The Real Order of Operations

The Real Order of Operations

My husband is a total math nerd—and, by extension, so is my daughter. Yesterday, the two of them were having a casual conversation about algebra (as one does when you’re nearly eleven and about to start sixth grade), and they got into the order of operations. You know the one: Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally.

It made me think about my own work—operations work—and how there’s a real order of operations here, too. And no, it doesn’t start with a shiny new tool or the latest system you heard about on a podcast.

It starts with people.

Sorry folks, but if you actually want to be good at operations, you need to be good with people. Not just building systems. Not just documenting processes. But building relationships, defining roles, and creating alignment that lasts longer than your next sprint cycle.

If your operations feel messy—things falling through the cracks, repeated conversations that don’t lead anywhere, or a creeping sense that no one really knows what’s going on—it’s easy to assume the problem is a tool problem. Maybe you’re thinking, “If we just had a better system, this wouldn’t be happening.” So you start researching platforms, comparing features, maybe even spinning up a Notion workspace or testing out a new project management app. It feels productive. It feels like leadership.

But more often than not, it’s a distraction.