4-2. The operations process is a commander-led activity informed by mission command principles. It consists of the major command and control activities performed during operations: planning, preparing, executing, and continuously assessing an operation. These activities may be sequential or simultaneous. They are rarely discrete and often involve a great deal of overlap. Commanders use the operations process to drive the planning necessary to understand, visualize, and describe their unique operational environments; make and articulate decisions; and direct, lead, and assess military operations. (See ADP 5-0 for a detailed discussion of the operations process.)