Intelligence Analysis Series

INT-01: Analysis of Competing Hypotheses

A structured, self-paced course in Richards Heuer’s eight-step method for evaluating multiple explanations without letting confirmation bias quietly pick the answer for you.

No prior course required. INT-01 is a foundation-track course — it assumes no prior FFTP intelligence training.

What this course covers: the three core principles behind ACH, the full eight-step process, and a complete applied vetting scenario with the six most common ways teams get the method wrong.

Course Overview

Lesson 0

Analysis of Competing Hypotheses

Why our brains get threat assessment wrong, and what to do about it

Lesson 1

The Three Core Principles

What separates ACH from ordinary careful thinking

Lesson 2

Building the Matrix (Steps 1–4)

Framing the question, listing evidence, marking cells, and refining

Lesson 3

Reading the Matrix (Steps 5–8)

Drawing conclusions, testing sensitivity, reporting, and monitoring

Lesson 4

Applied Scenario and Common Pitfalls

A complete worked case, and the six mistakes that break the method

Start Lesson 0 →