OODA Loop

• Observe
• Orient
• Decide
• Act

The OODA loop is a combat operations process, first described by John Boyd¹. It highlights how agility in Leadership and decision making can overcome slower but larger opponents. It has found popularity in other domains such as business and law. The faster an entity can move through the process, and react to events, the more likely they are to “get inside” the same process for their opponents and win. This is very similar to the concept of a Kill Chain.

It has been argued that speed through the loop is important, but orientation takes time and cannot be ignored for the sake of speed¹.

1. Coram, R. Boyd: The Fighter Pilot Who Changed the Art of War. (Little, Brown and Company, 2002).