text: Assessment
  8-30. Not everything observed is an indicator and not every indicator is a sign of progress. Indicators of
  psychological effects or changes in sentiment are not always easy to detect or may not be markers of the
  desired behavior change. The upshot of these facts is that establishing indicators requires rigorous effort in
  order to select those observable and measurable signs or signals that are reflective of changed behavior. Often
  behavior change is incremental and being able to detect the intervening steps to large-scale behavior change
  is essential to measuring progress. Again, in-depth knowledge is required of those targets or audiences for
  whom behavior change is required to achieve the commander's desired end state.
  8-31. Measuring progress requires the ability to detect both micro and macro indicators simultaneously. The
  IO officer must, therefore, coordinate with the G-2 (S-2) in order to know what collection assets are available
  and the types of information that each provides and how this information helps create actionable knowledge.
  Soldiers are a vital collection asset. The IO officer should invest time to train all Soldiers on observation
  techniques that enable them to spot and discriminate meaningful indicators and ways to report what they see.
  8-32. The IO officer should employ a variety of means to identify indicators, validate or corroborate
  conclusions about them, and measure progress. Some of the more commonly used sources are:
  * Information collection assets
  * Military Information Support Operations (MISO) teams
  * Soldier and leader engagements
  * Civil-military operations
  * Polling and surveys (which primarily measure attitudes, not motivations)
  * Media monitoring and analysis
  * Patrol and spot reports
  * Information sharing with unified action partners
  * Conversations with local leaders, partners, and trusted agents
  * Passive monitoring (atmospherics)
  8-33. Figure 8-2 portrays the relationship between objectives (the change that needs to happen) and measures
  of performance, indicators, and measures of effectiveness. The logic of the effort is shown as a relationship
  between available, selected, and synchronized IRCs and the effects expected over time. While the figure
  suggests that this logic is generic, it is not. It is unique to every objective and combination of IRCs.
  Figure 8-2. Logic flow and components of an IO objective