BD1-MIL

Critical Thinking and Problem Solving Fundamentals for Military Personnel

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Tuition for BD2 BlueDragon Root Cause Practitioner Courses
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Format

Self-Paced Online Course​

Activities

Community Board

Reading Materials

Viewable & Downloadable Handouts

Course Duration​

8 to 10 Hours

BD1-MIL is FREE to members of NNOA, ANSO, Naval Academy graduates, and other Military personnel.

A study of over 332,860 executives consider problem-solving to be the most important soft skill for middle managers.  

This course is taught by one of the foremost authorities in root cause analysis, Rob De La Espriella, a Deming Prize winning team member and master root cause practitioner. This course will help you to:

Learn the fundamentals of critical thinking and problem solving from one of the foremost authorities in root cause analysis.  

This course teaches soft skills that are highly relevant in all industries; critical thinking and problem solving.  research shows that executives consider these skills to be the most important skills for middle managers. 

The BD1-MIL Critical Thinking and Problem Solving Fundamentals course is a resume-builder.  This course will help you to:

  • Define critical thinking in a way that will help you learn, practice and master the concepts.

  • Learn to gather, organize and analyze information on a modern framework. Also, to distinguish between data analysis and causal analysis.

  • Learn to develop focused, evidence-based, unbiased questions to be used as lines of inquiry for an investigation.

  • Learn to apply cause and effect analysis to pursue lines of inquiry,

  • Learn to use a modern framework for solving problems and conducting accident investigations in just a few hours.

Welcome to the BD1-MIL Course Registration

Meet Your RCA Training Instructor

Rob De La Espriella, BD3

Deming Prize winning team member and pioneering Nuclear Quality Assurance expert Rob De La Espriella is a former US Navy nuclear submarine officer and the founder and CEO of DLE Technical Services, LLC.  Rob has a distinguished career spanning four decades leading and facilitating hundreds of audits, assessments, accident investigations, root cause analyses, and operational excellence initiatives. His clients include commercial nuclear power plants, the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), Department of Defense (DOD) installations, Department of Energy (DOE) National Laboratories, and facilities across the US Nuclear Weapons Complex. 

Rob was part of the Florida Power & Light team that won the prestigious Deming Prize from Japan in 1989, the first company in the world outside of Japan to do so. Rob’s extensive training included Total Quality Management (TQM), Kepner Tregoe, Management Oversight Risk Tree (MORT), TapRoot, the Phoenix Method, the Institute of Nuclear Power Operations’ (INPO) Human Performance Evaluation System (HPES), and Lean/Six Sigma methodologies. He is also a certified Kaizen Team Leader.

For over three decades, Rob has leveraged his extensive knowledge of TQM principles to develop innovative audit and assessment programs and guide improvement initiatives at nuclear utilities and DOE research institutions. As a Resident Inspector with the NRC, he received multiple awards for leading investigations into complex operational breakdowns and quality assurance program issues. During his six-year tenure as a Nuclear Site Quality Manager, his QA organization was deemed among the strongest in the US by the Institute of Nuclear Power Operations for repeatedly surfacing deep-rooted problems that were eroding quality and nuclear safety. Since 2007, Rob has supported executive leadership teams at DOE national laboratories and the nuclear weapons complex, targeting issues undermining asset integrity and national security. He has developed comprehensive Quality Assurance Programs and implementing procedures for US corporations and Schneider Electric in Switzerland, and his transformation of the QA organization at the Yucca Mountain Project earned him DOE honors. Globally, the World Association of Nuclear Operators enlisted Rob to support QA improvement initiatives in Slovenia and South Africa. 

In 2015, Rob drew on his decades of knowledge and experience to create the BlueDragon® Integrated Problem-solving System (IPS™), a groundbreaking framework designed to eliminate the causes of costly human errors and recurring complex problems in modern, high-tech work environments.  Anchored by critical thinking and systems theory, BlueDragon IPS is a next-generation approach that builds on the best elements of traditional tools and updates many paradigms. Organizations have used the system as an integral part of their Corrective Action Programs to reduce safety and quality issues, enhance enterprise performance, and create true continuous improvement cultures.  

Rob is a keynote speaker at Navy conferences and has been a recurring guest lecturer at Princeton University’s Keller Center for Innovation in Engineering Education. He is also an Adjunct Professor at Endicott College in Beverly, MA. In 2023, Rob was inducted into the Forbes Business Council in recognition of his achievements in helping countless businesses enhance their safety, quality, enterprise performance and efficiency, with modern, innovative, and practical solutions.

3 Easy Steps to Get Started

1

Step 1

Register

Use the links on this page to register for the BlueDragon BD1-MIL for military personnel.

2

Step 2

Pay Tuition

Tuition is FREE for NNOA and ANSO members in good standing.  

Military personnel that are not members of NNOA and ANSO may contact us for discounted rates. 

3

Step 3

Access LMS

After tuition payment is received, you will be registered for the course and receive an email with login instructions. 

BECOME A BLUEDRAGON TRAINED PROBLEM SOLVER

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For detailed questions or comments:

BlueDragon Policies

Tuition for workshops are due 10 working days prior to the start of the workshop.  Participants may lose their slot in the class if payment is not received by then.

If payment is received and a student must cancel for any reason, the following cancellation policy applies: 

  • Cancellations at least 10 working days prior to the workshop receive a full refund.

  • Cancellations less than 10 working days prior to the workshop will receive a refund minus a 15% cancellation fee. 

Thank you for your understanding and please contact us for any questions. 

Tuition for online courses through the LMS is due at any time prior to gaining access to the LMS.
Tuition for instructor-led workshops are due 10 working days prior to the start of the workshop.

Alternate Method of Payment:

Checks can be made out to:
DLE Technical Services, LLC
4634 SW Long Bay Drive
Palm City, FL 34990

PLEASE READ CAREFULLY BEFORE SUBMITTING YOUR ORDER FOR PURCHASE. BY ACCESSING AND USING THIS WEBSITE SERVICE, OR SUBMITTING AN ORDER FOR PURCHASE, YOU AGREE TO BE LEGALLY BOUND BY THE TERMS OF SALE SET FORTH HEREIN. THESE TERMS OF SALE FORM PART OF YOUR ORDER AND PURCHASE.

INTRODUCTION AND GENERAL PROVISIONS

These Terms of Sale describe the terms and conditions for the sale of products by DLE Technical Services, LLC and its subsidiaries and affiliates (hereinafter, collectively, the “Company”).

These Terms of Sale, unless otherwise expressly agreed in writing by the Company, apply to every sale by the Company and are included in each acceptance by the Company of any customer’s offer to purchase. If a customer offers to purchase products from the Company with its own purchase order or similar form, any terms proposed therein which add to, vary from, or conflict with these Terms are objected to by the Company and expressly rejected, and shall not be a part of the contract of sale unless the proposed terms are accepted and approved in a written document referring specifically to such terms and signed by an authorized Company representative.

PRICING AND PAYMENT

All pricing is subject to central office approval of the Company. All products will be invoiced at the price in effect on the date of purchase, determined by the Company’s current price pages. The Company reserves the right to cancel or remove price adjustments or exceptions which may have previously been made to meet a competitive offer, when in its judgment it becomes necessary or prudent to do so or the competitive situation no longer exists. All pricing is subject to change without notice. Purchases made on or after the date of a price change will be invoiced at the new price.

Payment terms will be as stated on the face of each individual order form, and cash discounts, if any, will be allowed only if taken within the time stated thereon, which shall be calculated from the order date. Payments not received on the date the order is placed will be considered past due and could result in a suspension or cancellation of material and shipments.

The Company reserves the right without notice to apply and set off any amounts owed to customer, including but not limited to rebates, credits or complaint settlements, against any past due amounts owing from the customer to the Company.

If the Company brings legal action to collect past due amounts from a customer, the customer will be responsible to reimburse the Company for all of its costs and out-of-pocket expenses associated with such action, including but not limited to reasonable attorneys’ fees.

ORDER ENTRY AND CREDIT

Orders may be placed through use of the Company’s electronic ordering system available at www.dle-services.com, or by telephone or by visiting the Company’s Customer Service Center. An order is accepted when acknowledged in writing (including by electronic confirmation, fax or email) or when delivered, whichever occurs first. All orders to be placed on credit are subject to the review and approval of the Company’s Credit Department.

The Company reserves the right to select its own customers. All customers must, upon request of the Company, complete (and update and supplement as the Company may reasonably require from time to time) a credit application on the Company’s standard form. All customers submitting such application agree to adhere to these Terms of Sale.

The Company reserves the right to reject any order if at any time the Company deems the financial responsibility or condition of the customer placing any order to be unsatisfactory.

PRODUCT AVAILABILITY

The Company’s products fall into two categories:

1. Standard Products

2. Non-Standard Products

Standard Products are (A) “On Hand” or (B) “Special Order.” Standard Products are listed in the price pages and product literature. Availability of “Special Order” Products varies from plant to plant. Consult your Company Sales Representative or Customer Account Specialist for lead time, quantities, availability, and pricing.

A Non-Standard Product is any item that varies from the specification set forth in our product literature or price bulletin. Requests for Non-Standard Products must be made through the Company Sales Representative or Customer Service Center to obtain necessary approval, which will be subject to the following conditions:

1. Any change in the Non-Standard Product request automatically cancels the request and a new request must be submitted.

2. Orders for Non-Standard Products must be entered within 30 days after approval. Delivery must be completed within 30 days after date of manufacture.

3. The order is non-cancelable.

4. As a condition of manufacturing a non-standard product, The Company reserves the right to ship, and the customer must agree to accept, an over-run or under-run not to exceed 5% of the final order.

REVISIONS/CANCELLATIONS

The Customer Service Center must handle revisions or cancellations of standard product orders. Notification must be received prior to any actual loading, otherwise, the customer will be held responsible for payment.

TAXES

All taxes and excises of any nature levied by any governmental authority upon the sale, use or transportation of products covered by these Terms shall be paid and borne by the customer.

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

If written or other materials are included with Products, then, unless otherwise stated in end-user license agreements that may accompany the products, the Company or original licensors grant you and your staff a limited, non-exclusive, terminable, non-transferable license to access and use such materials subject to these Terms of Sale solely in connection with the original unmodified version of the specific units of Products that you purchase.

QUALITY CLAIMS

After delivery and acceptance of the product, if any product quality complaint exists:

1. The customer must immediately notify the Company Sales Representative. The customer must safeguard the product prior to its inspection by The Company.

2. Product claimed to be defective, off quality, or substandard must not be used or sold by the customer.

3. If needed, the Company Sales Representative will arrange for an on-site inspection, obtain the facts, and discuss the results with the customer.

LIMITED WARRANTY AND REMEDIES

Products manufactured and sold by the Company are warranted by the Company to its immediate purchaser to be free from defects in materials and workmanship for a period of thirty (30) days after the time of shipment. THIS EXPRESS WARRANTY IS THE ONLY WARRANTY APPLICABLE TO SUCH PRODUCTS, AND IS IN LIEU OF AND EXCLUDES ALL OTHER EXPRESS ORAL OR WRITTEN WARRANTIES AND ALL IMPLIED WARRANTIES, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.

NO ORAL OR WRITTEN INFORMATION OR ADVICE GIVEN BY THE COMPANY OR ITS EMPLOYEES SHALL CREATE A WARRANTY OR IN ANY WAY INCREASE THE SCOPE OF THE COMPANY’S OBLIGATIONS HEREUNDER. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE COMPANY BE LIABLE FOR ANY LOST OR CORRUPTED DATA, DOWNTIME, LOST PROFITS, BUSINESS INTERRUPTION, REPLACEMENT SERVICE OR OTHER SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR INDIRECT DAMAGES, HOWEVER CAUSED AND REGARDLESS OF THEORY OF LIABILITY, INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE.

The Company will not be liable for any incidental, indirect or consequential losses, damages, or expenses. The customer’s exclusive remedy for any type of claim or action for defective products will be limited to the replacement of the products (in the form originally shipped) or, at the Company’s option, to a payment or credit not greater than the original purchase price of the products.

The Company will not be liable for products claimed to be defective where the defect resulted from causes not within the Company’s control, or which arose or occurred after shipment, including but not limited to accidents, misuse, mishandling, improper installation, contamination or adulteration by other materials or goods, or abnormal conditions of temperature, moisture, dirt, or corrosive matter.

Any claim that products sold by the Company were defective or otherwise did not conform to the contract of sale is waived unless the customer submits it in writing to the Company within thirty (30) days from the date the customer discovered or should have discovered the defect or non-conformance. No legal action or proceeding complaining of goods sold by the Company may be brought by the customer more than one year after the date the customer discovered or should have discovered the defect or problem of which it complains.

CHANGES TO TERMS OF SALE

THE COMPANY RESERVES THE RIGHT TO CHANGE THESE TERMS OF SALE FROM TIME TO TIME. SUCH CHANGES WILL BECOME EFFECTIVE WHEN THE COMPANY POSTS THE REVISED TERMS OF SERVICE AS PART OF THIS WEBSITE. THE MOST CURRENT VERSION OF THE TERMS OF SALE CAN BE REVIEWED BY CLICKING ON THE “TERMS OF SALE” HYPERTEXT LINK LOCATED IN THE HOME PAGE FOR THE WEBSITE. CUSTOMERS SHOULD CHECK THE TERMS OF SALE FROM TIME TO TIME, AS THEY ARE BOUND BY THE TERMS OF SALE SO POSTED FROM AND AFTER THE TIME THE CHANGES ARE POSTED. ANY REVISED TERMS OF SALE SHALL SUPERSEDE ALL PREVIOUS VERSIONS.

MISCELLANEOUS

These Terms of Sale do not create a distribution relationship or contract, exclusive or otherwise, nor will such a relationship or contract be inferred from any course of dealing between the Company and any of its customers who purchase products under these Terms of Sale. The Company and any customer who purchases products from it are each free without penalty to cease doing business with the other at any time, for any reason whatsoever and without notice, unless otherwise provided in a separate, written contract signed by an officer of the Company and of the particular customer.

The Company shall not be liable for any loss or damage of any kind or for any consequences thereof resulting from delay or inability to deliver caused by strikes, lockouts, fire, theft, shortage, inability to obtain materials or shipping space, breakdowns, delays or carriers, manufacturers, or suppliers, acts of God, governmental statutes, proclamations or regulations, riot, civil commotion, war, malicious mischief, receipt of necessary information from Licensor, or by any cause beyond your reasonable control.

This Agreement shall be construed and enforced under the laws of the State of Florida, USA without reference to the choice of law principles thereof. The customer hereby consents to and submits to the jurisdiction of the federal and state courts located in the State of Florida. The customer waives any defenses based upon lack of personal jurisdiction or venue, or inconvenient forum.

If any provision herein is unenforceable, then such provision shall be of no effect on any other provision hereof.

No waiver of any breach hereof shall be deemed a waiver of any other breach hereof.

Section headings are provided for convenience only, and shall not be used to construe the meaning of any section hereof.

Frequently Asked Questions

Learn the fundamentals of critical thinking, systems thinking and problem solving. Using the BlueDragon methodology, you will be able to conduct Rapid Apparent Cause Evaluations (RACE) to solve every-day problems.

This hybrid online training course is designed for personnel that need to solve basic problems or conduct quick investigations into human-centric issues.

The course includes approximately 10 to 12 hours of self-paced learning through the BlueDragon Learning Management System (LMS), and a 3-hour video of an instructor-led case study that demonstrates BlueDragon’s modern virtual working environment and the most accurate and efficient approach to solving problems in any industry. 

Participants are introduced to the fundamentals of critical thinking, systems thinking and cause and effect analysis.

Participants learn the construct of the BlueDragon framework and how to gather, organize and analyze information on the BlueDragon chart. 

You’ll build practical and essential skills such as:

  • Critical Thinking
  • Systems Theory
  • Cause & Effect Analysis
  • Capturing evidence and data on a single framework
  • Rapid Apparent Cause Evaluations for minor problems

This critical thinking and problem solving course is valuable to:

  • Military personnel at all levels who have to solve problems and make critical decisions.
  • Military personnel who want to strengthen their critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
  • Military personnel who are considering transitioning to the civilian workforce.
  • Military personnel who want to increase their chances of early promotion.

The soft skills you will learn in this course are relevant across major civilian industries:

  • Accident/Mishap Investigators 
  • Lean Six Sigma practitioners, Green Belts, Yellow Belts
  • Federal, state and local auditors and investigators
  • Inspector General investigators 
  • Project and program managers 
  • Industrial Safety ​Managers
  • ​Construction Safety and Management
  • Performance Improvement 
  • Contractor Assurance
  • Corrective Action Program Managers
  • Safeguards & Security
  • Quality & Oversight 
  • Environmental Health & Safety
  • Facility/Operations Managers
  • Engineers 
  • Scientists 
  • Operators 
  • Regulators 

After completion of the BD1-MIL course, students will have developed an understanding of the fundamentals of critical thinking and complex problem solving, they will have developed an understanding of the BlueDragon methodology, and they will be able to complete a Rapid Apparent Cause Evaluation (RACE).​

Lesson 01: Introductions and Baseline Case Study

Lesson 02: Laws and Regulations

Lesson 03: Terms and Definitions

Lesson 04: Critical Thinking Fundamentals

Lesson 05: Cognitive Bias and Critical Decisions

Lesson 06: Problem Solving Fundamentals

Lesson 07: The Modern Problem-Solving Framework
 
Lesson 08: BlueDragon’s Graded Approach to Problem-solving
 
Lesson 09: Team Selection, Problem Statements & Extent of Conditions
 
Lesson 10: What Makes Great Lines of Inquiry Questions
 
Lesson 11: Analysis of Defenses
 
Lesson 12: Analysis of The Timelines
 
Lesson 13: Data Analysis
 
Lesson 14: System Analysis
 
Lesson 15: Scheduling & Facilitating Focus Groups
 
Lesson 16: Socratic Follow-up Questions

Equip Your Managers to Solve Problems Better

Give your leadership team the tools and perspective to support stronger problem-solving across your organization.

Build Problem-Solving Capability at Scale

Equip your organization with a unified methodology, training, and support for continuous improvement.