Which steps should ALWAYS be accomplished first and in order in TLP?

Which steps should ALWAYS be accomplished first and in order in TLP?

• A. Step 1 and Step 2
• B. Step 1 (Receive Mission) and Step 2 (WARNORD)
• C. Step 2 and Step 3
• D. Step 1 (Receive Mission) and Step 2 (WARNORD)

Answer: (B)

The essential idea is to move quickly from understanding the task to getting your team moving. After you receive the mission, you immediately issue a WARNORD to subordinates. This early warning order communicates the mission, your initial intent, key constraints, and the initial tasks so everyone begins planning right away. That parallel planning—you starting your METT-TC analysis while subordinates start shaping their own efforts—is what gives time back to the operation and keeps the command at tempo. If you wait to issue any guidance until later, planning slows down because subordinates aren’t oriented to the mission or the commander’s intent, leading to delays and misalignment. The WARNORD is not the final plan; it’s the initial communication that kickstarts coordinated planning. Therefore, the steps you always do first and in the proper order are receiving the mission, then issuing the WARNORD.

The essential idea is to move quickly from understanding the task to getting your team moving. After you receive the mission, you immediately issue a WARNORD to subordinates. This early warning order communicates the mission, your initial intent, key constraints, and the initial tasks so everyone begins planning right away. That parallel planning—you starting your METT-TC analysis while subordinates start shaping their own efforts—is what gives time back to the operation and keeps the command at tempo.

If you wait to issue any guidance until later, planning slows down because subordinates aren’t oriented to the mission or the commander’s intent, leading to delays and misalignment. The WARNORD is not the final plan; it’s the initial communication that kickstarts coordinated planning. Therefore, the steps you always do first and in the proper order are receiving the mission, then issuing the WARNORD.