The Operations Order (OPORD -- #30)
The Operations Order (OPORD) is a standard format for conveying information for a military plan. It consists of five paragraphs — Situation, Mission, Execution, Service and Support (or Admin and Logistics by the US Marine Corps), and Command and Control. Most people don’t know that the Army’s standard format for an Operations Order was developed by Frederick Garman in 1957 when he was assigned to Fort Benning's Ranger Department (the predecessor of today’s US Army Ranger School. The picture above is the sign out front of the Ranger Department in the 1950s.) The Army quickly adopted it — it has been used in every conflict since the Vietnam War. Talk about an idea going viral!
In Afghanistan, the unit I was part of used the OPORD to convey year long campaign plans, as well as short duration missions. Using the same format for a plan enabled everyone to know where to listen for the information they needed (if they were receiving it orally) or look for the information (if they had a written copy). And more importantly, using the OPORD format forced us to think through all the elements of the plan.
We discussed in the last post a checklist for developing a planning process for your team (See Post #29 Planning Process). This Operations Order format nests with the planning process. As we look forward to the second half of 2020, there are many corporate and non-profit groups planning for operating in the new environment. Are you writing the plan down? Does your marketing department have a plan? Does your sales team have a plan? Is the IT Department synchronized to support the plan? Does everyone use a similar format so that the plan is aligned and nested?
Utilizing a corporate OPORD format will help you build a better plan for your team. Keeping the OPORD to 1-2 pages provides your corporate team enough of a framework, ensures they actually read the document, and enables them to retain their agility. I modified the military format to be a better fit a corporate environment. Spend a couple of days here in June to think through your plan using this framework:
Company X OPORD — Six Month Plan
July 1, 2021 - December 31, 2021
1. Situation:
The Market (What’s your market outlook? What assumptions are you building the plan upon?)
The Customer (What’s your customer doing?)
The Competition (Who’s your competition? What are they doing?)
Coronavirus (Current situation on travel, workplace, etc?)
Higher (What are they doing? What’s their mission?)
2. Mission: (Who, What, When, Where, Why)
3. Execution:
Leader’s Intent (see Post #25 or Post #105 to learn more about Leader’s Intent)
Purpose (A broader why then the one used in the mission statement. Enables decisions in your absence)
Key Tasks (The How)
End State (What does success look like on December 31, 2021?)
Major Events by Month (think about for the executive group, HR, IT, marketing, sales, and operations)
Key Tasks for different portions of the business to accomplish:
Operations
Marketing
Sales
HR
IT
Accounting and Finance
4. Admin, Logistics, and Communications
Administrative Issues/Tasks
Logistics to support the plan
Communications:
To the shareholders/board
To the market
To the company
Use the OPORD to help think through the facets of your plan, build your plan, and help your team execute at a higher level in the second half of 2021.
OPORD Format
If you are a military vet and using the Operation Order in a corporate environment, post what works and what doesn't in the comments.
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