Mission-focused method

Follow a practical path from mission need and current-state evidence to measurable outcomes and solution-neutral requirements.

Integrated capstone

Build and defend a sponsor-ready BCRD package with an evidence map, measures, traceability, and executive decision brief.

Cross-functional by design

Align sponsors, operational users, architects, acquisition professionals, testers, and requirements teams around one decision thread.

From mission need to defensible decision

Build a sponsor-ready BCRD without locking onto a solution too early. Across six self-paced modules and an integrated capstone, you’ll frame the need, assemble sponsor and cross-functional teams, gather current-state evidence, define measurable future outcomes, write traceable requirements, and defend an authority-to-proceed decision. Designed for Navy–Marine Corps functional sponsors, requirements teams, architects, acquisition professionals, testers, and operational users. Approximately seven hours of instruction, with an optional live capstone defense.

Col (Ret.) Kavin G. Kowis

Learn from an experienced Navy–Marine Corps team leader with a practical, direct, mission-focused approach to capability requirements. The course centers on the leader standard: create a sound decision and a provable path to mission improvement.

Curriculum

9 Chapters · 81 Lessons

    1. (Included in full purchase)

      CI L1 | Welcome to NIVAK Academy

    2. (Included in full purchase)

      CI L2 | Course Roadmap: Six Modules + Capstone

    3. (Included in full purchase)

      CI L3 | Meet the Case: A Cross-Service Readiness Problem

    4. (Included in full purchase)

      CI L4 | How This Course Works on Thinkific

    5. (Included in full purchase)

      CI L5 | Diagnostic Check-In

    6. (Included in full purchase)

      BCRD Diagnostic Check-In

    7. (Included in full purchase)

      BCRD Diagnostic Check-In — Reasoning

    8. (Included in full purchase)

      WORKBOOK

    1. (Included in full purchase)

      WORKBOOK

    2. (Included in full purchase)

      M1 L1 | Welcome & Objectives: The Expensive Wrong Answer

    3. (Included in full purchase)

      M1 L2 | The BCAC at a Glance

    4. (Included in full purchase)

      M1 L3 | Need vs. Solution: The Five-Level Ladder

    5. (Included in full purchase)

      M1 L4 | Solution-First Failure Modes

    6. (Included in full purchase)

      M1 L5 | Building the Problem Statement, Method & Worked Example

    7. (Included in full purchase)

      M1 L6 | Practice: Diagnose the Case

    8. (Included in full purchase)

      M1 L7 | Knowledge Check & Module Close

    9. (Included in full purchase)

      Module 1 Graded Knowledge Check

    10. (Included in full purchase)

      Module 1 Graded Knowledge Check — Reasoning

    1. (Included in full purchase)

      WORKBOOK

    2. (Included in full purchase)

      M2 L1 | Welcome & Objectives: Why Teams Fracture

    3. (Included in full purchase)

      M2 L2 | Sponsor vs. Support Roles & the Minimum Viable Team

    4. (Included in full purchase)

      M2 L3 | Decision Rights: Decide, Recommend, Validate, Inform

    5. (Included in full purchase)

      M2 L4 | The Working Agreement & Evidence Standards

    6. (Included in full purchase)

      M2 L5 | Configuration & Decision History

    7. (Included in full purchase)

      M2 L6 | Practice: Charter the Team

    8. (Included in full purchase)

      M2 L7 | Knowledge Check & Module Close

    9. (Included in full purchase)

      Module 2 Graded Knowledge Check

    10. (Included in full purchase)

      Module 2 Graded Knowledge Check — Reasoning

    1. (Included in full purchase)

      WORKBOOK

    2. (Included in full purchase)

      M3 L1 | Welcome & Objectives: The Archaeology Problem

    3. (Included in full purchase)

      M3 L2 | The Discovery Plan

    4. (Included in full purchase)

      M3 L3 | Normalizing the Vocabulary

    5. (Included in full purchase)

      M3 L4 | Mapping the Real Process

    6. (Included in full purchase)

      M3 L5 | Finding Friction, Failure & Baseline Performance

    7. (Included in full purchase)

      M3 L6 | Practice: Build the Current-State Map

    8. (Included in full purchase)

      M3 L7 | Peer Review Exchange & Module Close

    9. (Included in full purchase)

      Module 3 Graded Knowledge Check

    10. (Included in full purchase)

      Module 3 Graded Knowledge Check — Reasoning

    1. (Included in full purchase)

      WORKBOOK

    2. (Included in full purchase)

      M4 L1 | Welcome & Objectives: Future State Is Not a Product Demo

    3. (Included in full purchase)

      M4 L2 | Designing the Future-State Canvas

    4. (Included in full purchase)

      M4 L3 | Measures That Prove Value

    5. (Included in full purchase)

      M4 L4 | Gap Analysis & the DOTmLPF-P Screen

    6. (Included in full purchase)

      M4 L5 | Comparing Alternatives & Weighted Decision Criteria

    7. (Included in full purchase)

      M4 L6 | Practice: Future State & Alternatives

    8. (Included in full purchase)

      M4 L7 | Module Close & Transition

    9. (Included in full purchase)

      Module 4 Graded Knowledge Check

    10. (Included in full purchase)

      Module 4 Graded Knowledge Check — Reasoning

    1. (Included in full purchase)

      WORKBOOK

    2. (Included in full purchase)

      M5 L1 | Welcome & Objectives: From Gap to Requirement

    3. (Included in full purchase)

      M5 L2 | Requirement Quality Criteria

    4. (Included in full purchase)

      M5 L3 | Requirement Construction & the Worked Example

    5. (Included in full purchase)

      M5 L4 | Requirement Metadata & Prioritization

    6. (Included in full purchase)

      M5 L5 | Verification Logic & the Digital Thread

    7. (Included in full purchase)

      M5 L6 | Practice: Write & Trace Requirements

    8. (Included in full purchase)

      M5 L7 | Module Close & Transition

    9. (Included in full purchase)

      Module 5 Graded Knowledge Check

    10. (Included in full purchase)

      Module 5 Graded Knowledge Check — Reasoning

    1. (Included in full purchase)

      WORKBOOK

    2. (Included in full purchase)

      M6 L1 | Welcome & Objectives: Review Is Risk Reduction

    3. (Included in full purchase)

      M6 L2 | Peer Review & Cross-Functional Review

    4. (Included in full purchase)

      M6 L3 | Sponsor Validation & the Red-Team Challenge

    5. (Included in full purchase)

      M6 L4 | Readiness Criteria: Go / Conditional-Go / No-Go

    6. (Included in full purchase)

      M6 L5 | Building the Decision Briefing

    7. (Included in full purchase)

      M6 L6 | Baseline & Change Control

    8. (Included in full purchase)

      M6 L7 | Practice: Red Team & Brief + Course Close

    9. (Included in full purchase)

      Module 6 Graded Knowledge Check

    10. (Included in full purchase)

      Module 6 Graded Knowledge Check — Reasoning

    1. (Included in full purchase)

      M7 L1 | Capstone Overview & Evidence Packet

    2. (Included in full purchase)

      M7 L2 | Building the Problem & Scope Statement (15%)

    3. (Included in full purchase)

      M7 L3 | Current & Future States, Measures & Gap Analysis (30%)

    4. (Included in full purchase)

      M7 L4 | Drafting High-Level Requirements & Traceability (30%)

    5. (Included in full purchase)

      M7 L5 | Assembling the Executive Decision Brief (15%)

    6. (Included in full purchase)

      M7 L6 | Oral Defense Prep: Red-Team Yourselves First

    7. (Included in full purchase)

      M7 L7 | Capstone Submission & Performance Levels

    8. (Included in full purchase)

      Capstone Submission — Your BCRD Package

    9. (Included in full purchase)

      WORKBOOK

    1. (Included in full purchase)

      M8 L1 | Course Recap & Key Takeaways

    2. (Included in full purchase)

      M8 L2 | Certificate of Completion & Digital Badge

    3. (Included in full purchase)

      M8 L3 | Continuing the Digital Thread: Next Steps & Resources

    4. (Included in full purchase)

      WORKBOOK

Build the evidence leaders need to decide

Enroll in BCRD and leave with a disciplined, sponsor-ready requirements package—not just a completed document.

$495.00

Enroll now