The inherent difficulty in developing and executing military courses of action to achieve the desired end-state comes from the complexities of the operational environment. Each environment contains within it different initial conditions that affect the nature of military operations with relationships that are as complex as they are numerous. This means that a similar course of action executed in a similar manner in one environment may not produce similar effects in another. This occurs due to the nature of those initial conditions, and how they alter the effects produced within that operational environment. The Effects-Based Board (EBB) seeks to provide clarity to an otherwise convoluted system of relationships by supporting the Combatant Command, and their joint staff, with a board of professional military and civilian personnel whose collective knowledge can help shape course of action development. Subject matter experts and liaisons from the Department of Defense, Department of State, national intelligence agencies, intergovernmental/non-governmental organizations, and foreign nations make up the membership of the board, and through their guidance can shape the development and execution of deliberate and crisis action plans. Identifying the initial conditions, determining the effects of their linkages, and creating courses of action that target those links in order to shape them can, in due course, shape the operational environment towards the desired end-state.