Tired of endless problem discussions? Use the OODA loop to solve problems fast, structured, and decisively. 

Successful teams don’t waste time discussing problems; they solve problems. That’s easy to say but much harder to do.

To solve a problem, you need to decide before you start acting on the problem. For this, let’s turn to the OODA loop for help: It is a decision-making model originally developed in the military but can be used for any problem.

What does OODA stand for? It’s an acronym for observe — orient — decide — act.

See where we’re going? The OODA problem resolution framework doesn’t contain a step to discuss a problem.

Let’s look into the four steps of the OODA loop in detail and the pitfalls in each step that lead to unnecessary discussions.

1. Observe

In this step, you observe that there is a problem in your company. This can be a customer complaint, an employee who wishes to discuss her salary, a tool that doesn’t work the way it should, water damage in your office — any kind of problem.

Problem-nurturing means finger-pointing, debating why the problem happened in the first place, and insisting on finding the root cause before fixing the problem.

Problem resolution means, first of all, acknowledging that there is a problem. In case the problem involves a customer, a short communication to the customer that we are working on the problem is also part of this step.

2. Orient

This step is arguably the most important step in the OODA loop. It’s about making sense of the isolated problem in a wider context.

Does this customer complaint fit into a pattern of a larger problem, or is this a new or isolated complaint? Is it just the same employee asking for a salary raise over and over again, or do we underpay our team as a whole? Is the water damage in our office originating in our premises or on higher floors?

Problem-nurturing in this step of the OODA loop is dangerous because you lose valuable time. Think of first aid as an example: You can’t complain about the delayed arrival of the ambulance due to heavy traffic; you just need to stop the bleeding, or the patient will die.

Problem resolution means two things in this step: First, take immediate actions. Stop the bleeding, communicate with customers, and so on. Second, gather facts and develop possible courses of action for fixing the problem for good.

3. Decide

In this step, you compare the possible courses of action you developed in the previous step, weighing their advantages and disadvantages before making a decision. In this way, you can avoid running off in the wrong direction with good intentions, but ultimately missing the target.

4. Act

Once a decision has been taken, take ownership, solve the problem, and get it done. If you’re in a leadership position, communicate your decision to your team so the team can act following your decision.

Conclusion

Because the OODA loop is a loop, it’s not finished after step 4; it starts again at step 1. After every action, observe if the action solved the problem, if you need to adjust your solution, or if a new problem has emerged.

Living the OODA loop is an attitude of constantly improving and solving problems analytically rather than nurturing them. If you live in the OODA loop, you will be fast, flexible, and always moving forward.

Compare this to politics, where problems are nurtured for years. Maybe the OODA loop would do some good to our politicians, too.