Tired of endless problem discussions? Use the OODA loop to solve problems fast and always move forward. It works for all walks of life.
Successful teams don’t analyze problems to death; they solve problems. That takes structure and speed, not drama.
Enter the OODA loop: Observe – Orient – Decide – Act. Originally a military framework, it can be applied to any complex problem in business or life.
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 it can be applied to any problem. It works for tactical problems as well as for strategic problems.
Notice something missing? There’s no “discuss endlessly” step. Let’s break it down with some real-life examples from the startup world.
1. Observe: Spot the problem. That’s it.
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. It can also be a more strategic problem: Why don’t we grow faster? What’s wrong with our pipeline? Why do competitors win deals we were sure we would win?
No matter if it is a tactical or a strategic problem, it starts with spotting and acknowledging the problem.
What kills speed
Finger-pointing, debating why the problem happened in the first place, and insisting on finding the root cause before fixing the problem kill speed.
What works
First of all, acknowledge 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: Make sense of the problem in the context
This step is arguably the most important step in the OODA loop. It’s about making sense of the 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? Is slow growth due to internal issues, or are shifts in the market or geopolitics the root cause?
What kills speed
Problem-nurturing in this step of the OODA loop is dangerous because you lose valuable time. Think of first aid as an example: Don’t complain about the delayed arrival of the ambulance due to heavy traffic; just stop the bleeding before the patient dies.
What works
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 to fix the problem for good.
3. Decide: Pick the best course of action
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.
What kills speed
It’s easy to ask for more information or additional options before making a decision. However, you will never have complete information to make your decision – that’s the burden every leader carries when making decisions.
What works
Make the best possible decision with the information available to you right now. In case things go in a different direction, you can always adapt your plan. That’s where contingency plans are useful: What do you do in the event of X, Y, or Z? Contingency plans are part of your decision, and quite often, the options you didn’t choose become the raw material for your contingency plans.
4. Act: Do it. Own it.
Once a decision has been taken, take ownership, solve the problem, and get it done.
What kills speed
If you’re in a leadership position, involve your team in your decision and the execution of your decision. If you don’t involve your team, you don’t just waste precious resources and knowledge, but also precious time: You can’t do it all by yourself.
What works
During the execution of your decision, hold regular update briefings with your team. In this way, you can track progress on the execution and react to changes to the plan in one go.
Conclusion
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.
