One of the first things a military officer learns is the five-paragraph operations order. The operations order, or OPORD, provides a common format for communicating an upcoming mission, what soldiers can expect, and how to carry it out.  The format is the same no matter the size, from a squad of a dozen men to a division exceeding forty thousand.

If you plan projects, or you manage a team, department, or organization of any size, the OPORD can be a useful tool to have in your proverbial toolbelt. As with any tools, there are times to use them and times to try something else. But having the right tool for the right situation is better than improvising with something less effective.

All OPORDs have five major sections: situation, mission, execution, service/support, and command/signal.

Situation describes the stage where the operation takes place. It covers everything outside the unit’s control, including enemy forces, friendly forces, weather, and terrain. Within this section are three major subsections: enemy (and neutral) forces, friendly forces, and attachments/detachments.

When applying Situation to your team’s mission, use this section to summarize external elements that can affect the outcome.

• Enemy forces naturally describe everything that opposes your outcome. It’s important that you gauge not only how strong they are, but what they are likely to do to your team.
• Neutral elements could either help or hinder your team achieving their goal. You have to anticipate and prepare for both.
• Friendly forces can help you, but they are outside of your control. You have to know when they can help, and when they can’t. Also, you have to make sure that you don’t end up blocking them from their own missions.
• Attachments are outsiders over whom you have temporary or limited control, while detachments are your own people who are temporarily unavailable.  When it comes to directing teams, realize that people have their own agendas or may be answerable to someone else. They may not be there for you at certain times, and they may not be able to do everything you ask of them. Know your team’s limits.

The Mission statement is a concise summary of what the team is about to do. It should answer the five Ws: who, what, where, when, and why.

Note that there is one question that is NOT answered: How. The next section describes this.

This is the red meat of the order. It goes into detail on how your team will accomplish its goal. There are four main parts to this section: the commander’s intent, concept of the operation, tasks to subordinate units, and coordinating instructions.

An important part of the military operations order is the commander’s intent. It serves as a summary of how the commander sees the mission will play out, while giving his subordinates enough leeway to lead their own units.

The commander’s intent consists of three main elements: goal, method, and endstate. Goal summarizes what the commander wants to happen. Method provides a high-level outline of how he intends to achieve it. And endstate describes what success looks like in the commander’s eyes.

The commander’s intent is just that: an intent. It doesn’t go into a lot of detail; the commander’s operations staff will do that for him. It just lays out a very broad direction for planners and subordinates to follow. As long as they are directionally accurate with the commander

The Concept of the Operation goes into more detail on the execution of the mission. It is still a somewhat high-level plan, though; subordinate officers will make their own OPORDs to their own units, so they have to be allowed some autonomy in their decision-making.

The key to a good concept of the operation is to tell a quick, general story of how you as the leader envision the operation to proceed. It is a step-by-step narration, starting from the moment that planning ends and action begins. It continues through the actual execution and past completion. The narration doesn’t stop at completion, but follows through all the way until the start of the next project or operation.

In any organization, there is always going to be a person, section, or subgroup that will have specific tasks. These go here, after the general Concept of the Operation has been laid out. Make sure that your instructions are clear and specific; if your subordinate leads his or her own team, then he or she will need clarity in forming their own plans.

Coordinating instructions apply to two or more subordinates within the team. These tend to be very specific instructions for very specific circumstances and fall outside the subject of any other section. It’s impossible to give instructions for every possible circumstance, so use coordinating instructions to give specific guidance that are likely to apply to the majority of subordinates in the majority of circumstances.

There’s a saying that goes around amongst military officers: amateurs study tactics, professionals study logistics. To get any major project done, you’re going to need supplies, tools, and help.

Here are some things to think about when it comes to logistics:

• How often will you need to replenish expendable supplies? Where and when will you pick them up?
• How will you dispose damaged goods or rubbish?
• If there’s a risk of a medical emergency, how are you going to handle it?
• How are you going to move stuff from point A to point B?
• Even if you deal with software, these questions are still relevant, although they may take a more metaphorical meaning. Physical goods may translate into object properties, and physical locations could translate into network addresses.

The last section is probably the most important, because it deals with communication and delegation of authority. These may seem like dissimilar concepts, but they are tightly related.

Command refers to the chain of authority. If you are not available when a problem arises, who is authorized to make decisions in your absence? What kinds of decisions can be made by others, and which ones are you reserving for yourself?

Signal covers the channels of communication. How can you be reached? What’s the priority of communication? Perhaps routine messages should go through email, but urgent messages require a text or phone call. Are there any keywords that demand particular attention?