The OODA Loop was developed by John Boyd to develop and manage strategy in battle, but was soon adopted to boardrooms and business meetings because of it’s effectiveness.
This quote accurately describes a good part of the power of this technique:
A problem well-stated is half-solved
– Charles Kettering
The steps of the OODA Loop are very simple:
1. Observe – what is truly occurring in the present moment
2. Orient – discover what should be happening (“Begin with the end in mind” – Stephen Covey)
3. Decide – plan how to connect step 1 and the present and step 2 and the vision for what could be better
4. Act – take Slight Edge action towards that vision on a daily basis
The result of this process is many-fold, first you see where you truly are in the present, where you want to go in the future, plan to get there, and then take action towards that vision. It’s a powerful technique indeed!
This is explained in much more detailed here in this PDF.