Field note

The thinking behind EDGE

John Boyd was a fighter pilot with an unusual standing bet: give another pilot the advantage, and he would reverse their positions within forty seconds. It earned him the nickname Forty-Second Boyd.

But the part of his story that interests us most is what happened when his own thinking fell short. After helping develop a new generation of fighter aircraft, Boyd encountered flight-test results his theory could not fully explain. He went back to the pilots and investigated what he had missed.

That willingness to question an established answer, including his own, is worth borrowing.

Look closely. Be willing to change.

Boyd's OODA loop, Observe, Orient, Decide, Act, describes a continuing relationship between understanding a situation and responding to it. New observations inform the next decision.

For Intrepid, the useful lesson is to stay curious without getting stuck in analysis. Understand what matters, make a considered move, and keep learning as the work develops.

A process should give creative work direction without closing off better ideas.

EDGE, adapted for creative production

EDGE connects the business question to the finished work: examine, distill, generate, execute. Clear checkpoints reduce rework and decision fatigue, helping the team move efficiently. At each stage, we return to the business goal, check the direction, and keep the work on target.

Examine

Understand the business, the audience, and the problem behind the brief.

Distill

Decide what matters, what the work needs to accomplish, and how to judge it.

Generate

Develop the concept, script, and visual direction before production begins.

Execute

Build the right team, produce the work, and refine it against the goal.

These stages give us checkpoints, not a rigid sequence. An interview may reveal a stronger story. An early concept may expose a gap in the brief. We revisit the decision before carrying the problem into production.

That is why strategy and production belong together. What we learn should shape what we make, and making should sharpen our understanding.

The purpose of EDGE is to keep those two things connected, with clear decisions and room for the craft.