Knowing what the end user says he or she needs is not the same as understanding the underlying CI needs. To provide the best level of service, CI professionals should also know why the assignment is being given out. The reason is that, in some cases, the way the assignment has been framed is colored by undisclosed ideas or even preconceptions. Knowing the purpose of the assignment not only helps the CI professional properly frame the research phase, it may actually change the nature and content of the final product.

For example, in one case we were asked by a client to provide intelligence on the investment strategies and related plans of a group of named competitors. We asked the client why this data was being requested. The answer was that the client was planning an overseas expansion and needed to know if the domestic environment would be subject to overinvestment. It felt that possible over investment domestically by competitors could impact its ability to expand overseas quickly. The final report, providing the requested CI, also noted that one competitor that did most of its business overseas was probably for sale. The client later bought that competitor, rather than start from scratch from overseas. Had the client not indicated the real purpose, it might not have gotten the extremely valuable CI when it did.