the Islamic emphasis on knowledge integration as the core value and the Christian emphasis on love as the core value. The author of this book is one of America's foremost authorities on the Balkan conflict and the deep importance of historical and cultural understanding as part of current political and operational competency--we need 1000 more intelligence professionals just like him. This book will inspire and provoke and is a great value for anyone who deals with the world at large.

Kris Wheaton is one of only a handful of master analysts alive today. In this book, he skillfully deconstructs his own analytic process and creates an exceptionally useful template for others. First, he presents practical strategies for wading through the information overload we all face, regardless of the topic or topics in which we are interested. Then, he provides a methodology for turning pertinent gems of information into timely, useful analysis.

Wheaton posesses an extroardinary depth and breadth of knowledge. Because of his vast interdisciplinary experience, the lessons he teaches are applicable for analysts in such diverse areas as marketing, business, military art, politics, intelligence, mathematics, science and law.

Beginning and intermediate level analysts in every profession should buy this book, read it thoroughly and keep it close at hand for reference.

September 11, 2001 will be characterized as a failure of intelligence. But the essential data were there. Missing was an inability to imagine the unimaginable and a process for sharing, collaboration and dissemination among law enforcement and intelligence agencies. It has happened before, in Bosnia and Kosovo. This book describes why, the weaknesses in the intelligence process, and how they can be fixed.

"The Warning Solution" is undeniably essential reading for anyone who has competitors or who needs to distill meaning from the data at hand, define problems or opportunities, and compete in the market. Whether the competition is the kiosk next to yours or a multi-national clique bent on world domination; business, law enforcement, and government alike need intelligence and the lessons taught here in a bare knuckles, down to business style will sharpen your management, staff and analysts, and speed you through years of hard lessons.

Kris Wheaton presents a great model for what the "right" decision looks like and it's indispensable reading for getting the most out of your intelligence investment. It's an easy read that is crystal clear and laser sharp.

Although written by an intelligence professional, this amazing book contains an approach to analyzing, assessing and distilling data into usable information that is applicable to any industry or job.

The theme of the book is how to discern salient information from barrage of data, and how to effectively present and use that information to best advantage. However, two thirds of the book is devoted to collection and analysis - which is as it should be since any failures at those points in the process are going to lead to the wrong conclusions. Among this book's best features are:

- A full, effective process is outlined in detail in 88 pages. Considering the complexity of the subject and scope of the book, most authors will use that many pages for introductory material.

- Use of realistic case studies and personal anecdotes reinforce what is dull material by its nature. One story that sticks in my mind is how the author and colleague managed to accurately profile a Balkans leader through their combined knowledge of history, culture and other subtle factors.

- Effective use of graphics to illustrate concepts. There are not many graphics in the book, but those that have been included conveyed complex information that would have taken pages to explain.

As some have noted the writing is uneven. Some passages are bogged down in near bureaucratic jargon, while others sparkle. In spite of this, the book reads like a brisk report and is evidence of the author's years of writing and delivering briefs.

I've had this book for over a year, and it is one that I've recommended to colleagues, and one that has deeply influence me as a consultant and IT analyst. In fact, this book is among the top ten books I own. If you work with data and information in any capacity and in any industry this book will give you skills and a process-oriented approach to cope with the data smog and information barrage.