The roles of finance analyst, process engineer, and systems analyst were historically separate disciplines with distinct training, career paths, and professional bodies. Artificial intelligence collapses these three roles into one. When an accountant can build and deploy software through AI-assisted development, the boundary between analysing a problem and implementing its solution disappears. This paper argues that Finance, Process & System Development (FPSD) represents a natural convergence of these three fields, and that accountants are uniquely positioned to lead it. A belt-based accreditation structure—Green Belt, Black Belt, Master Black Belt—is proposed alongside academic pathways through universities and other private training organisations. Period Entry based FPSD aims to replace the outdated double-entry institutes of accounting in all aspects of accounting except taxation.
1. Three Roles, One Job
For decades, organisations have maintained three separate functions that, viewed from any distance, do the same thing: understand how money flows through a business and make it flow better.
The finance analyst examines financial data, identifies variances, builds forecasts, and reports on performance. They understand what is happening financially and why.
The process engineer maps business processes, identifies inefficiencies, redesigns workflows, and implements improvements. They understand how work gets done and how to change it.
The systems analyst translates business requirements into technical specifications, selects or builds software, and ensures technology serves the organisation's needs. They understand what the system should do and how to make it do it.
These three roles were separated by a practical constraint: the skills required to do each were different enough that one person could not do all three. A finance analyst could identify that a process was costing too much but lacked the methodology to redesign it. A process engineer could redesign the workflow but lacked the technical capability to build the software. A systems analyst could build the software but lacked the financial literacy to know whether it was solving the right problem.
The separation was never conceptual. It was practical. The three roles always described different stages of the same activity: understanding a business problem and fixing it. They were separated because no single person had all three skill sets. AI removes that constraint.
2. What AI Changes
AI-assisted development—large language models capable of writing, testing, and deploying code—eliminates the technical barrier that separated analysis from implementation. A finance professional who identifies a variance no longer needs to write a report and hand it to a process team, who redesign the workflow and hand it to an IT team, who build the system eighteen months later. The same person can analyse the problem, design the solution, and build the software in a single workflow.
This is not a marginal efficiency gain. It is a structural transformation of how organisations change. The handoff between analyst, process engineer, and developer was where most organisational improvement projects failed—lost in translation, delayed by competing priorities, diluted by committee. Removing the handoff removes the failure mode.
From analysis to implementation
The traditional finance analyst identifies a problem and produces a report. The report goes to management. Management commissions a project. The project goes through scoping, procurement, development, testing, and deployment. By the time the solution arrives, the problem has often changed.
A finance professional equipped with AI-assisted development tools identifies the same problem and builds the solution. Not a report about the solution. Not a specification for someone else to build. The actual working software that fixes the problem. The cycle time collapses from months to days.
Traditional Model
FPSD Model
Finance analyst identifies variance
FPSD professional identifies variance
Report written for management
Root cause analysed in process context
Management commissions project
Solution designed and prototyped
Process team redesigns workflow
Software built with AI assistance
IT team builds system (6–18 months)
System deployed and tested (days–weeks)
Change management programme
Iterative refinement with users
3. Why Accountants
The argument for accountants as the natural home for this converged discipline rests on three characteristics that are already selected for by accounting training and qualification.
3.1 Intelligence
Finance is genuinely complex. Accounting qualification—whether CIMA, ACCA, ACA, or equivalent—requires sustained intellectual effort across taxation, audit, financial reporting, management accounting, law, and corporate finance. The people who complete these qualifications are, as a population, very bright. They have already demonstrated the capacity for rigorous analytical thinking that process engineering and system development require.
3.2 Quantitative fluency
Accountants work with numbers every day. Not in the abstract mathematical sense of a pure mathematician, but in the applied, messy, real-world sense of numbers that represent actual business activity. This quantitative fluency transfers directly to process measurement (cycle times, defect rates, throughput) and system specification (data structures, business rules, validation logic). An accountant already thinks in terms of inputs, processing rules, and outputs—which is precisely how software works.
3.3 Cross-organisational reach
This is the decisive advantage. Finance is the only function that touches every part of the organisation. Sales, operations, procurement, HR, logistics, R&D—every department generates financial data and is subject to financial oversight. A finance professional already has legitimate access to, and working knowledge of, every business process in the organisation. No other function has this breadth.
A process engineer brought in from operations understands manufacturing but not sales. A systems analyst from IT understands technology but not procurement. An accountant in management accounting already works across all of these domains. They see the whole system, not a fragment of it.
Accountants don't just analyse the numbers. They already understand the processes that generate the numbers. AI gives them the tools to change those processes directly, through software, without waiting for someone else to build it.
4. The FPSD Accreditation
Finance, Process & System Development is proposed as a new professional discipline with a belt-based accreditation structure modelled on Six Sigma—a framework already familiar to business.
Belt Level
Qualification
Capability
Provider
Green Belt
Certificate
Build and deploy a working business system with AI assistance. Understand process mapping, financial analysis, and basic system architecture.
Training provider
Black Belt
Diploma
Architect complex multi-system solutions. Lead organisational change programmes. Integrate financial, process, and system design across departments.
Training provider
Master Black Belt
Degree
Design methodology. Train and certify others. Develop new frameworks and approaches. Lead at the strategic level.
Master Black Belt assessor
Masters
Masters degree
Academic research, theoretical foundations, and thesis.
University
4.1 Assessment by Competence, not examination
Traditional professional qualifications assess knowledge through written examinations. FPSD assesses Competence through project-based assessment. Candidates build real systems, solve real problems, and demonstrate their work at scheduled appraisals. The question is not “can you answer questions about system development?” but “can you develop a system?”
Competence is measured on a scale of −10 to +10, where negative scores indicate faked or misrepresented knowledge. Assessment tests both magnitude (how much do you know?) and clarity (can you explain it?). A candidate who builds a working system but cannot explain their design decisions demonstrates magnitude without clarity—and does not pass.
4.2 The four-tier pathway
The belt accreditation runs in parallel with academic pathways through universities and other private training organisations. The Green Belt and Black Belt are delivered by training providers as online, on-demand courses with tutor support. The Master Black Belt requires direct assessment by an existing Master Black Belt holder, as the oral examination on ten major projects demands practitioner-level judgement. The Masters degree is an academic pathway through a university, covering the research and theoretical foundations of the discipline.
This four-tier structure ensures that FPSD serves practitioners who need to demonstrate capability to employers, professionals who want formal academic credentials, and the discipline itself, which needs coaches and assessors to maintain its standards.
5. What This Replaces
FPSD does not replace the need for deep technical specialism. Complex infrastructure, cybersecurity, and enterprise architecture will continue to require dedicated engineers. What FPSD replaces is the assumption that business improvement requires a relay race between three separate professions.
In an AI world, the accountant who identifies a £200,000 variance in procurement costs does not write a report recommending further investigation. They map the procurement process, identify where the cost is generated, design a better process, build the software to implement it, deploy it, and measure the result. One person. One workflow. Actual change delivered, not recommended.
The professional bodies—CIMA, ACCA, ICAEW—train excellent analysts. What they do not yet train is implementers. FPSD fills that gap. It takes the analytical rigour of accounting qualification and extends it into process design and system development, enabled by AI.
The age of the report is over. In an AI world, accountants don't just analyse the books. They develop the systems that do the books. Finance, Process & System Development is the discipline that trains them to do it.
6. Conclusion
The separation of finance analysis, process engineering, and system development was a practical artefact of a world where each required different technical skills. AI dissolves that boundary. The person who understands the problem can now build the solution.
Accountants are the natural candidates for this converged role. They are analytically rigorous, quantitatively fluent, and already work across the entire organisation. What they lacked was the ability to implement their insights directly through software. AI provides that ability.
Finance, Process & System Development recognises this convergence and provides a structured pathway—through practitioner belt certification and academic qualification—for the profession that accounting is becoming.
Part II
Curriculum & Assessment
7. Course Structure
The three pillars of FPSD run through every module at every level. They are not taught as separate subjects but as an integrated discipline.
Pillar
Core Question
Traditional Role
Finance
What is happening and why?
Finance analyst
Process
How does the work get done?
Process engineer
System
What should the software do?
Systems analyst
The Green Belt and Black Belt are designed for online, on-demand delivery with tutor support. The curriculum supports study materials in text, video, and interactive exercise format, with tutor access and verifiable certification on completion.
FPSD teaches one discipline, not three. The separation of finance, process, and system development was a practical constraint, not a conceptual one. AI removes the constraint. The curriculum treats them as a single workflow from the start.
8. Green Belt — Certificate
Green Belt
Foundations of Finance, Process & System Development
Certificate · 8 modules · Assessed by multiple choice examination
The Green Belt teaches the foundational knowledge required to work as an FPSD practitioner. On completion, a Green Belt holder understands Period Entry accounting, can map and analyse business processes, and can build a basic business system using AI-assisted development. They understand the integrated FPSD workflow and can apply it to straightforward business problems.
Module GB1
Introduction to FPSD
The convergence thesis. Why finance analysis, process engineering, and system development are one discipline. What AI changes and why accountants are the natural home for this role. The history and limitations of the three-function model. The FPSD workflow: identify, map, build, deploy, measure.
Explain why three separate disciplines are converging into one
Describe the role of AI in removing the barrier between analysis and implementation
Articulate the FPSD workflow and its advantages over the traditional handoff model
Explain why finance professionals are uniquely positioned for this role
Module GB2
Period Entry Accounting
The fundamentals of Period Entry as an accounting method. How transactions are recorded as period entries on a single ledger that tracks both financial values (£s) and knowledge assets (Competence). The structure of the Period Entry ledger. Reading, interpreting, and constructing Period Entry records. How Period Entry eliminates the limitations of double-entry bookkeeping.
Record transactions using the Period Entry method
Read and interpret a Period Entry ledger
Explain the dual tracking of financial value and Competence on one ledger
Describe the structural advantages of Period Entry over legacy methods
Module GB3
Period Entry and Double-Entry: Understanding the Difference
A comparative module. How double-entry bookkeeping works, its historical origins, and why it became the standard. The specific limitations that Period Entry resolves: the inability to track non-financial assets, the artificial separation of debits and credits, the reliance on reconciliation rather than real-time accuracy. How to communicate with professionals trained in double-entry. Translation between the two systems.
Describe the mechanics of double-entry bookkeeping
Identify the specific limitations that Period Entry addresses
Translate between Period Entry and double-entry representations
Communicate FPSD concepts to traditionally trained accountants
Module GB4
The Large Accounting Model
The conceptual framework for connected accounting. How the Period Entry ledger extends beyond a single organisation to track transactions between businesses. The co-signature system: how identified parties validate transactions without blockchain. Competence scoring (−10 to +10) as a measure of knowledge and reliability. How negative Competence represents faked or misrepresented knowledge. The Competence ledger as a replacement for reputation systems in B2B transactions.
Explain the Large Accounting Model concept and its architecture
Describe how co-signature replaces blockchain for identified business transactions
Apply Competence scoring to assess knowledge magnitude and clarity
Explain how negative Competence scores function and what they represent
Describe how Competence can trigger conditional payment release
Module GB5
Process Mapping & Analysis
Fundamentals of process engineering. SIPOC (Suppliers, Inputs, Process, Outputs, Customers) as the core mapping framework. Value stream mapping. Identifying waste, bottlenecks, and failure modes. Measuring process performance: cycle time, throughput, defect rate, cost per transaction. The connection between process metrics and financial outcomes—every cost variance originates in a process.
Map a business process using SIPOC and value stream techniques
Identify waste, bottlenecks, and failure modes in a process
Calculate and interpret process metrics
Connect process performance to financial outcomes
Module GB6
AI-Assisted System Development
Using large language models as development tools. Prompt engineering for code generation. Requirements specification: translating a process design into a system specification. Data structures, business rules, and validation logic. Building, testing, and iterating a working system. Understanding what AI can and cannot do in software development. The role of the FPSD professional as the domain expert who directs the AI, not as a programmer.
Write effective prompts for AI-assisted code generation
Translate business requirements into system specifications
Build a working business system using AI-assisted development
Test and iterate a system against its requirements
Understand the boundaries of AI capability in development
Module GB7
The Large Accounting Model
How AI transforms accounting from record-keeping to active intelligence. The LAM concept: AI that processes, interprets, and acts on accounting data in real time. How LLMs elaborate rather than originate ideas—the human provides the judgement, the model provides the processing. The relationship between Period Entry and the LAM: structured data that AI can reason about. Practical applications of the LAM in variance analysis, forecasting, and anomaly detection.
Explain the Large Accounting Model concept and its relationship to LLMs
Describe how the LAM builds on Period Entry’s structured data
Identify practical applications of the LAM in financial analysis
Explain the principle that LLMs elaborate rather than originate
Module GB8
The FPSD Workflow: Integrated Project
A practical capstone module. Students work through a complete FPSD cycle on a realistic business problem: identify a financial variance, trace it to its process root cause, design a better process, build the system that implements it, and measure the result. This module integrates all prior learning into a single end-to-end workflow.
Execute the complete FPSD workflow from variance identification to system deployment
Demonstrate integrated thinking across finance, process, and system development
Produce a working system that solves a defined business problem
Measure and report on the financial impact of the solution
Green Belt Assessment
The Green Belt is assessed by multiple choice examination covering all eight modules. Questions test conceptual understanding, practical application, and the ability to integrate knowledge across the three pillars. Sample questions are provided in Section 11 of this document.
9. Black Belt — Diploma
Black Belt
FPSD Practitioner
Diploma · 6 modules · Assessed by case study & oral examination
The Black Belt develops the Green Belt foundations into practitioner-level capability. A Black Belt holder can architect complex multi-system solutions, lead organisational change programmes, and work across departments. They have deep knowledge of Period Entry, advanced process engineering, and the ability to design systems that integrate across business functions. Assessment is by case study submission and oral examination, testing both magnitude of knowledge and clarity of explanation.
Module BB1
Advanced Period Entry
Complex transaction handling in Period Entry. Multi-entity transactions, inter-company accounting, consolidation. Handling taxation within a Period Entry framework. Foreign currency transactions. The Period Entry treatment of financial instruments, provisions, and contingencies. How Period Entry interacts with regulatory reporting requirements that assume double-entry.
Handle complex and multi-entity transactions in Period Entry
Produce regulatory-compliant outputs from a Period Entry system
Manage foreign currency and financial instruments within Period Entry
Navigate the interface between Period Entry systems and double-entry regulatory frameworks
Module BB2
The Competence System in Practice
Deep application of Competence measurement. Competence as magnitude × clarity—implementing Friston’s precision concept. Designing Competence assessment frameworks for organisations. How learning increases expected magnitude. The “Can you explain?” test as a measure of clarity, not magnitude. Using Competence scoring in B2B contexts: supplier assessment, conditional payment release, and replacing traditional reputation systems. Negative Competence: detecting and scoring faked knowledge.
Design a Competence assessment framework for a business context
Apply the magnitude × clarity formula in practical assessment
Detect and score negative Competence (faked knowledge)
Explain the theoretical basis in precision-weighted prediction
Module BB3
Advanced Process Engineering
Process redesign at scale. Statistical process control and variation analysis. Designing processes for measurement from the outset. Cross-departmental process mapping: tracing a business outcome across multiple functions. Failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA). Process capability and performance indices. The relationship between process stability and financial predictability.
Apply statistical process control techniques
Design processes that are measurable from inception
Map and optimise cross-departmental processes
Conduct failure mode and effects analysis
Connect process capability to financial forecasting accuracy
Module BB4
Complex System Architecture
Designing multi-system solutions. API integration between business systems. Data architecture for the Large Accounting Model: how co-signature systems connect organisations. Building systems that maintain audit trails within a Period Entry framework. Security, access control, and data integrity. System design patterns for financial applications. Managing technical debt and system evolution.
Architect multi-system solutions with appropriate integration patterns
Design data architectures that support inter-organisational co-signature
Build systems with robust audit trails and data integrity
Manage system evolution and technical debt
Module BB5
Organisational Change & Implementation
Leading FPSD change programmes. Stakeholder management when replacing established processes and systems. Managing the transition from double-entry to Period Entry in organisations. Training non-FPSD colleagues. Measuring adoption and impact. Building the business case for FPSD investment. Communicating technical changes to financial and non-financial audiences.
Lead an organisational FPSD implementation programme
Manage stakeholders through significant process and system change
Plan and execute a transition from double-entry to Period Entry
Build and present a business case for FPSD investment
Module BB6
Black Belt Case Study
A substantial case study requiring candidates to work through a complex, multi-departmental business problem. The case study presents a realistic scenario involving financial underperformance, process inefficiency, and legacy system constraints. Candidates produce a complete FPSD solution: financial analysis, process redesign, system specification, and implementation plan. The case study is submitted in writing and defended at oral examination.
Analyse a complex business scenario across finance, process, and system dimensions
Produce an integrated FPSD solution for a multi-departmental problem
Present and defend the solution under oral examination
Demonstrate both magnitude and clarity of knowledge
Black Belt Assessment
The Black Belt is assessed in two parts. First, a written case study submission demonstrating the candidate’s ability to produce an integrated FPSD solution for a complex business problem. Second, an oral examination in which the candidate presents and defends their case study. The oral examination tests clarity of explanation—not merely whether the candidate knows the answer, but whether they can explain it. This reflects the Competence principle: magnitude without clarity is insufficient.
10. Master Black Belt — Degree
Master Black Belt
FPSD Coach & Assessor
Degree · Portfolio & oral examination · Assessed by existing Master Black Belt
The Master Black Belt is the highest practitioner-level accreditation. A Master Black Belt can assess others, design methodology, and lead at the strategic level. Candidates must demonstrate a portfolio of ten major FPSD projects and defend them at oral examination. The Master Black Belt is not delivered as a taught course—it is a recognition of sustained, demonstrated expertise assessed by an existing Master Black Belt holder.
Requirements
Candidates must hold a Black Belt (Diploma) and present a portfolio of ten major projects. Each project must demonstrate the complete FPSD workflow applied to a real business problem with measurable financial impact. The portfolio is assessed for breadth (different types of business problem), depth (complexity of solution), and impact (financial outcomes achieved).
Assessment
The oral examination covers all ten projects. The assessor tests the candidate’s ability to explain their methodology, justify their design decisions, and critically evaluate their own work. The candidate must also demonstrate the ability to assess and develop others—the defining capability of a Master Black Belt is not just doing the work, but training others to do it.
The Master Black Belt is assessed by a Master Black Belt. This ensures the accreditation’s integrity is maintained by practitioners, not by examination boards. The assessor tests what an examination cannot: judgement, adaptability, and the ability to develop capability in others.
11. Sample Green Belt Questions
The following questions illustrate the style and depth of the Green Belt multiple choice examination. Questions test conceptual understanding, practical application, and the ability to integrate knowledge across the three FPSD pillars.
Question 1 — Module GB1: Introduction to FPSD
What is the primary reason that finance analysis, process engineering, and system development were historically performed by separate professionals?
A. The three disciplines have fundamentally different conceptual foundations
B. The practical skills required were different enough that one person could not do all three
C. Professional bodies required separation for regulatory compliance
D. Organisations preferred specialisation for quality control purposes
Answer: B. The separation was practical, not conceptual. The three roles always described different stages of the same activity. They were separated because no single person had all three skill sets. AI removes this constraint.
Question 2 — Module GB2: Period Entry Accounting
In the Period Entry system, what two types of value are tracked on a single ledger?
A. Revenue and expenditure
B. Financial values (£s) and knowledge assets (Competence)
C. Debits and credits
D. Assets and liabilities
Answer: B. Period Entry tracks financial values (£s) and Competence (−10 to +10) on a single ledger. This is a fundamental departure from traditional accounting, which tracks only financial values.
Question 3 — Module GB3: Period Entry vs Double-Entry
A colleague trained in double-entry bookkeeping asks why Period Entry does not use debits and credits. Which of the following is the most accurate explanation?
A. Period Entry uses different terminology for the same underlying concept
B. Debits and credits are an artificial separation that Period Entry eliminates by recording the complete transaction as a single entry
C. Period Entry is a simplified system that omits detail for speed
D. Period Entry uses debits and credits internally but does not display them to the user
Answer: B. Period Entry does not simplify double-entry; it replaces the underlying structure. The debit/credit duality was a mechanism for error-checking in manual ledgers. Period Entry eliminates this by recording the complete transaction directly, with real-time validation replacing manual reconciliation.
Question 4 — Module GB4: Large Accounting Model
In the Large Accounting Model, why is co-signature used instead of blockchain to validate inter-organisational transactions?
A. Co-signature is faster than blockchain processing
B. Blockchain is designed for anonymous parties; business transactions involve identified parties who can co-sign directly
C. Blockchain is too expensive for accounting transactions
D. Co-signature provides better encryption than blockchain
Answer: B. Blockchain solves the problem of trust between anonymous parties through distributed consensus. In business accounting, the parties are identified. Co-signature allows two known parties to validate a transaction directly, without the overhead of a distributed ledger designed for anonymity.
Question 5 — Module GB4: Large Accounting Model
A supplier has a Competence score of −3. What does this indicate?
A. The supplier has low capability but is improving
B. The supplier has faked or misrepresented their knowledge or capabilities
C. The supplier is new and has not yet been assessed
D. The supplier has made three errors in recent transactions
Answer: B. Negative Competence represents faked or misrepresented knowledge, not merely low capability. A supplier with low but honest capability would have a low positive score. A negative score indicates that the supplier has claimed knowledge or capability they do not possess.
Question 6 — Module GB5: Process Mapping & Analysis
A management accountant identifies that procurement costs are £200,000 higher than budget. In the traditional model, their next step is to write a report. In the FPSD model, what is their next step?
A. Escalate to a process engineering team
B. Map the procurement process to identify where the cost is generated
C. Commission an IT project to automate procurement
D. Request additional budget to cover the variance
Answer: B. The FPSD professional does not hand off to a process team. They map the process themselves, identify the root cause of the variance, and proceed to design and build the solution. The workflow is: identify variance → map process → design solution → build system → measure result.
Question 7 — Module GB6: AI-Assisted System Development
In AI-assisted system development, what is the primary role of the FPSD professional?
A. Writing code and debugging software
B. Acting as the domain expert who directs the AI with precise requirements
C. Testing software produced by the development team
D. Managing the AI system’s infrastructure and deployment
Answer: B. The FPSD professional is not a programmer. They are the domain expert who understands the financial problem, the process that generates it, and the system requirements that would fix it. They direct the AI to build the solution. The value is in the domain knowledge and the specification, not in the code.
Question 8 — Module GB7: Large Accounting Model
What is the correct relationship between a Large Accounting Model and a human professional?
A. The LAM replaces the need for professional judgement in accounting
B. The LAM originates accounting insights which the professional validates
C. The LAM elaborates on ideas originated by the professional
D. The LAM and the professional operate independently on different tasks
Answer: C. LLMs elaborate rather than originate ideas. The professional provides the judgement, the question, and the direction. The LAM processes, extends, and applies that judgement at scale. This is a fundamental principle of FPSD: AI amplifies human expertise, it does not replace it.
Question 9 — Module GB4: Large Accounting Model
Competence is calculated as magnitude × clarity. A candidate has built an excellent working system (high magnitude) but cannot explain their design decisions when asked. What is the assessment?
A. High Competence — the working system proves capability
B. Moderate Competence — averaged between strong output and weak explanation
C. Low Competence — magnitude without clarity produces a low overall score
D. Negative Competence — inability to explain suggests the work is not their own
Answer: C. Competence = magnitude × clarity. High magnitude with low clarity still produces a low score. “Can you explain?” tests clarity rather than magnitude. This is why FPSD uses oral examination at Black Belt and above: it tests whether the candidate truly understands their own work.
Question 10 — Module GB8: Integrated Workflow
An FPSD Green Belt identifies that customer invoicing errors are costing £45,000 per quarter. They map the invoicing process and find that errors originate from manual data entry between two systems. What is the correct next step in the FPSD workflow?
A. Write a report recommending system integration and present it to management
B. Request that the IT department build an automated data transfer
C. Design the integration and build it using AI-assisted development
D. Hire additional staff to reduce data entry errors
Answer: C. The FPSD professional does not write a report or hand off to IT. They have already identified the variance (finance), mapped the process and found the root cause (process), and now design and build the solution (system). This is the complete FPSD workflow executed by one person.
Question 11 — Module GB5: Process Mapping & Analysis
In SIPOC analysis, what does the ‘C’ represent and why is it significant for an FPSD professional?
A. Cost — it connects the process to its financial impact
B. Customers — they define what the process must deliver and how its success is measured
C. Controls — they ensure the process operates within defined parameters
D. Compliance — it ensures regulatory requirements are met
Answer: B. SIPOC stands for Suppliers, Inputs, Process, Outputs, Customers. The Customer defines the purpose of the process and the criteria against which its outputs are measured. For the FPSD professional, the customer perspective is critical because it connects process performance directly to business value.
Question 12 — Module GB6: AI-Assisted System Development
An FPSD professional uses AI to build a stock management system. The AI-generated code runs without errors but produces incorrect reorder quantities. What does this demonstrate?
A. The AI is not yet capable of building business systems
B. The professional’s requirements specification was insufficiently precise
C. The AI needs to be trained on domain-specific data
D. System testing should have been done by a dedicated QA team
Answer: B. If the code runs but produces wrong outputs, the specification was wrong, not the code generation. The FPSD professional’s core value is domain expertise—knowing what the system should do. AI can build what you describe; the skill is describing it correctly.
12. Delivery Model
The Green Belt and Black Belt are designed for online, on-demand delivery through a training provider. The curriculum supports the following delivery format.
Component
Green Belt
Black Belt
Study materials
On-demand text, video, and interactive exercises
On-demand text, video, case studies, and practical exercises
Tutor support
Online tutor access for questions
Dedicated tutor and course mentor
Practical component
Guided exercises within modules
Substantial case study project
Assessment
Multiple choice examination
Written case study & oral examination
CPD hours
To be confirmed
To be confirmed
Verifiable certificate
Yes — FPSD Green Belt (Certificate)
Yes — FPSD Black Belt (Diploma)
The course is initially designed to complement the existing accounting qualifications (CIMA, ACCA, ACA). FPSD provides the analytical skills usually developed in these qualifications and extends them into process design and system development—skills that the traditional bodies do not teach. But in time it will usurp because Period Entry is a superior model and the Large Accounting Model transforms the audit process. CIMA, ACCA and ACA become outdated. It is appropriate as a standalone professional development programme.
The age of the report is over. FPSD trains finance professionals to go beyond analysis into implementation. The Green Belt builds the foundation. The Black Belt develops the practitioner. The Master Black Belt certifies the coach. The entire pathway is designed around one principle: the person who understands the problem should build the solution.