What are OPORDs?

OPORDs, or operations orders, are mission orders used by leaders to communicate an upcoming operation to subordinate elements. At the platoon level, this most often means a company commander issuing an OPORD to platoon leaders. OPORDs can be written, briefed, or a combination of both. When you receive an OPORD, you are being given the information you need to begin your own planning process.

An OPORD represents a completed plan at the higher level. For you as a platoon leader, it is the starting point, not the end state. Once you receive an OPORD, you transition into your own planning using the TLPs to interpret the mission, build your scheme of maneuver, and prepare your platoon to execute.

OPORDs follow a standardized five paragraph (these are really just sections) format that includes situation, mission, execution, sustainment, and command and signal. While this format can feel rigid at first, it exists for a reason. It ensures that critical information is presented consistently and allows subordinate leaders to quickly extract what they need to form a complete and executable plan.

Who uses OPORDs?

OPORDs, or Operations Orders, are a type of mission order used by leaders when they need to communicate an upcoming operation to a subordinate element. At the platoon and company level, they are primarily used by officers and senior NCOs to translate higher guidance into something their can actually execute. 

What are the TLPs?

Troop Leading Procedures are a simple framework to help small unit leaders plan, prepare, and execute operations. While it is often used for kinetic operations (raids, ambushes, etc.), it can be used for any type of operation. 

The TLPs:

1. Receive the mission
2. Issue a warning order (WARNO)
3. Make a tentative plan
4. Initiate movement
5. Conduct reconnaissance
6. Complete the plan
7. Issue the order
8. Supervise and refine

These steps help you prepare as a unit for the operation ahead. Within that planning, you will also organize how you're unit will prepare (this includes everything else aside from planning, such as packing supplies, doing rehearsals, checking equipment, etc.)

This presentation includes a basic overview of the TLPs. 

How do OPORDs and TLPs relate?

TLPs are the process of mission planning and preparation. The OPORD is one of the outputs. Many falsely believe that the two processes are seperate - they are not.

By working through the TLPs, you work through the creation of the OPORD. Much of the pen to paper creation occurs in Step 3 and 6, but all steps are mutually supporting in creating the OPORD. 

Why do the TLPs exist?

TLPs exist because small unit planning is hard. There is an infinite amount of preparation that can occur, and it needs to occur across a wider element (a platoon or company). The TLPs provide a structured sequence to help complete your mission planning and preparation.

Although initially it may feel that the use of the TLPs is rigid and constraints you from just getting planning and prep done, the TLPs is a well thought out and logical sequence to not only ensure you don't forget key elements mission planning and preparation, but also that you can do so in an efficient manner. The TLPs are therefore not only the best method to ensure everything relevant is considered, but also a highly efficient way to do so. 

Why are the TLPs so complex?

Mission planning with the TLPs is difficult because the world is dynamic and interconnected. Nothing happens in isolation. A decision about time affects movement. Movement affects security. Security affects tempo. Tempo affects risk. When you change one variable, something else always moves with it. TLPs feel complex because they are trying to impose structure on a problem that is inherently messy.

As a leader, you are responsible for preparing your element to be both mission effective and as safe as possible. Those two goals are always in tension. You are balancing incomplete information, limited time, human fatigue, and real consequences. That is not a small responsibility. Planning is hard because leadership is hard, and the cost of getting it wrong can be serious.

This is why frameworks like the TLPs exist. They do not make planning easy. They make it manageable. They give leaders a way to think through chaos, prioritize what matters, and avoid missing something critical when under pressure. The steps exist because without them, most people either freeze or fixate on the wrong details.

In training, it can feel like none of this really matters. You brief a plan, execute it, and move on to the next iteration. That can create the illusion that planning is just an academic exercise. In real operations, effective planning always matters. Good planning reduces risk, increases confidence, and allows subordinates to act decisively when conditions change. That is why the TLPs feel complex, and why learning to use them well is part of what separates leaders from everyone else.

When do you learn the TLPs?

Most officers are first introduced to Troop Leading Procedures through ROTC, OCS, or West Point, with more focused instruction provided during BOLC. The branches that emphasize TLPs most heavily are Infantry and Armor, where IBOLC and ABOLC treat TLPs as a core part of the curriculum.

At IBOLC and ABOLC, students receive detailed instruction paired with repeated practical exercises and graded briefings. This is where many officers move beyond memorizing the steps and begin learning how to apply TLPs under time constraints. Officers who later attend Army Ranger School receive additional exposure that further reinforces and deepens their understanding through repetition in high stress environments.

Enlisted soldiers often encounter TLPs for the first time once they arrive at their unit and begin participating in planning and preparation. Some receive additional instruction through schools such as Army Ranger School or other professional military education courses. Because exposure varies, effective units deliberately train enlisted soldiers and NCOs on how they contribute to the TLP process.

What is an officers role in the TLPs?

When an officer serves as a platoon leader or company commander, they are responsible for leading the TLP process. TLPs are leader centric by design. They exist to help the leader understand the mission, make decisions, and drive the unit toward preparation and execution. If you are the leader, you must know the process in depth, because you are the one who sets the pace, issues guidance, and ensures nothing critical is missed.

IBOLC and ABOLC are where most officers get that foundation. You learn the steps, practice them repeatedly, and are evaluated through planning exercises and briefings. Being able to execute the full TLP process on your own matters because it proves you understand the logic behind it. If you cannot do it individually, you will struggle to lead others through it when time is short and stress is high.

As you progress to Ranger School and then into the operational force, the focus shifts from individual proficiency to leading the process with your unit. That means issuing timely WARNORDs, involving your NCOs, delegating preparation, and building shared understanding across the formation. At that point, TLPs stop being a classroom requirement and become one of your core leadership responsibilities.

 

Does IBOLC teach OPORDs and TLPs?

Yes, IBOLC absolutely teaches OPORDs and TLPs, but often assumes students will connect the dots on their own. You will learn the format, the terminology, and the expectations. What many students struggle with is translating that instruction into a coherent plan under time constraints. IBOLC evaluates your ability to plan and communicate, not just your ability to recite doctrine.

Does ABOLC teach OPORDs and TLPs?

ABOLC teaches OPORDs and TLPs in the context of armor operations, mounted maneuver, and combined arms integration. The fundamentals are the same regardless of the context of your TLPs, but specific context is provided to help you understand the job you will be stepping into after ABOLC. 

What should I show up to IBOLC / ABOLC knowing?

You do not need to have mastery of the Troop Leading Procedures (TLPs)aaa before arriving at BOLC. The course is designed to teach the process from the beginning, and no one is expected to show up already proficient. That said, having a basic familiarity with TLPs can make a meaningful difference in how well you absorb the instruction.

Like most professional learning environments, BOLC moves quickly. If you already understand the purpose of TLPs and have seen the steps before, you can focus your attention on the insights from your instructor based on their experience, as well as the application of the process. If everything is completely new, much of your energy will be spent just trying to keep up with basic terminology and structure.

Many BOLC students describe the TLP instruction as overwhelming at first. That reaction is normal. Mission planning involves a lot of interconnected concepts, and when it is your first exposure, it can feel like information is coming faster than you can process it. Knowing the basics ahead of time helps reduce that friction and allows you to get more out of the course.

Do platoon leaders need to know MDMP?

The Military Decision-Making Process, or MDMP, is the Army’s formal planning process for units with staffs. It is designed for battalion and higher headquarters where planning is done by a commander supported by staff sections that analyze intelligence, fires, logistics, communications, and risk in parallel. MDMP exists to synchronize complex formations, multiple companies, and supporting enablers across time and space. It is deliberate, staff-driven, and resource intensive by design.

MDMP and TLPs are conceptually similar. Both exist to help leaders understand the mission, develop a plan, and communicate that plan through mission orders. The difference is scale and who is doing the work. MDMP is a staff process. TLPs are a small unit leader process. Platoon leaders do not need to know MDMP in depth, and trying to apply it at the platoon level usually creates more confusion than clarity.

What platoon leaders do need to understand is where MDMP fits in the larger system. Battalion and higher headquarters use MDMP to produce OPORDs, WARNORDs, and FRAGOs. Those mission orders are the output of MDMP. Once those orders are received by the company, the focus shifts. Company commanders and platoon leaders begin using TLPs to interpret the mission, build their plan, and prepare their formations to execute. This is where TLPs live.

There is an important exception to understand early. If you are a mortar platoon leader, scout platoon leader, or leading another battalion level asset, you sit closer to the battalion planning effort. You will still use TLPs internally within your platoon, but you will also be more involved in the battalion’s MDMP process. You will attend planning meetings, provide input to the staff, and shape how your platoon is employed as part of the larger fight.

What should I finish BOLC understanding?

Passing IBOLC, ABOLC, and other BOLCs is a significant accomplishment. These courses are demanding, the standards are real, and earning that qualification matters. Graduating BOLC means you met the professional baseline expected of a new Army officer in that field, and for IBOLC and ABOLC, have demonstrated the ability to plan and brief basic platoon operations. That achievement should not be minimized.

At the same time, graduating BOLC does not mean your understanding of mission planning is complete. This is especially true when it comes to the TLPs. Many graded events at BOLC are designed to evaluate your ability to produce an OPORD within a set time and to communicate it clearly. That approach is appropriate for a school environment, but it does not always expose deeper gaps in planning judgment.

It is possible to meet the standard and still misunderstand key aspects of the TLPs. This often happens because planning at BOLC occurs in controlled conditions. New officers plan alone and brief alone, which is natural given the structure of the course. As a result, plans can look solid on paper but fall apart in execution. Common issues include schemes of maneuver that are not feasible on the ground, insufficient sustainment or medical planning, and assumptions that tasks can be accomplished without the time, coordination, or resources required.

Another common pitfall is treating the OPORD as the objective rather than the product of planning. Under time pressure, some students compress or skip portions of the TLPs in order to finish the brief. The OPORD gets done, but the planning did not. In a classroom setting, that may be enough to pass. In the operational force, that approach creates unnecessary risk.

The purpose of learning TLPs at BOLC is not simply to pass graded events. The purpose is to prepare you to plan and lead when the stakes are real. In an operational unit, you will plan with your team rather than in isolation. You will receive incomplete guidance, face changing conditions, and operate under significant time pressure. You will issue orders, adjust them as the situation develops, and then execute the plan with real people and real consequences.

BOLC provides the foundation. It gives you the language, structure, and initial repetitions needed to begin developing planning competence. Where you should be at the end of BOLC is not mastery, but readiness. You should understand the TLP process well enough to apply it deliberately with your platoon, recognize when your plan is weak, and continue developing the skill over time.

Ultimately, understanding the use and application of the TLPs is one of the most important contributions a platoon leader brings to the fight. Weapons, equipment, and technology matter, but they do not replace judgment. Your ability to think clearly, plan deliberately, and lead your formation through uncertainty is what reduces risk, builds confidence, and enables disciplined initiative. Officers who continue refining their use of TLPs beyond the schoolhouse turn planning from a requirement into a combat multiplier, and that is what separates qualified leaders from effective ones.

What is an OPORD shell?

An OPORD shell is a commonly used term for an outline of an OPORD. It provides the headings and subheadings that mirror the five paragraph format and helps leaders organize information during planning. In field environments, an OPORD shell often refers to a physical planning aid that leaders can quickly reference and write on as information becomes available.

In IBOLC and ABOLC, you will typically be issued an OPORD workbook or OPORD format template. These are usually printed sheets placed inside clear page protectors and filled in with map markers. The intent is the same as an OPORD shell. It gives you a structured framework to capture key information and prevents you from missing critical parts of the order.

Many leaders seek out OPORD shells because they want clarity on exactly what belongs in each paragraph. Used correctly, a shell supports your planning by keeping information organized. Used incorrectly, it becomes a crutch that replaces thinking. The shell does not build the plan. You do.

If you want to build your own OPORD shell for platoon operations, a practical approach is to use five by eight inch index cards. First, sketch out and refine your shell on the cards while thinking through what your platoon actually needs to execute. Adjust the spacing, headings, and layout until it works for you. Once the format is solid, laminate the cards. After lamination, you can use map markers to write on them, erase them, and reuse them repeatedly during training and operations.

The key point is preparation. If you grab a shell for the first time when you need to plan, it won't be very effective. Find or build a shell early, refine it through repetition, and make it part of your routine in training. Many shells found online are prefilled, overly compressed, or incorrect. A good OPORD shell should support your thinking and execution, not replace them.

Are TLPs and OPORDs used once I'm a Platoon Leader?

Yes - you should. Often leaders are led to believe that they will not. The reason they are used is because this is the efficient method in which a complete plan is produced. If you skip the TLPs and / or don't brief / make an OPORD for your unit, you are failing in your duties as a platoon leader. 

This article contains more information about this common confusion in the operational force. 

What is a CONOP?

A concept of operations is a statement that explains how subordinate units will work together to accomplish the mission and describes the sequence of actions that will achieve the desired end state. It typically includes each phase of the operation (including what they start and end with), and the critical tasks for that phase.

Despite this being what concept of operations meaning within the OPORD, the term CONOP often refers to a condensed presentation of your mission plan. It is often used when you submit your plan / brief your plan to your commander. 

Despite this type of CONOP often being shorter than the full OPORD, and often all that your commander wants to see, it does not alleviate you from creating a full OPORD. 

This article contains more details about the difference between a CONOP / commander backbrief, and the full OPORD you produce for your unit. 

Do you use TLPs and OPORDs at Ranger School?

Yes. Each mission starts with an OPORD or a FRAGO. Leaders lead the process, and all subordinate soldiers participate in the process. If you are heading to Ranger School, ensure you know the TLPs before going. If you are heading to Ranger as an officer, you will often be charged with being the leader of the element and must have TLP mastery. 

Can Ranger School help me understand the TLPs?

At Army Ranger School, you will receive instruction on the Troop Leading Procedures. These classes are brief by design. They exist to give enlisted soldiers who may not have seen TLPs before a basic foundation, and to clearly communicate to officers how Ranger School expects planning to be conducted during patrols.

For officers, the primary value of Ranger School TLP instruction is not learning the steps for the first time. Most officers arrive already familiar with TLPs from BOLC. What Ranger School does is force you to take what you previously learned, often in relatively controlled or individual planning environments, and apply it in a fast paced, high stress setting. You are no longer planning alone. You are planning with an exhausted team, limited time, and imperfect information.

This is where many officers experience the real shift. Ranger School requires you to use the entire element to plan. You must issue early guidance, delegate preparation, rely on your NCOs, and accept that the plan will never be perfect. TLPs stop being a classroom concept and start becoming a practical tool for leadership and execution.

In that sense, Ranger School serves as a critical bridge. It connects the basics learned at BOLC to real world application. It prepares officers to move from understanding TLPs in theory, to applying them under pressure, and ultimately to using them effectively in their operational unit as a platoon leader, when the cost of poor planning is no longer just a grade.

Does Special Forces use TLPs and OPORDs?

Yes, Special Forces units do plan, but they typically do so using the Military Decision-Making Process rather than the Troop Leading Procedures. MDMP is a planning process designed for units with staffs. Unlike infantry platoons and companies, Special Forces units operate with staff support, which allows them to use a more deliberate, staff driven planning approach.

While MDMP may look different from TLPs, it is not simpler or more superficial. It addresses the same problems and requires the same level of depth. MDMP and TLPs both exist to help leaders understand the mission, develop a coherent plan, and communicate that plan through an OPORD. The methodology is different, but the intent and the outcome are the same.

The important point is this. Even elite units are not above structured planning. Experience does not replace disciplined preparation. Special Forces units still rely on formal planning processes because complexity, uncertainty, and risk do not disappear at higher levels. If anything, they increase.

If you are interested in further information regarding how Special Forces Detachments plan, consult the Special Forces Detachment Mission Planning Guide (GTA 31-01-003). Information from that GTA were not included or referenced in the writing of this article. 

Does Ranger Regiment use OPORDs and TLPs?

Yes. Ranger Regiment officers learn the Troop Leading Procedures the same way every infantry officer does. Every Ranger Regiment infantry officer went through IBOLC and learned the TLPs there. While the Regiment has more advanced capabilities, higher standards, and more training repetitions, it does not abandon the fundamentals of mission planning.

Ranger Regiment plans in depth just like conventional units. They still conduct mission analysis, develop a scheme of maneuver, issue clear guidance, and prepare their formations. The difference is not that they use a different system. The difference is how often they practice and how well they execute it.

If a Ranger Regiment company commander can plan in depth using TLPs, then a conventional officer can as well. What often separates Ranger Regiment from conventional units is familiarity and repetition. Leaders and soldiers plan constantly, under time pressure, as part of routine training. That repetition builds confidence and clarity.

SOF is not about skipping steps or inventing new processes. It is about being exceptionally good at the basics and executing them consistently.

What are common OPORD and TLP problems?

1. Not using your whole element to help complete the TLPs.Many leaders try to plan alone, either out of habit or because they think it is faster. It usually is not. TLPs are designed to be executed with the entire element contributing. If your soldiers do not know how to help, that is a training and SOP problem, not a reason to exclude them. Teach them what right looks like and use them.
2. Leaving BOLC without a firm understanding of the TLPs. If you do not understand the TLP process well enough to execute it on your own, you are not prepared to lead others through it. A strong individual understanding allows you to move faster, not slower, when time is limited. Speed in planning comes from clarity, not shortcuts.
3. Thinking TLPs don't matter. When leaders neglect TLPs or treat the OPORD as a formality, they produce incomplete plans. Something is always missed. TLPs and OPORDs are not academic exercises. They are tools that exist to reduce risk and increase effectiveness. Ignoring them does not make you more tactical. It makes you less prepared.
4. Thinking you know better than the process. Most shortcuts come from experience, not confidence. Early in your career, the process protects you from missing critical details. Over time, you will adapt how you use TLPs, but that adaptation should be informed by mastery, not ego. When you are new, following the book is usually the right call.
5. As a platoon leader, you may hear less about TLPs once you arrive at your unit, but maintaining planning proficiency is an implied task. Mission planning is a core leadership skill. It is part of what you bring to the fight, and it requires deliberate upkeep.

What doctrine can help me with OPORDs and TLPs?

• FM 1-02.1 – Operational Terms; a book of definitions that can help you when you don’t understand a term or phrase. If you’re lost, this is a good place to start. 
• FM 1-02.2 – Military Symbols; details the standard format for symbols you will use to create visuals. 
• FM 3-90 – Tactics.
• ATP 3-21.8 – Infantry Rifle Platoon and Squad. Typically, the primary source for information related to IBOLC.
• ATP 3-21.9 – Stryker Infantry Rifle Platoon and Squad (use if you are in a Stryker element)
• ATP 3-21.71 – Mechanized Infantry Platoon and Squad (use if you are in a Bradley element)
• ATP 3-20.15 – Tank Platoon. Typically, the primary source for information related to ABOLC.
• ATP 3-21.10 – Infantry Rifle Company (use as Infantry company commander)
• ATP 3-90.1 – Armor and Mechanized Infantry Company Team (use as mechanized or armor company commander)
• TC 3-21.76 – Ranger Handbook; a document featuring TTPs that can often be more practical as you learn the basics. Ensure you reference the SEP25 version, as there are countless older versions in print floating around.
  • The Ranger Handbook is effective because it is built on doctrine but includes TTPs that make it easier to understand and implement.  
  • While Chapter 2 is most relevant to planning, the entire handbook is useful to you as a small unit leader. 
    

What is a FRAGO?

A FRAGO, or fragmentary order, is used to modify an existing OPORD. It does not replace the original plan. It updates it. At the platoon level, FRAGOs are often verbal, concise, and issued quickly to keep momentum.

A FRAGO can be issued by a platoon leader to adjust the plan when conditions change, or to set conditions for a follow on operation after a detailed OPORD has already been issued. The purpose of a FRAGO is to focus only on what has changed. It deliberately avoids restating information that is still valid from the original OPORD.

For example, if you conduct an operation and then execute another mission the following day against the same enemy in the same environment, much of the original OPORD may still apply. Instead of rebuilding a full order, you can issue a FRAGO that highlights only the updates. In that situation, the FRAGO effectively becomes the primary mission order, with the original OPORD still providing context and baseline guidance.

 

What is a WARNO?

A WARNO, or warning order, is provided by the element leader shortly after they recieve the mission order from higher. For example, after a platoon leader recieves the OPORD from his company commander, they review the order (TLP Step 1), and prepare a WARNO.

The WARNO provides subordinates details about the upcoming operation, and postures the unit to collectively work together to complete planning and prep together. 

Do NCOs use OPORDs and TLPs?

Yes. At the platoon and company level, NCOs are actively involved in both TLPs and OPORDs. While officers are responsible for leading the process, NCOs play a critical role in shaping and executing the plan. When only the platoon leader or company commander is involved in the TLPs, planning depth suffers and shared understanding is limited.

Well functioning units deliberately involve NCOs throughout the TLP process. Squad leaders, section leaders, and platoon sergeants contribute to mission analysis, help refine the scheme of maneuver, and translate the plan into practical execution at the lowest level. Their experience and perspective often identify friction points that officers may miss when planning alone.

Because enlisted soldiers and NCOs often receive less formal instruction on TLPs, they must be proactive in learning the process and understanding how their unit applies it. Clear SOPs and deliberate training ensure NCOs know when and how to contribute. When NCOs understand the plan early and thoroughly, execution improves across the formation.

Additional TLP and OPORD Resources

• Troop Leading Procedure Overview
• Writing Mission Statements
• Forming a COA Sketch
• Common OPORD and TLP Confusion at BOLC
• Preparing for BOLC with OPORD Blue Book

Mastering the TLPs for BOLC & Beyond:

During BOLC, you are expected to develop a solid understanding of the TLPs and how they translate into usable OPORDs. As a future platoon leader, this is not optional. You must understand the process well enough to apply it under time pressure with your unit. BOLC provides formal instruction, practical exercises, and graded briefings to build that foundation. As you work through those events, it is worth remembering that the goal is not simply to pass a course, but to prepare yourself to lead effectively in the operational force.

For those looking to build understanding before BOLC, or to have clear reference material during IBOLC or ABOLC, the B/G OPORD Blue Book is designed to fill that gap. It provides a practical walkthrough of the TLPs and OPORD development using plain language, realistic examples, and leader focused explanations like those in this article.

The Blue Book is built to support officers before and during BOLC, while preparing for Ranger School, and later as a platoon leader in the operational force or during MCCC. It is intended to help leaders move beyond memorization and develop real planning competence that lasts beyond the classroom.

 

 

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The appearance of U.S. Department of War (DoW) visual information does not imply or constitute DoW endorsement. 
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Blog related to : IBOLC, ABOLC, BOLC, Troops Leading Procedures, TLPs, OPORD, OPORDs, Ranger School, MCCC, ROTC, Mission Planning, Army Doctrine, OPORD Example, Small Unit Leadership