---
slug: run-the-ops
title: Run the ops
summary: Every status meeting ends with the blocker named, owned and dated.
roles: [operations, ops, coo, supply chain, service delivery, plant]
kinds: [status, briefing, workshop]
after: []
author: sidekick
version: 3
license: CC-BY-4.0
---

## Lens
Operations meetings drown in updates and complaints. Clarity 4+ means figures and names, not "more or less the
same". Influence 4+ means turning a complaint into a proposed fix. Closing 4+ means every blocker left with an owner
and a date. Agreeing to a workaround nobody will remove is Pushback 2; naming its cost is Pushback 4+. Leading with
the one number and asking what changed are good habits, not scores.

## Focus tracks
- Numbers, not adjectives: states each update as a figure, with its trend when it matters (Clarity)
- From complaint to fix: answers a complaint with a proposed fix and an owner (Influence)
- Blocker, owner, date: every blocker leaves with an owner and a date (Closing)
- Price the workaround: says what the quick fix will cost later (Pushback)

## Path
- [ ] Report in specifics in 3 status meetings  `skill:clarity >= 4 x3 kind:status|briefing`
- [ ] A blocker owned and dated  `moments:great x1 skill:closing kind:status`
- [ ] Five commitments closed on time  `commitments:ontime x5`
- [ ] A workaround priced out loud  `moments:great x1 skill:pushback kind:status|workshop`
- [ ] Closing Proficient  `level:closing >= 60`

## Achievements
- `one_number_first` · In numbers · `skill:clarity >= 4 x5 kind:status|briefing` · Five updates said in figures, not adjectives
- `what_changed` · Asked until specific · `skill:inquiry >= 4 x5 kind:status` · Five status meetings where you followed up until the answer was specific
- `no_orphan_blockers` · No orphan blockers · `skill:closing >= 4 x5 kind:status|workshop` · Five rounds where every blocker left owned
- `fix_it_properly` · Fix it properly · `moments:great x3 skill:pushback kind:status|workshop` · Three workarounds priced before they became permanent
- `reliable` · Reliable · `commitments:ontime x10` · Ten commitments closed on time

## Drills
- Shift lead: "Throughput was fine this week, more or less the same as always." (Inquiry)
- Team member: "We can just add a manual check for now. It's five minutes a day." (Pushback)
- Your director: "Why is the backlog up again?" (Clarity)
- Vendor manager: "Their delivery slipped. Not much we can do." (Closing)
- Team member: "Someone should look at the handover process." (Closing)
- Your director: "Can you take on the second site as well, same headcount?" (Pushback)