OODA Loop — Decide Like Fighter Pilots

Fast decisions, incomplete information — everyday reality in engineering leadership.

Aug 28, 2025

Imagine flying a fighter jet and figuring out, in seconds, how to manoeuvre to save yourself. The stakes are high, and the outcome needs to keep you alive.

I’ve never dreamt of being a fighter pilot (far above my comfort zone), but the ability to stay focused and make clear decisions under pressure is something I admire.

The OODA Loop is a decision-making framework developed by U.S. Air Force pilot and military strategist John Boyd. It was designed for quick assessment and rapid action — especially in situations where you don’t have the full picture, and time is limited.

The framework helped fighter pilots, but its principles can apply to many domains, including engineering leadership.

O-O-D-A

It stands for:

Observe:

Understand the situation and environment — gather as many relevant details as possible
Use feedback from previous decision loops, what improved, what did not

Orient:

Synthesis of what we had observed
Challenged by our perception, biases, opinions and past experiences

Decide:

Shortlist possibilities
Make decision

Act:

Act on it fast with no delays

Then: Observe → Orient → Decide → Act

and repeat...

Each stage can deliver valuable feedback for the next — the key is making the best decision based on the current state of the situation.

By definition, it's a loop. At its core, it was designed to act fast and repeat often.

Origins

The framework was developed based on Boyd's experience with military conflicts. Aiming for a competitive advantage on a battlefield,

"Idea of fast transients suggests that, in order to win, we should operate at a faster tempo or rhythm than our adversaries — or, better yet, get inside adversary's OODA time cycle or loop."

— John Boyd's slides on "Patterns of Conflict" (version dated Dec 1986).

He emphasised Observation and Orientation as critical steps. Hesitation, acting slowly, or misjudgment could cause you to lose an advantage.

It's not revolutionary, but focusing each time you iterate on Observation and Orientation was made on purpose. Its similarities with the Agile cycle are worth mentioning, where we also iterate fast and improve.

Double O: Observe & Orient

Key takeaways to learn from:

We often forget that our environment changes — we should invalidate our cached information each time and focus on what has changed
We change, we acquire new knowledge and have new experiences — which should influence how we orient
Acting fast on the decision made — if we decide, there is no need to prolong execution

Leadership Applications

Engineering leadership is a difficult game. Has many uncertainties, and we deal with people, which makes it less predictable than computers.

While OODA is used for fast-changing environments, we can use it when leading teams.

Imagine dealing with a huge drop in people's morale: What to do with it?

Observe: Notice disengagement, missed deadlines, reduced collaboration, or even direct feedback dissatisfaction.
Orient: Analyse causes — overwork? Lack of recognition for their effort? Unclear expectations? But challenge your own assumptions. You may be wrong.
Decide: List all the possibilities: for example, run focused 1:1s, reset priorities, pause delivery to regroup.
Act: Implement changes and communicate openly. Is it getting better or worse? Use it as feedback for the next OODA iteration.

That's how going strict with the framework might be used in the situation.

Observation and Orientation, according to OODA, are key to making good decisions. We make new assessments fast, in line with a situation that changes rapidly.