Post on 02-Jan-2016
STRATFOR
New Email Guidance
STRATFORNew Email Guidance
Goals
alleviate the daily electronic waterboarding that is our lives – i.e. see an immediate and significant drop in the daily avalanche of emails
better value our time, by spending less time sorting and deleting and more time focusing on analytic discussion and interaction
STRATFORanalysts@stratfor.com
analysts@stratfor.com is absolutely central toSTRATFOR because it allows people to see aton of information and to make connectionsthat no one else would make. Our lack ofcompartmentalization is at the heart of whatmakes us unique.
When in doubt, the imperative is to sendinformation to more people rather than fewer.
STRATFORanalysts@stratfor.com
guiding principal: before using analysts@stratfor.com, ask yourself if every single analyst in the company needs to see the email.
If you are ever unsure, err on the side of inclusiveness – if not analysts@stratfor.com, at least keep the whipcrackers in the loop.
STRATFORanalysts@stratfor.com
no change: ‘for today’, ‘analyst updates’, budgets, analyses for comment and edit, guidance from on high
*in Red Alert situations, all traffic will continue to go to analysts@stratfor.com as it has in the past.
change: discussions, morning discussions, taskings, conversations, etc.
STRATFORanalysts@stratfor.com
Discussions Will now begin within and among the
Regional/Thematic AOR email lists
the expectation will now be a more mature, carefully crafted and clearly articulated thought
Ideally, it will convey the consensus or pin-point the disagreement within the relevant AOR(s)
Be rigorously labeled with G/S/B and 1-4
STRATFORanalysts@stratfor.com
As appropriate, discussions will now use the following format: Event/what happened How we know it Our analysis of it What is under discussion
In short, the idea is to have the thought process within the AOR(s) as clearly articulated as possible, rather than having that process take place on the analysts@ list.
STRATFOR analysts@stratfor.com
Morning Discussions – these will now be sent by Peter and the whipcrackers directly to individuals or the appropriate regional and/or thematic AOR email list(s). Responding is not optional. But do take the time to flesh out the issue amongst your AOR or with other relevant AORs before formulating one coherent response.
Other taskings/coordinating emails should be directed to individuals and appropriate AOR email lists.
STRATFOR alerts@stratfor.com
guiding principal: high-level situational awareness
no change: G/S/B 1-4 emails will continue to flow through to this list, so all analysts have immediate access to developments that are being sitrepped on site. (Though level 4 material is generally appropriately limited to regional AORs).
change: * items, market updates and sweeps, OS digests
STRATFOR alerts@stratfor.com
* items (with rare exceptions) will now be sent directly from watch officers to the appropriate regional/thematic AOR email lists
Situational awareness emails like the market update will now be appearing under alerts@stratfor.com or sent only to the appropriate regional/thematic AOR email lists
OS digest will no longer be delivered
STRATFOR secure@stratfor.com
guiding principal: insight
The standard is to err on the side of exclusion and discretion when it comes to dissemination in order to protect the security of our sources.
Stick will continue to manage and maintain the guiding document for sending and disseminating insight.
STRATFOR Regional and Thematic AOR email
mesa@stratfor.com, eurasia@stratfor.com, eastasia@stratfor.com, africa@stratfor.com, latam@stratfor.com, ct@stratfor.com, military@stratfor.com
guiding principal: we will use these rely on these lists more heavily for intra and inter-AOR coordination and intellectual collaboration
change: OS *items, morning discussions, taskings, digests, visibility issue
STRATFOR Visibility Issue
Necessarily reducing visibility, but requires a higherconsciousness of who is involved in a conversation –and more specifically, who is not.
Any issue George expresses particular interest in, ensure that he is CCed on all traffic on the issue for the rest of the day. Be sure to CC him on any discussions for the next several days.
New email: whips@stratfor.com
STRATFOR whips@stratfor.com
A new email list that will include Peter, Reva,Lauren and Karen as well as Maverick and Jenna.
This will be a managerial list for coordination andadministrative needs, and an easy address to CC ondiscussion or other issues on the regional andthematic AOR email lists that might be ofsignificance or interest.
Err on the side of including them.
STRATFOR Analysis Proposal
Subj: Analysis Proposal – [AOR] – [Subj]
Just as Peter and the whipcrackers assign pieces, it iscompletely appropriate for analysts to proposepieces. As distinct from discussions, the AnalysisProposal is a mature thought that is ready to becrafted into a piece. Instead of the discussion formatfor analysts@stratfor.com, this email should beformatted as a brief outline of the piece you arepitching, along with any argument you would like tomake in its favor. Send to whips@stratfor.com.
STRATFOR New Email Guidance
Highlights:
Email traffic has become unsustainable, this is a first step in reshaping how we communicate as a company
Most of this is basic etiquette (though it is not optional)
Please do not hesitate to email me with thoughts, suggestions or issues as they come up. Recognizing and examining issues that arise will be essential to making sure we continue to evolve this guidance to best and most efficiently serve our needs.
STRATFOR New Email Guidance
Questions?