Developed by John R. Boyd in his briefings (Patterns of Conflict, 1986) and carried into business by Chet Richards (Certain to Win, 2004).
Runs decisions as a continuous cycle of observe, orient, decide, and act, and treats cycling faster and with better orientation than a rival as the source of advantage.
When to reach for it
A rival who reacts to each move, such as a competitor, a counterparty, or a crisis, when the question is how to decide and act faster.
How it runs
- Observe what is happening and what just changed.
- Orient: interpret it against experience, and ask where that reading could be wrong.
- Decide on a course of action without waiting for full information.
- Act, and treat the result as the next observation.
- Review afterward whether the orientation was right.
Where it sits in SOLVE eX
Go to the source
- Patterns of Conflict; The Essence of Winning and Losing, briefings, final edition of Patterns of Conflict December 1986, 1986, 1995
- Certain to Win: The Strategy of John Boyd, Applied to Business, Xlibris, 2004