Own It or Escalate it?
A Lead calls because an employee called out and asks the Coordinator what to do. There are available staff who can be reassigned.
What is resolve the coverage issue at the Coordinator/appropriate admin level rather than immediately escalating it to the Program Manager?
A Lead reports that a refrigerator is not holding temperature. Name the priority.
What is protect food safety first—secure/relocate product as appropriate, document the issue, report the equipment problem, and follow it through to resolution?
A Food Service Worker says, “I can't work at another school because I work for this school.”
What is employees work for DCCK School Foods and may be assigned to cover other schools as operationally needed?
This document should reflect what was actually prepared and served—not simply what was planned.
What is the production record?
You send an email requesting that a Lead correct something. What happens next?
What is follow up and verify that the correction was actually completed?
A Lead asks a question that can be answered using an existing SOP or School Foods resource. Your first move should be this.
What is locate the resource, answer the question, and coach the Lead on where to find it next time?
A school is short staffed tomorrow. Before simply announcing that the school will operate short, admin should do this.
What is assess available staffing, determine possible coverage/reassignment, communicate the plan, and confirm coverage?
A Food Service Worker says they cannot work past their normal departure time because of a standing personal obligation. What scheduling expectation applies?
What is FSWs are expected to be available for any 8.5-hour shift, including a 30-minute break, scheduled between 6:30 AM and 6:00 PM?
Meal counts don't match what appears in the POS system. The job isn't finished when you discover the discrepancy. What comes next?
What is investigate the source, make/coordinate the appropriate correction, document it, and verify that the records reconcile?
You ask someone else to handle an issue. What happens next?
What is establish ownership and a deadline, then confirm completion?
You receive an operational problem outside your normal assignment. Saying, “That isn't my school,” is NOT the answer.
What is take ownership of getting the issue to resolution or connect it directly to the appropriate person and ensure the handoff occurs?
A Lead says they are unable to complete service because they are missing a product. What should admin determine before escalating?
What is what is missing, why it is missing, whether a substitute/transfer/approved alternative is available, and what is needed to complete service?
Two employees are repeatedly arguing. The Lead keeps calling admin to settle each disagreement. What is missing?
What is Lead ownership of routine conflict management, clear expectations, documentation when appropriate, and escalation only when the situation exceeds the Lead's authority?
A Lead repeatedly submits incomplete administrative records. Simply correcting the forms yourself creates this problem.
What is dependency instead of accountability and development?
A Lead tells you, “I already told the employee.” The behavior continues. What happens next?
What is determine what was communicated, document the issue, reinforce the expectation, establish consequences/next steps as appropriate, and monitor improvement?
You have attempted the solutions within your authority, but the problem remains unresolved and now requires a decision above your level.
What is escalate with the problem, actions already taken, current status, and the specific decision/support needed?
During a school visit you discover the same operational deficiency that was identified on the previous visit. Your job is more than documenting it again.
What is determine why the correction did not stick, establish a corrective action, assign ownership and deadline, and verify completion?
A Lead reports an employee performance problem but has no dates, examples, coaching conversations, or documentation. What should admin do?
What is help the Lead establish specific expectations and properly document performance rather than immediately jumping to discipline?
A site passes today's review, but documentation errors keep returning every month. What metric matters in addition to today's compliance?
What is repeat-error reduction/sustained compliance?
You notify another department about a problem affecting one of your schools. Three days later, nothing has changed. What happens next?
What is follow up with the responsible party, communicate the continuing operational impact, determine the next escalation point if necessary, and continue tracking until resolved?
A problem was technically “fixed” today but has happened three times this month. The administrative responsibility isn't finished until this occurs.
What is identify and address the root cause so the problem does not continue to repeat?
Tomorrow is opening day and a school has staffing, equipment, food, POS and paperwork concerns. Name the administrative approach.
What is triage by impact, assign owners to each issue, establish deadlines, communicate the opening plan, and verify readiness rather than waiting for opening morning?
An employee problem has reached the Program Manager, but the Coordinator and Senior Lead knew about it for weeks. This is the administrative failure.
What is failure to communicate early, take ownership, document interventions, and escalate appropriately before the issue became larger?
A required compliance item is due Friday. On Thursday, admin discovers several schools haven't completed it. What administrative behavior should have prevented this?
What is proactive tracking, follow-up, and early intervention before the deadline?
A serious problem has been resolved. What are the FOUR questions strong School Foods administrators should still ask?
What are: What caused it? Could we have prevented it? Could it happen elsewhere? What needs to change so it doesn't happen again?