---
title: "The leader's planning checklist"
description: "A repeatable process for planning any operation or project."
canonical: https://tomsharman.com/bookshelf/extreme-ownership/the-leaders-planning-checklist/
updated: 2026-11-03
---

# The leader's planning checklist

> A repeatable process for planning any operation or project.

Jocko Willink and Leif Babin's framework, from Extreme Ownership, pp. 183 to 261.

Framework 3 of 6 from [Extreme Ownership](https://tomsharman.com/bookshelf/extreme-ownership/index.md) by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin. Category: Leadership.

## The steps

1. **Analyse the mission.** Understand higher headquarters' mission and Commander's Intent, then state your own.
2. **Identify what you have.** Personnel, assets, resources and time available.
3. **Decentralise the planning.** Empower key leaders to analyse courses of action.
4. **Pick the course of action.** Lean toward the simplest and focus effort on it.
5. **Develop the plan.** Key leaders build the plan, and you stand back and be the tactical genius.
6. **Plan contingencies and mitigate risk.** Cover likely problems in each phase and control the risks that can be controlled.
7. **Check against new information.** Question the plan as the situation evolves.
8. **Brief everyone.** Emphasise Commander's Intent, invite questions and check understanding.
9. **Debrief afterwards.** Analyse lessons learned and feed them into future planning.

## Where it comes from

From chapter: III. Sustaining Victory, pp. 183–261

## The animation

24 seconds, 4:5, no sound.

- MP4: https://tomsharman-downloads-006143767029.s3.eu-north-1.amazonaws.com/downloads/bookshelf/extreme-ownership/the-leaders-planning-checklist.mp4
- MP4, dark: https://tomsharman-downloads-006143767029.s3.eu-north-1.amazonaws.com/downloads/bookshelf/extreme-ownership/the-leaders-planning-checklist-dark.mp4
- Still: https://tomsharman-downloads-006143767029.s3.eu-north-1.amazonaws.com/downloads/bookshelf/extreme-ownership/the-leaders-planning-checklist.png
- Still, dark: https://tomsharman-downloads-006143767029.s3.eu-north-1.amazonaws.com/downloads/bookshelf/extreme-ownership/the-leaders-planning-checklist-dark.png