Turning STAR into a Live Intelligence Tool for Women’s Football

In the intelligence, military, and business worlds, STAR (Situation, Task, Action, Result) is a well-known framework. It is usually used in the past tense, a way of telling a story about something you have already done. In a job interview, it is the tidy narrative structure that lets you explain a challenge you faced, what you did, and what happened.

That works for post-mortems. In women’s football, where I work, the real opportunity is not in telling stories about the past. It is in shaping the future. If you reframe STAR into a present-tense tool, it becomes something else entirely: a structured way to collect intelligence in real time.

Instead of STAR being about what was, it becomes about what is and what could be. For QQSI, that means we can walk into a meeting with a coach or manager, use STAR as a conversational framework, and walk out with a clear, intelligence-ready picture of what they are trying to do, where they are now, and how we can help them get there.

The key point is that we start with their reality, not ours. Everything we deliver is bespoke. We do not walk in with a pre-packaged playbook and force our methods onto a club. STAR allows us to adapt and integrate our intelligence-driven methodologies so they become a value-add to what the club is already doing. This can include DOTMLPF gap analysis, advanced recruitment models, opposition and threat analysis, competitive landscape mapping, pathway risk assessment, cultural fit modelling, eligibility and visa intelligence, and performance-contextualised data modelling. By asking the right questions, we position our tools not as an outside imposition but as a force multiplier.

Here is what STAR looks like when you flip it from a storytelling device into a live operational framework.

Situation

This is no longer “What problem were you addressing?” It is “Walk me through the current landscape for your team, the competitive environment, recent changes, and the pressures you are feeling right now.” The answer reveals their perception of threats, opportunities, and timelines. It is your live intelligence brief, directly from the decision-maker’s perspective.

Task

This is not about a historic objective. It is their current mission intent. “What are you aiming to achieve in the next 3, 6, and 12 months? What would success look like to you?” This question clarifies priorities and gives you a baseline for measuring progress. In DOTMLPF terms, this is the equivalent of capturing the Commander’s Intent for a football club.

Action

Instead of past actions, you are looking at what is in motion now. “What are you already doing to get there? What tools, systems, or processes are in place?” This tells you where they are investing effort and where they may be overlooking critical levers. From an intelligence perspective, this is about mapping existing assets, capabilities, and lines of operation.

Result

We are not talking about final outcomes because in a live operation, those are not in yet. Here, it becomes “Operational Effects to Date.” “What effects or outcomes are you seeing so far? Who is benefiting, and where are you still falling short?” This gives you the early read on whether their current approach is delivering real operational impact or just producing noise.

When you use STAR this way, three things happen.

First, you get a clean, repeatable structure for intelligence collection that works in a live environment.

Second, you keep the coach or manager talking in their own terms, not yours, which means you are listening for meaning rather than forcing their answers into your framework.

Third, you immediately start building a bridge between their current reality and the methodologies you know will deliver results, whether that is a DOTMLPF gap analysis, an intelligence-driven recruitment plan, or a Moneyball-style efficiency model.

This is not a gimmick. It is not “just” a questioning technique. It is an operational discipline. In women’s football, where the problems are specific, the timelines are short, and the stakes are growing, that discipline matters.

For us at QQSI, reframing STAR this way means every conversation with a club or team is a collection opportunity. Every meeting becomes a live feed of usable intelligence. Because we adapt everything to their specific situation, our work becomes seamlessly embedded into their operations rather than bolted on from the outside. That is the difference between offering a service and delivering a competitive advantage.