Home/CCIE/Lab Methodology
The NDA Lab Methodology

Ten steps. Every task. Every time.

Candidates rarely fail on a missing command. They fail on a misread requirement, an unverified change, a fix that breaks something else — or an hour lost to one problem. The methodology exists to remove those failures.

  1. 01

    READ

    Understand the requirement.

  2. 02

    CLASSIFY

    Identify the technology and problem domain.

  3. 03

    DESIGN

    Determine the intended architecture.

  4. 04

    IMPLEMENT

    Configure the solution.

  5. 05

    VERIFY

    Prove that the solution works.

  6. 06

    DIAGNOSE

    Identify failures.

  7. 07

    RECOVER

    Fix without damaging working parts.

  8. 08

    VALIDATE

    Test the complete requirement.

  9. 09

    DOCUMENT

    Record final state and decisions.

  10. 10

    MOVE ON

    Manage time. Don't get trapped.

01

READUnderstand the requirement.

Read the whole task, then read it again. Mark every constraint — "must", "only", "without". Requirements hide in adjectives.

Common trapSolving the task you expected instead of the one that was written.
02

CLASSIFYIdentify domain and problem type.

Is this a control-plane, data-plane, policy or design problem? Which domains does it touch? Classification decides where you look and what you can ignore.

Common trapDebugging routing when the problem is policy — or the other way round.
03

DESIGNDetermine the intended architecture.

Decide the approach before typing. Which feature, where, and what else will it affect? Thirty seconds of design saves thirty minutes of rework.

Common trapConfiguring your way towards a design instead of implementing one.
04

IMPLEMENTConfigure the solution.

Minimal, deliberate, reversible changes. Know exactly what each line does and how to take it back out.

Common trapPasting large blocks you can't unwind when something goes wrong.
05

VERIFYProve that the solution works.

Verify against the requirement, not against your intention. Use the output that proves the outcome — not the one that proves the config exists.

Common trap"The config is there, so it works."
06

DIAGNOSEIdentify failures.

Isolate by layer and scope. Form a hypothesis, test it, discard it or confirm it. Structured, not random.

Common trapChanging three things at once and not knowing which one mattered.
07

RECOVERFix without collateral damage.

Repair the fault surgically. Check that everything that worked before still works after.

Common trapFixing task 7 and silently breaking task 3.
08

VALIDATETest the complete requirement.

End-to-end, every condition, including failure scenarios the task describes. Points are awarded for outcomes.

Common trapValidating the happy path only.
09

DOCUMENTRecord the final state and decisions.

A one-line note per task: what you did, what you verified, what's left. Your future self at hour seven will thank you.

Common trapLosing track of which tasks are done, partial, or skipped.
10

MOVE ONManage time.

Set a time box per task. When it expires, record where you are and move on. Come back with fresh eyes and remaining time.

Common trapSpending ninety minutes on a four-point task.
Taught everywhere

One methodology, five places to learn it.

ONLINE

Embedded in every scenario

Solutions are written step by step using the ten stages.

CAMPUS

Coached in Lelystad

Instructors observe which steps you skip under pressure.

SIMULATION

Scored in full labs

Your performance review maps lost points to methodology gaps.

CORPORATE

Adopted by teams

A shared troubleshooting language for your operations team.

INSTRUCTORS

Certified in our program

Every NDA lab coach teaches the same method.

Try it on a free scenario →
Free download

The NDA Lab Methodology field card.

One page. Ten steps. The checklist to keep next to your keyboard during every practice lab.

On its way.