To veteran forgers, this is common knowledge, but to young forgers, this is something to keep in mind.
The Forging I-Ops is just a simple arrangement that we should keep in mind while forging. I-Ops stands for Inspiration Originality Practice and Sharing ideas. These are just 4 simple things forgers should know in the beginning of the design process.
Inspiration: Whether it be from the Halo Reach game, other forgers, or even everyday senarios, inspiration is the key element to the design of your map. Once you're inspired, keep to that idea and try not to stray away from it.
Originality: Even though an inspired idea may not be original, does not mean you cannot apply original forging designs to your map. This is key for a success of your map. If a map is not original, it will likely but underappresiated.
Practice: This is obvious. Just Practice, Practice, Practice. If you fail at a design, do not be discouraged. Even the most successful forgers have days when their design doesn't quite work. However, we can learn from the mistakes and even use ideas we liked from our previous works.
Sharing ideas: Sharing your ideas, your map, and even your constructive critisim, will be an important element to your forging, and your relationship with the forging community.
Remember this simple thing.
I- Ops