The same method of analysis is used to figure out what exactly companies are doing by watching what their suppliers are providing to them, including anything odd, unusual, or in quantity [forensic INIPUTS analysis]. Earnings/revenue estimators do the same thing at the other end to nail the quarterly revenue/profit estimates [forensic OUTPUTS analysis].

If you OVERLAY these types of analyses on top of a TIMELINE analysis of events of the company and key personnel, you can get a pretty good picture of what that organization is up to. Same thing applies to gov't orgs of all types.