The effectiveness of intelligence is measured against the following standards:
Timely:
Intelligence must be provided early enough to support planning, influence decisions and execution of operations, and prevent surprise from enemy action. it must flow continuously to the commander before, during and after an operation. Regardless of distance and time, intelligence organizations, data bases, and products must be available to develop estimates, make decisions, and plan operations.
Relevant:
Intelligence must support the commander's concept of operation and the unit's mission. It must be tailored to the capabilities of the unit and intelligence priorities of the commander. Intelligence must be in usable format which meets the specific needs of the requester and explains its own significance.
Accurate:
Intelligence must give the commander a balanced, complete, and objective picture of the enemy and the operational environment. It should support and satisfy the priorities of the commander. To the extent possible, intelligence should correctly identify threat intentions, capabilities, limitations, and dispositions. It should be derived from multiple sources and disciplines to minimize the possibility of deception or misinterpretation. Alternative or contradictory assessments should be presented, when necessary, to ensure balance and bias-free intelligence.
Predictive:
Intelligence should tell the commander what the enemy is doing, can do, and his most likely course of action (COA). It should anticipate the intelligence needs of the commander.