The indicators or signposts of change is in the diagnostic category. The description of the technique is to periodically review trends and track events, monitor targets, and warn of change. They create an awareness that prepares the mind to recognize change. The technique allows an analyst or a team to create a list of events that one can observe and expect to proceed a developing situation. Indicators, signposts, and scenarios spawn an awareness that prepares the mind to recognize change (Penn State, 2014). Constructing a list that can identify the critical variable that are associated with the targeted issues can take hours or days. The techniques can be used when an analyst needs to track an event over time to monitor or evaluate changes. When you are using this technique, you are can be using it to support other structured methods and techniques to use to watch for mounting events to support a scenario or hypothesis. By tracking events or targets indicators can instill accuracy in the analytical process and improve the credibility of analytic judgements. An indicator list also allows policy makers to track developments and build a concrete case for actions or decisions. Lists of critical variables allow analyst to generate hypothesis regarding why they anticipate the existence of such factors this allows analysts to make the connection that have found more transparent and available for scrutiny by others.
Penn State (2014). The Structured Analytical Techniques “Toolbox”. Penn State. Retrieved from: https://www.e-education.psu.edu/sgam/node/155 US Government. (2009). A Tradecraft Primer: Structured Analytic Techniques for Improving Intelligence Analysis. CIA. Retrieved from: https://www.cia.gov/library/center-for-the-study-of-intelligence/csi-publications/books-and-monographs/Tradecraft%20Primer-apr09.pdf