Commanders must remember that the issuance of an order, or the devising of a plan, is only about five per cent of the responsibility of command. The other ninety-five per cent is to insure, by personal observation, or through the interposing of staff officers, that the order is carried out.
Patton argues that giving an order is only a small part of a commander’s responsibility. A decision or plan has little practical effect unless someone follows its execution, identifies problems and confirms that the intended action is actually taking place. Responsibility therefore continues after instructions have been communicated.
His emphasis on personal observation and staff oversight reflects the difficulty of translating intentions into results across a large organisation. Orders may be misunderstood, delayed or altered by circumstances, while practical obstacles can emerge during implementation. Patton’s point is that commanders cannot assume that issuing clear instructions completes their task. They must maintain awareness of what happens afterwards and intervene when necessary. More broadly, the quotation describes accountability as an active process: delegation transfers work, but it does not remove responsibility for checking progress and ensuring that agreed actions are completed.