I choreograph fights. First, I figure out end conditions: are they highwaymen who will bail after one of them are seriously hurt? Are they cultists fighting to the death? Is there a countdown for a plot action (the ceremony finishes and the demon is summoned, the noble escapes the kidnapping attempt, etc).
Once I know how the fight will end, I go to themonstersknow.com and figure out what each critter will do in the fight. Is it a tank that charges and whacks with a sword? Is it a caster that hides in the back and lobs spells in? Is it a sneaky hider that wants to get into cover?
Then I figure out the first round (casters will either buff or hit with their nastiest spell), tanks charge, bbeg monologues, etc.
The subsequent rounds continue with the strategy until an end condition is reached.