Brainforge Knowledge

ops-team-request-sla

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Ops Team Request SLA

Placement: This is the version-controlled copy. The canonical copy for day-to-day use lives in the Operations Manual in Notion (Internal → Operations → Operations Manual). Sync or copy updates to Notion when you change this file.

Department & Owner: Operations
Latest Update: February 2026

Purpose

Operations commits to responding to every team request within 48 hours so the team can plan, avoid blocked work, and know where things stand. A turnaround of less than 48 hours is the required standard: the requester must receive either a concrete answer or a specific ETA within that window.

Scope

  • Who: Any team member submitting a request that requires an action or decision from Operations.
  • In scope: Requests submitted through the official intake (Linear /ask, OpsQuest, or a designated form or channel that creates a tracked ticket).
  • Out of scope: Purely informational broadcasts; items that do not require an action or decision from Ops.
  • Response window: 48 hours from when the request is received and triaged (recommend defining as 48 business hours, ET; document the chosen definition in this section when finalized).

Definitions

  • Request: An ask that requires an action or decision from Operations (e.g. expense approval, tool access, OOO coverage, policy clarification).
  • First response / update: The first meaningful reply to the requester—either a concrete answer or a specific ETA—posted in the same channel or ticket as the request.
  • Concrete answer: A resolution, approval, clear yes/no, or clear next steps so the requester knows the outcome or what to do next.
  • ETA: A specific date (or date and time) by which the requester will receive a concrete answer (e.g. “We will have an answer by [date]”).
  • 48 hours: The maximum allowed time for the first response; define as business hours or calendar hours and timezone (e.g. 48 business hours, ET) and keep that definition visible in Scope or here.

Policy and guidelines

Turnaround

  • The first meaningful update to the requester must occur within 48 hours of request receipt (MUST). Turnaround in less than 48 hours is the standard.

Update content

  • Within 48 hours the requester must receive either:
    • (a) A concrete answer (resolution, approval, clear yes/no with next steps), or
    • (b) A specific ETA (e.g. “Answer by [date]” or “We will complete this by [date]”) with a brief reason if helpful.

Where to respond

  • Respond in the same channel or ticket the request came from (Linear, Slack thread, or linked form response) so the requester has one place to check.

If 48 hours is at risk

  • Before the 48-hour mark, the assigned owner should either post an ETA in the same thread/ticket or notify the Operations Manager so a response or ETA can be communicated to the requester.

Resources

  • Linear — Use /ask (or equivalent) to submit ops requests; requests are triaged and tracked in Linear.
  • OpsQuest — Designated intake that routes requests to the operations channel and Linear.
  • Operations Team Process Map — Notion: Operations Manual → Operations Team — Process Map. KPIs, triage, and escalation resolution (e.g. median time to resolve operational escalations ≤48 hours).
  • Intake: All trackable ops requests go through centralized intake (Linear / OpsQuest / designated form); avoid ad-hoc Slack-only requests for work that should be tracked.

Guiding principles

  • All team requests that need an Ops action or decision go through the centralized intake so they are visible and tracked.
  • Every request receives a first response within 48 hours—either a concrete answer or a specific ETA.
  • Responses are posted in the same thread or ticket as the request so requesters have one place to look.
  • If the 48-hour window cannot be met, an ETA is communicated before the 48-hour mark.

Procedures

  1. Triage — New ops requests (from Linear, OpsQuest, or linked channel) are triaged into Linear and assigned an owner.
  2. Assign — Operations Lead (or designee) ensures each request has an owner and that the owner is aware of the 48-hour SLA.
  3. Respond — Within 48 hours of request receipt, the owner posts in the same ticket/channel either a concrete answer or a specific ETA for when a concrete answer will be provided.
  4. If at risk — If a concrete answer or ETA cannot be provided within 48 hours, the owner notifies the Operations Manager or posts an ETA in the thread before the 48-hour mark.

Responsibilities

  • Requester: Submit requests through the official intake (Linear /ask, OpsQuest, or designated form/channel) so the request is tracked.
  • Operations Manager: Owns the SLA; provides oversight, tracks adherence, and supports escalation when the 48-hour window is at risk.
  • Operations Lead / Ops team: Execute triage, assignment, and response; ensure every request receives a first response within 48 hours in the same thread/ticket.
  • Content Owner: Operations Lead
  • Accuracy Reviewer: Operations Manager
  • Update & Maintenance Owner: Operations (keep this policy and the canonical copy in Notion in sync; if a version-controlled copy exists in the vault, sync updates as needed).
  • Operations Team — Process Map (Notion Operations Manual) — KPIs (e.g. escalation resolution ≤48 hours), triage, and workflow.
  • Policy Non-Compliance Escalation Framework (Independent Contractors) (Notion Operations Manual) — Standard escalation when policies are not met; may be referenced if Ops SLA adherence is tracked internally.
  • Team policy guide — “Communication SLAs” and “what’s required and by when” are in the Operations Manual; point the team to this SLA for team request response expectations.

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