number or other factors, such as training
and experience, and fuel capacity for alternate
port diversion.
In the third step, the goal is to perform
by taking action to eliminate hazards
or mitigate risk, and then continuously
evaluate the outcome of this action. With
the example of low visibility en route, for
instance, the boater can perform good
BDM by selecting a suitable alternate
port with better transit weather, carrying
sufficient fuel to reach it. This course of
action would mitigate the risk. The boater
also has the option to eliminate the cruise
entirely, waiting for better weather.
Once the pilot has completed the 3P
decision process and selected a course of
action, the process begins anew because
now the set of circumstances brought
about by the course of action requires analysis.
The decision-making process is a continuous
loop of perceiving, processing and
performing.
With practice and consistent use, running
through the 3P cycle can become a habit
that is as smooth, continuous, and automatic
as a well-honed instrument scan. This basic
set of practical risk management tools can be
used to improve risk management.
Forming Good Safety Habits
While the 3P model is similar to other
methods, there are two good reasons to
use the 3P model. First, the 3P model gives
boaters a structured, efficient, and systematic
way to identify hazards, assess risk, and
implement effective risk controls. Second,
practicing risk management needs to be as
automatic in classroom as underway. As is
true for other boating skills, risk management
thinking habits are best developed
through repetition and consistent adherence
to specific procedures.
The OODA Loop
Colonel John Boyd, United States Air
Forces (Retired), coined the term and
developed the concept of the “OODA
Boating Decision-Making 257
OBSERVE
ACT ORIENT
DECIDE
Loop” (Observation, Orientation, Decision,
Action). The ideas, words, and
phrases contained in Boyd’s briefings have
penetrated not only the United States military
services, but the business community
and worldwide academia. The OODA Loop
is now used as a standard description of
decision- making cycles.
The Loop is an interlaced decision
model that provides immediate feedback
throughout the decision-making process.
For SRM purposes, an abbreviated version
of the concept provides an easily understood
tool for the boater.
The first node of the Loop, Observe,
reflects the need for situational awareness.
A boater must be aware of those things
around him or her that may impact the
cruise. Continuous monitoring of boating
controls, weather, etc., provides a constant
reference point by which the PIC knows his
or her starting point on the loop which permits
the ability to immediately move to the
next step.
Orient, the second node of the Loop,
focuses the boater’s attention on one or
more discrepancies in the cruise. For example,
there is a low oil pressure reading. The
boater is aware of this deviation and considers
available options in view of potential
hazards to continued engine operation.
The boater then moves to the third
node, Decide, in which he or she makes
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Figure E-1. The OODA Loop.