Operations Center Manual
Overview
The purpose of this manual is to clearly define the role and responsibility of the
Operations Center (OC). This manual will provide insight into what the OC does
and does not do. It will also clarify the expectations of the OC Officers (OCO).
The primary objective of the OC is to break down the barriers of the publishing
process and give the intelligence and production departments the freedom to
concentrate on their roles, namely intelligence and production. It accomplishes
this in several ways. The first is by acting as one of the commission and veto
authorities. George has empowered the OC to commission and veto publications
and act as a “briefer for the reader,” i.e. a surrogate STRATFOR reader. The
second way the OC accomplishes its objective is by collecting and disseminating
information to the proper location through the proper channels.
One of the challenges that the OC must address and deal with appropriately is
vetoing an analysis. This becomes particularly challenging when the OC
commissions a piece and then thinks that the analysis isn’t sound. There are two
ways to address this: First, when an OCO commissions an analysis, they must
be very clear what it is they are looking for. If the analysis isn’t sound, then
respectfully communicate concerns to Rodger or Stick, depending on the type of
piece. Do not be afraid to present counterpoints; it is very important to challenge
our assumptions.
Communication
Collecting and disseminating information about the publishing process requires
both excellent communication skills and situational awareness. Communication
without situational awareness results in uninformed decisions; situational
awareness without communication results in unguided production.
To communicate effectively, the OCOs must use all tools at their disposal. The
first is e-mail. E-mail helps the OC remain visible on the analysts, writers,
graphics, multimedia and, of course, the opcenter lists. It informs the company of
the decisions made, the status of the publishing process (see reports and
publishing schedule sections) and ensures accountability of all members of the
publishing process from discussion to publication. The OC cannot rely solely on
e-mail; it must also use chat to quickly communicate decisions and update key
players. Conversely, OCOs cannot rely only on Adium/Pidgin. If OCOs rely only
on Adium/Pidgin, it hides the visibility of the OC and is detrimental to the
enforcement of accountability. Finally, OCOs must use face-to-face
communication with analysts, writers, marketing, IT, whomever. Developing
personal relationships and engaging informally across all departments is crucial
for the OC.
The OC must have situational awareness of the entire publishing process from
beginning to end. The OC is the central location of information so that any party
that needs to know the status of a publication (written, graphic, video) can seek
guidance from the OC. The goal is ruthless efficiency.
OCOs maintain this situational awareness by doing the following:
1. Watch Insight, AOR lists and the Alerts list for possible publications and
maintain situational awareness
2. Perform quick editorial sweeps (see resources)
3. Carefully watch and engage in Discussions and other threads on Analysts
list
4. Actively engage in proposal process. The OC is one of the publishing and
veto authorities and should comment and challenge potential publications.
5. Communicate with Analysts, Writers, Graphics, Multimedia, PR and
Marketing (for free list mailouts)
6. Currently, the OC is not involved with the blue book publishing process but
should informally follow it to be aware of any bandwidth issues.
Resource Allocation
As the managing entity of the publishing process, the OC must be extremely
aware of personnel and resource allocation. In addition to managing
(commissioning or vetoing when appropriate) what is published on site, the OC
prioritizes written analyses, graphics and video to streamline the publishing
process.
Also be sure that any publishing projects do not overtask the system. Remember,
our goal is ruthless efficiency. We cannot achieve this if we strain our resources.
Multimedia – The OC can use multimedia in a variety of ways. The first is
sending requests for video. It typically takes Brian 20 minutes to find related
video and load it on site. Once he sends that information to OC, select which
videos would be appropriate for embedding into an analysis. Similarly, publishing
is looking at having embedded video where an analyst explains a particular issue
in greater detail, called a “mini.” Additionally, the OC can and should help select
the topics for Dispatch, Agenda, etc. and commission special video analyses. As
of this writing, we are still developing ideas on how to use our new “green
screen” as part of our publishing toolbox.
Graphics – The greatest service OC can provide to the graphics department is
prioritization. Prioritizing graphic requests allow them to better allocate their
resources and time. Work closely with the analysts and Jenna to determine
prioritizations; ultimately it is the OCO’s call but it is important to be aware of all
parties involved. However, the OC retains the authority to determine if an
analysis has a graphic. The OC should also be mindful of the GOTD, not limited
to but including approval and selection.
Crisis Mode
There are two general, unofficial ways that a Crisis Mode can develop. In the first
way, some attack or event occurs and we run a quick tactical piece followed by a
broader strategic analysis (like Mumbai). The second way is some type of event
where a quick regional piece is published and follow-up analyses are published
as knowledge of the situation unfolds. These are not official; rather they are
general trends observed and something to keep in mind when
Rodger/Stick/George initiates Crisis Mode.
Crisis Mode Checklist:
1. Make contact with Crisis Manager and begin to identify analyses for
publication and determine presentation medium (written analysis, graphic, video,
etc.).
2. Make contact with on-duty writer. (If on-duty writer needs technical backup,
immediately call Marchio or Inks; for managerial backup, call Maverick.)
3. Call Grant/Jenna (final deciders on free list mailouts)
4. Call Multimedia (Brian)
5. Call Marketing (Matt or Megan) for free list mailouts
6. Call PR (Kyle)
7. Call Briefer (Korena)
Other Crisis Mode responsibilities:
Maintain authority over whether an analysis should or should not be published
and serve as a communication center.
Assist the Crisis Manager with prioritization.
Determine how the intelligence should be packaged (i.e. written, multimedia,
graphics) and suggest possible mailouts to the free list. Coordinate with
Grant/Jenna and marketing before making decision on free list mailout.
Use the velvet hammer to unravel barriers, keep the process moving forward. If
George orders a mailout and you run into a block, call him, since he ordered the
mailout.
Communicate clearly on the lists to ensure accountability and tracking.
Reports
It is the responsibility of the OCOs to track the publishing process from the
generation of an idea to posting and mailout. Our duties limit our ability to track
SITREPs that mail; however, we should ensure that analyses and videos are
received on the mailing list. If a glitch occurs, notify IT ASAP. The OCOs have
two tools at their disposal to assist them: reports and the publishing schedule.
The report is produced at least three times per day: morning, afternoon and
evening. It is a granular view of what STRATFOR is going to publish in the short
term. A report should look exactly the same from each OCO. By rigorously
adhering to a standardized reporting format, the OCOs will be able to have a
uniform product that both disciplines the OCO and ensures that any party
seeking information from the OC gets consistency. Remember -- our job is to
assist intelligence and production by being a centralized location of where
information is collected and disseminated. It is easier to digest if everything is
standardized. It's a uniform…it's more terrifying that way.
Report template:
Include time (i.e. Morning) and full date in the subject line. For example:
Morning Report, Friday 1 April 2011
Send reports to [email protected] and [email protected]
On Site
Kazahkstan
S-Weekly
Myanmar
Publishing today
Portfolio - China’s economy (mailing soon)
Ivory Coast (Mark) - in comment
Arrest of Umar Patek (Sean) - in development
Dispatch - Indonesia and JI
Possibles
China defense white paper (possible diary)
Bosnia (Marko 2.0) - (publishing SATURDAY AM)
Updates will follow
Publishing Schedule
The publishing schedule tracks all of the moving parts of the publishing process
so when interested parties ask about the status of a piece or video, the OCO can
answer with authority. The publishing schedule includes the detail of the reports
but also tracks long-term planned pieces.
Again, the publishing schedule must be standardized. The purpose of
standardization is so that each OCO can be accountable and keep pieces from
slipping through the cracks. While the OC tries to adhere to the schedules it sets,
we still need to maintain flexibility and be nimble, especially when dealing with
George.
Currently the publishing schedule is a google doc but this may need to be moved
to clearspace for better visibility.
Items in the possible section can be free flowing. As the pieces become
approved and proceed through the stages of the publication process, they should
be labeled for easier tracking.
Once a piece is approved, it should be labeled in the following order:
Country/Event, author, status.
March 31
On Site
Kazahkstan
S-Weekly
Myanmar
Portfolio
Ivory Coast
Publishing today
Arrest of Umar Patek (Sean) - in edit
Azerbaijan/Armenia (Eugene) - in development
Dispatch - Indonesia and JI (Stick) - in development
Processing today and publishing later
Processing tomorrow
Drug cartel quarterly outline (Victoria) - in comment tomorrow
Bosnia (Marko 2.0) - in edit (publishing Saturday AM)
Possibles
-piece from reva
-Green Party in Germany - preisler has a discussion out (weekend?)
-eugene - latvia/russia
-Nigeria oil legislation (Michael/Mark) - in development
-china foreign policy, matt is doing research
-peru (due for edit april 6, publish april 8)
-quarterly
Long term
-Chinese dependence on foreign resources (Matt) -- 1500 word special report on the back burner
-Egypt monograph (Peter) - in edit - publish time TBD
-Commodities (Peter, publish time TBD)
-Corruption in Brazil’s police forces (Reva) - in development
-Peru elections piece, possible pub. date April 8
Shifts
There are five shifts in the OC. Overnight, Morning, Afternoon, Weekend and OnCall.
All shifts are responsible for the duties outlined in the OC Manual. However,
there are some specific responsibilities for each shift:
Overnight (7pm – 4am CDT, M-F): The OCO working the Overnight shift must
be an expert in the Crisis Mode procedures. Many events that trigger Crisis Mode
occur during the Overnight shift, so the procedures should be second nature to
the Overnight OCO. The OC also relies heavily on the Editorial Sweep performed
by the Overnight OCO, since it can give the Morning OCO instant situational
awareness. While the Overnight OCO should not hesitate to commission pieces,
they must be mindful of the current publishing schedule so as to not overburden
the system. Although much of the coordination at night happens over
Adium/Pidgin, it is important to stay visible on e-mail; without a paper trail there is
no way for the OCO on the morning shift to know what happened the previous
evening. At the end of the overnight shift, an assessment of where we stand for
the mornings should be sent to Grant and [email protected].
Morning (6am – 3pm, M-F): Most of the heavy lifting is performed during this
shift. The analysts begin assessing the day and the OCO must be actively
engaged in commissioning and vetoing pieces. The Morning OCO runs the
8:45am and 11:30am briefings and coordinates across all departments. There is
a lot of multitasking and clear communication is essential.
Afternoon (10am – 6pm, M-F): The Afternoon OCO helps mop up the daily
publishing process. It is crucial to be active during 3-4pm to wrap up the
publications for the day. We are losing money if we publish after 5pm and we
need to be aware of writer bandwidth late in the day.
On-call (gap coverage, etc.): Being on-call means simply that: on call. During
gap coverage and weekend overnight, someone must call you if something
happens. This is not an active, working shift – keep that in mind.
Weekend (8am – 5pm, Sat, Sun): This is in development but there are some
basic responsibilities. First, the Weekend OCO must check in with the writer and
analyst to establish communication and get a picture of what is going on that day.
Editorial sweeps and backreading the site will occupy most of the time during this
shift. The Weekend OCO must also be intimately familiar with the Crisis Mode
procedures. They will be responsible for initiating the process if a trigger occurs.
Responsibilities/Quick Reference
Professionalism. It all comes down to one word: respect. Respect yourself and
respect others.
OCO Daily Checklist
1. Browse Alerts list
2. Browse Letters/Responses
3. Monitor AOR lists (LATAM, MESA, East Asia, Africa, Eurasia, CT)
4. Monitor Insight list
5. Participate in Writers, Graphics, Multimedia lists
6. Carefully watch Discussions and other threads on Analysts list
7. Actively engage in proposal process. The OC is the publishing
commission and veto authority and should comment and challenge
potential publications.
8. Participate in OpCenter, Operations lists
9. Perform editorial sweep
*Scanning the OS list helps keep the OCO up to date on the OSINT flow.
*Browse means quickly review the alerts on the list.
*Monitor means watching for potential publications and “intercepting” them on
that particular list.
*Participate means actively engaging in the list and replying to whomever
necessary. The goal is clear communication so that all elements involved in the
production process are on the same page.
*During editorial sweep, watch for items that we aren't publishing something and
contact Kyle for possible interviews.
Communicate on the lists - ensure accountability and tracking. Do not
communicate only on Spark/Adium.
Communicate clearly with analysts. What is the piece about? What does it
require (word length, graphics, etc.)? When will it be out for comment? The
default answer is no. OCOs must remain calm and be convinced.
Determine how the intelligence should be packaged (i.e. written, multimedia,
graphics)
Maintain authority over whether an analysis should or should not be published.
Communicate with Rodger and Grant any concerns you may have about a
particular analysis.
Rigorously enforce publishing deadlines.
Do not just watch. We cannot afford to be passive. Conversely, do not
aggressively generate unneeded pieces. An OCO is not an analyst; they should
remain calm and militantly rational.
Do not create on-call or watch schedules. The OC's purpose is to assist the
publishing process.
Core Documents
The following list is mandatory reading/listening for OCOs. It is essential to
understanding what STRATFOR is and how we think as a company. It includes
some of the best geopolitical weeklies written by George.
2000-2010 Decade Forecast: A New Era In A Traditional World
Decade Forecast: 2005-2015
Decade Forecast: 2010-2020
Annual Forecast 2010
2010 Annual Forecast Report Card
Annual Forecast 2011
Putin: Yeltin's Madness or Silent Coup?
The German Question
New Orleans: A Geopolitical Prize
Borderlands and Immigrants
Solzhenitsyn and the Struggle for Russia's Soul
Special Series: Niger Delta Politics and Militancy
Special Series: Russian Oligarchs
The Election and Investigatory Powers of Congress
The Love of One’s Own and the Importance of Place
On Clearspace:
https://clearspace.stratfor.com/docs/DOC-4219 (listen to all)
https://clearspace.stratfor.com/docs/DOC-4224
https://clearspace.stratfor.com/servlet/JiveServlet/download/4219-126537/ComingWarCh1.pdf
https://clearspace.stratfor.com/docs/DOC-4233
Resources
OCOs must maintain situational awareness by being on these lists:
-Opcenter
-Operations
-Africa
-Alerts
-Alpha (ensure briefing of protocols)
-Analysts
-CT
-East Asia
-Eurasia
-LATAM
-MESA
-Military
-OS
-Writers
-Graphics
-Multimedia
-Responses/Letters
-Mailouts/STRATFOR
-Social
-Digital
-Econ
-Editorial
-Mexico
-Monitors
For editorial sweeps, use the following websites:
The New York Times (check top news)
Washington Post
NPR
FT.com Europe
The Guardian
Telegraph
BBC
CNN.com
Reuters
The Wall Street Journal
Bloomberg
McClatchy | World
The Australian
The Globe and Mail
The Hindu
Haaretz
The Independent
Jerusalem Post
Los Angeles Times
The Moscow Times
The Times of India
Chinadaily US Edition
msnbc.com
Foreign Policy
The Straits Times