Week 06 · lesson
Running the Event
Receive: The First Match Is Too Late to Invent the Process
An event starts at 3:30. At 3:28, a team cannot find its station, the bracket has two versions, and nobody knows who can pause a round for a technical issue. None of those problems are exciting. All of them are predictable.
Learning target: I can build a small runbook that assigns roles, timing, fair procedures, and a responsible response to a common disruption.
Process: A Runbook Makes Authority Visible
A runbook is a practical record of what happens, who owns each step, how people communicate, and what changes when a known problem occurs. It protects fairness because people do not have to invent rules after a result matters.
| Runbook element | Question it answers |
|---|---|
| Check-in and schedule | Who arrives where, when, and with what confirmation? |
| Role assignments | Who owns brackets, technical support, moderation, and event communication? |
| Rule version | Which published rules govern a dispute? |
| Escalation path | Who receives a technical, conduct, or safety concern? |
| Contingency | What happens if a match, device, or schedule fails? |
Practice: Find the Missing Owner
Read this plan: “If a station disconnects, somebody will fix it and tell the teams.” What is missing? Name the role, the communication path, the fair action for the bracket, and what gets recorded. “Somebody” is not a role. It is a future argument.
Apply: Draft a Four-Role Runbook
For a fictional four-team school event, create a short plan with event lead, bracket administrator, technical lead, and conduct or student-support contact. Add check-in time, one published-rule reference, and one response for a delayed match. The goal is a usable paper plan, not a live tournament.
Correct: Tabletop the Delay
Give the plan to another group. Ask them to run the delayed-match scenario using only the runbook. If they cannot tell who announces the update or what happens to the bracket, add the missing detail.
Prove: Exit Evidence
Submit the runbook plus a three-sentence explanation of how it protects both fairness and communication.
Takeaway
Operations work is how an event stays understandable when the boring, predictable problems arrive right on schedule.